Goodbye HNT and a Contest

Remember back to some of your high school classmates? The ones that you weren't necessarily good friends with, but you might have taken a class or two with them, or at least could say hi to in the hallways? I was that way with most of my classmates. Even though I was the band/chorus/drama geek, I had friends in most of the other cliques in school. One that has always stood out was Stacie. She was very much a tomboy in high school. But one of those really good-looking ones. Always greeted you with a smile. Never seemed like she had a care in the world. I think we were very much alike in alot of ways. Both members of the National Honor Society. Both had friends throughout the wide spectrum of students. Both always looking at the bright side of things. Both went to Catholic grade school together. Both had our First Communion together!

After high school, I ran off to study chemical engineering, then music, at Montana State. She ran off to the University of Montana to study forestry. I didn't see much of her after high school. Maybe a half dozen times in 30+ years. But still with the big smile, the laugh, and the twinkle in her eyes. We were similar, but different. Neither of us ever married. She stayed close to the Missoula area; I hopscotched around the region. There was a sort of "comfort" knowing that she was in Missoula if I ever needed to get in touch with her (though I don't know why I would).

Stacie was killed in the early evening last Thursday. She was riding her bike home from some friends' house when a 23 year old jackass, driving with a blood alcohol level of .185, intentionally swerved to hit her (according to eyewitnesses). I'm going to miss her.

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It is merely a coincidence that the candle comes into play with both of our pictures. This week's Mystery Guest is a popular HNTer. How popular? How about over 1,000,000 visits popular? Not many of us can claim that!

Her site regularly features of herself, but this picture is a bit of departure from the pictures normally found on her site. She has alot of friends, all with the same interests as her. In fact, I believe she's even hosted a blogger party or two in the past! Not bad for a shy girl from the Great White North!

We'll be revealing her on Thursday afternoon, but you can certainly go by and ask her if she's the MG before then. The princess awaits her court!

Well, shoot. Forgot to do this on Thursday... The Mystery Guest this week is that Star Wars-lovin' Padme! Stop by and leave her a little spank!

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"...the Other HNT" is fairly tame this week, and a bit on the sparse side. Be sure you stop by to check things out!

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I told you a couple of weeks ago about a contest I was going to run. I'll do another post dedicated to it, but here's the basics: May/June is the time for graduations, both high school and college. For the next 3-4 weeks, I want you to send me a scan of your HIGH SCHOOL graduation picture. The official one. Not a picture of you from high school, but that dorky, posed, fake smile, big hair, peach fuzz-faced that ended up in your yearbook. I'll post the ones I get. Sometime towards the end of May, you'll have a week to figure out who is whom. I'll post a list of contributors, so you won't be totally in the dark. The one who correctly gets the most right, wins the prize (whatever it might be...). Of course, this means that we need to have seen your face on your site. If we never have, then it's going to make it difficult to place your younger face! Send the pics to hntanon@gmail.com
As I said, a more detailed post will be coming soon!