Drumroll...

...Welcome to the new home of The Spin Cycle!!!

Yes, it's true!

I know! I know!

For those of you who have really, really not been paying attention:

Way back in 2008, the smart and beautiful and funny and talented Jennifer created The Spin Cycle over at Sprite's Keeper. Over the past couple of years it has become my favorite blog carnival thingy of all. Going back through my posts over the last two years, I have realized that ALL of my favorite posts were inspired by The Spin Cycle. And Jen has reigned as a clever and inspiring leader for all this time. 

But, alas, due to work and Sprite and scheduling and whatnot (her word, and a very good one) Jennifer has decided to retire from spinning. If you'd like to pitch in on a pension plan for her, I'm pretty sure I could figure out how to make a little Paypal link. And amazingly, Jen has agreed to allow me to pick up her baton and spin with it.

"But Gretchen" you say, "How on earth did you, of all people, end up as the new Spin Cycle hostess?" Very good question.

I had a dream.

No really. A couple of days after Christmas, I had a dream.

I dreamt that Jen had decided to go on another Spin Cycle hiatus, and she had handed the reins (or the reign if you like) over to another blogger, we'll call her Dream Blogger. Dream Blogger was what I would consider my blogging nemesis. One of those really happy bloggers, you know the ones - all sunshine and lollipops. Everything was perfect and glossy and Dream Blogger didn't allow sarcasm. I hated her and all of her Spin topics. They were really stupid. She kept making us post nothing but recipes and craft ideas and beautiful pictures of our perfect children. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

It says something about how much I love my Spin Cycle that I actually woke up in a cold sweat (oh wait, maybe that was the peri-menopause), convinced that I HAD to email Jennifer and see if she was really thinking of taking a hiatus, and volunteer to fill in for her, before she gave it to some unknown happy crafter.

And through a brilliant stroke of synchronicity, the very first person to comment on my blog that morning was...Jennifer! So I wrote to her, and she jumped at the idea so fast it made my head spin. Pun intended. I have told her that when she wants to come back it is absolutely hers for the asking. But she says she is officially retired, and would, in fact, like that aforementioned pension.

So, in Jen's own words...The Spin Cycle is headed to Hollywood, baby!!

I'm still a little stunned and...nervous. There is no possible way that I will in ANY way be as clever and witty as Jennifer. No way. So I will try to make it my own. I will try to find inspiring topics. I will try VERY hard to be a prompt and courteous hostess. Again, I know that I will in no way achieve Jen's level of hostess-with-the-mostess. But I will endeavor.

I also welcome any and all Spin ideas. Feel free to email me lists, I am not proud.

So let's just get things started here, alrighty?

Next week's Spin Cycle: Dreams

In honor of my clairvoyant dream that led me to my new position of responsibility, I am throwing out "Dreams" as my very first topic.

Do you dream? I do. Especially when I've had a nice shot of NyQuil - nothing like a good NyQuil-induced dream.

Do you remember them? Forget them? Wish you could forget them? Write them down?

Are they freaky? Mundane? Scary? Prescient? Sexy? Recurring?

Do you interpret them? Freudian or Jungian? Tunnels and trains and cigars? I once had a long and incredibly detailed dream in which I was playing Mary Magdalene in a movie about the 12 apostles.  All of the apostles were wearing these long, Apostleish gowns, you know. And every time the camera stopped rolling, the apostles would bring out from under their gowns their long, snakelike penises. They would slither around the room and poke me -  kept driving me crazy and...Um. TMI?

Jimmy swears that his dreams physically manifest themselves. He'll dream he's in a fight and wake up with a bruise. At least that's what he says. I think he's crazy.

Or maybe you just have hopes and dreams. Dreams for the future? Dreams for your kids? "I had a dream." kind of stuff.

Are we ready to go with this?

For now, I'm keeping the rules just the way Jennifer created them. For you newbies, here's how it works...

Every Friday, I post the Spin Cycle topic of the week. A word, a thought, a prompt if you will. Then you have the entire week to write your "spin" on the subject. Get it? "Spin" cycle? That Jen is very clever. You can do anything with your spin that you want, let it inspire you. Do whatever makes your little heart happy. Surprise me.

You can post your spin any day of the next week  - it's that laid back, don't you love it? Just make sure you get it up by the NEXT Friday.

Once you've posted your spin, make sure you let me know in a comment here on my blog. It doesn't even have to be a comment on the spin, it can be in any old comment, I'll find it. Please give me your URL link to your post. I will then link your spin to a kind of "Spin Cycle Round Up" post early in the week.

On Friday, I will publish MY brilliant spin on the topic (I'm assuming that all of your spins will be brilliant as well), along with a full list of participating spinners. AND at the end of my Friday post, I'll give you the NEXT week's Spin Cycle topic.

Did that make sense? Have I confused you? Okay, let me simplify. With bullet points, because you know I love my bullet points...

• Write a post about the topic of the week, which I've handed out on Friday.
• Leave me the link to your post in a comment on my blog.
• Check back on Friday so you can read everybody ELSE'S take on the topic, and find out the NEXT week's topic.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. No Mister Linky. No special day you have to post. I'm here to make you happy.

Two things though -

1. Be sure and check out everybody else's spin posts. It's fun to see what other people do with the topic. And...it's just the polite thing to do.
2. Please add the Spin Cycle button/link thingy to your spin post. Then your readers can find their way to the other writers and their readers and...well, you get the idea.

And if you forget what to do, it's all written on my new Spin Cycle page, which you can get to by clicking that little tab up there.

I'm guessing that y'all now see how very serious I am about this endeavor that I have managed to figure out how to create both a tab AND a button/link thingy. That's some serious technology there.

Okay, y'all. Spin with it. I sincerely hope that you all join in and play along, or I'll surely get my feelings hurt.

And PLEASE, everybody head over to Sprite's Keeper and tell her how very, very much you will miss her brilliant guidance!

Happy Spinning!

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Comments

[Aimee]

Congrats on your new gig! How exciting.

Dreams!!! OMG, I could write an entire blog about my dreams. Seriously. (It wouldn't make any sense, though.) Can't wait to narrow them down for this spin!

[carolbaby]

Can I just say that I utterly adore that you have a blogging Nemesis?

[Erin]

Ooh, maybe I'll jump in and start spinning again!

Congrats on your new gig.

xo

[Sprite's Keeper]

Sigh... I love you. And I think I'm going to Spin this week! My dreams have been extremely visual lately. (Need to lay off the wine before bed, maybe.)
Mwah!

[VandyJ]

Awesome! the Spin Cycle is one of the first carnivals that I ever did. It also lead me to you. So happy it found a new home. I'm off to think about dreams...
See you next week.

[Ginny Marie]

This is exciting! No need to be nervous...you will be an awesome hostess!

[Jan]

For a minute there, I thought you were talking about me - recipes and pictures of darling (grand)children? Then I realized it couldn't be me, because you said your Blogging Nemesis doesn't allow snark - all I do is snark. Not that I think you have anything to worry about; people who are incapable of snark give Jen hives - she'd never hand the reins over to anyone like that.

I'll tell you what I told her - I can't imagine a better new home for the Spin Cycle. You'll have mine next week!

[Michele]

The Spin Cycle couldn't find a happier/snarkier/loving home. Thanks for taking this on. I expect things to get weird. I mean it is moving to "Hollyweird"! and you are from Austin, TX.

[Becky]

This is great! I will participate!

Now, you have a blogging nemesis?!? Why don't I have one of those, WAH!

[Sarah at 32Flavors]

FUN! I've always enjoyed your SC posts, and thought I should do them, too. But I never made it that far. I think now is just the time!

[Erica@Pines Lake Redhead]

Very cool! That's how I originally found you. Perhaps I'll get myself organized enough to start spinning again. Maybe.

[Elizabeth]

I think I'm going to join in, although writing about dreams makes me nervous. And you'll be a terrific Spin Leader -- way to go!

[Michele R.]

Very cool.
I'm in like Flynn (a little Hollywood lingo there). And I love the story of how this evolved.

[Stacy Uncorked]

WooHoo! *jumping up and down* I've been sorely missing the Spin Cycle, too - I think some of my better posts were created in a spin. :) I'm glad you've agreed to take up the reigns - I cannot think of a better SC participator to carry the torch! Now to dream up a post for next week... ;)

[Patty]

Oh, I am so glad the Spin Cycle will be continuing, and I can't think of a better hostess to take over for Jen. Thanks for taking this on, Gretchen. Maybe now I'll actually post on my blog this month!

[Keely]

In honor of this occasion, I may actually Spin this week! Or, I may not. I'm temperamental that way.

[Hollywood Farm]

Congrats! Fantastic work! Will look forward to joining the Spin Cycle this year! Can we submit blogs on the subjects?

[Aimee]

We be spinnin'!

http://aimeewrites.com/the-tigers-come-at-night/

[Sarah at 32Flavors]

Hooray!!
http://sarahs32flavors.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/spinning-dreams/

[Peg]

I will miss Jen as moderator but I know you will do an awesome job!

[Kendra]

http://lifeintheslowlane-kendra.blogspot.com/2012/01/httpwww.html

Here's my spin!