The HubLove Contest

Participating in the HubLove Contest this year was a fabulous experience, and I don’t say that just because I won. In fact, I’m willing to bet that the other hubbers who actively participated in the contest, as well as the devoted spectators, agree with me. It was intense, challenging, and a bonding experience for many of us.

I enjoyed the contest because it was a challenge that forced me to write a lot in short periods of time. Plus, the topics were given to us (if someone could manage to figure out the clue), so we never knew what we would be writing about next. From love to China to finance, the topics varied as much as bed partners were exchanged on Melrose Place.

After a month of the insanity that was the HubLove Contest, I was exhausted! Seriously, I was sleep deprived, couldn’t remember the last time I cooked a healthy meal, and –whoa- look at the piles of stuff I ignored at work. I barely recognized my husband and my cats were no longer speaking to me since I had forgotten that the universe revolves around them (I mean, come on, they are cats = lords of the world). Oh yeah, and when was the last time I did laundry?

So I took a break from hubbing. A much longer break than I intended. First, I excused myself from hubbing because I deserved a rest. Then I had something like writer’s block, but was more about being lazy than being unable to write. After that, my focus was centered more on preparing for the process of applying to grad schools than hubbing. Yeah, yeah, excuse after excuse.

But the fact that those of you who were super involved in the HubLove Contest deserved to know what happened to The Killer Hubbing & Blogging Package has haunted me for months now, finally forcing me to sit my butt down and write this. And, let me tell you: sitting isn’t super easy right now because I got a ridiculously avoidable sunburn today. Ouch.

Just a reminder of what the prizes were:

• MacBook Pro: 15-inch, 2.4 GHz
• iPod Touch: 8GB
• Digital Camcorder: Sony Handycam HDR-SR5 (40GB)
• Digital SLR camera: Canon EOS 30D with 18mm-to-55mm lens

I’ve heard from some hubbers that they want to see what I have done with these wonderful prizes, but I have to tell you: I never got them. It was a hard decision to make, but I ended up taking the cash value of the prizes for a variety of reasons. First, as cool as the iPod Touch probably is, I honestly had no use for it. We are locked into a contract with a provider that doesn’t work with iPods, so, yeah…

Second, while I have heard tons of great stuff about Mac computers and love the commercials, my husband pointed out that we do not have any software that would be compatible. This means that when I want to install something or manage to screw up my laptop (which I’m surprisingly good at), I wouldn’t know how to get myself out of trouble.

The camcorder and the camera were definitely appealing, but I had already managed to rule out the practicality of the other two prizes.

So, what I did was use the money to buy a laptop (and some cool accessories that I learned about while writing hubs for the HubLove Contest). This laptop is definitely filling the requirements of what I need out of a computer: easy to use, easy to transport, and mine all mine. I’ve never had a computer that was solely mine and not shared with anyone else, so this is heaven.

The rest of the money is in savings, burning a hole in my virtual pocket, until I find the perfect cameras to buy. Yeah, I’m being picky, but I can be. I want to find something that “feels right” when I hold it. It needs to be easy to use, but have cool effects. My criteria aren’t exactly technical, but neither am I.

I went to a party on the last day of the contest, so I really got to celebrate winning. The coolest thing about winning wasn’t so much the prizes, but being able to say I did it. Being a writer, and going out into the world telling people you are a writer, isn’t always easy. But having an accomplishment such as winning a contest like the HubLove Contest, which had challenging assignments and tough competition, under my belt made it easier to answer the tough questions people love to ask: “You’re a writer, so what have you done?” or “Have you written anything I would have heard about?”

Another neat thing was that my grandma, also a fellow hubber, was at this party and did what great grandmas do: told everyone about her grandchild’s accomplishments.

And, of course, I must spread the love because I never would have won without the challenge and support from others.

First of all, I must send some love to Whitney (Whitney05) for keeping me on my toes. True fairness would have been if we could both win as she is a worthy competitor and opponent.

Then, there is Jason (Jason Menayan), who had to miss out on beautiful, sunny days to watch us attempt to solve his tough clues. The contest wouldn’t have even happened without the hard work and creativity of Jason and the rest of the HubPages crew.

I can’t forget Charlotte (gamergirl) who had the fabulous idea of beginning the Un-official Hublove thread in the forums.

I could name people forever, but those of you who were there know who you are – so lots of love to you: sponsors, hubbers, judges, and all!