Annndddd.... introducing....

It's become a little clear that Lili and I needed help. Between Lili's college and Jennifer's three jobs, things were falling through the cracks. Oops.

So Jennifer went a huntin'... I mean... recruiting. The search was short. Gaby! Who is Gaby? Well, she's this chick on Twitter and this her blog, Queen Ella Bee Reads! And actually (surprise, surprise) she co-ran yesterday's session with Lili and wasn't scared off by you lot! She even called it 'fun'! Mad woman.

We're still working this new triumvirate out from week to week, but this means we'll have email responses out faster and widget updated more. Jennifer's been really dropping the ball on that. Sorry.

This means less stress for Jennifer and Lili.


And more results for you guys:


Now, everyone celebrate the adding of Gaby! The 3rd ARCycling girl. Her stick figure will be coming soon!

Clarifying the Changes

There have been a few questions about the changes, so I just want to clarify a few things.

REQUESTERS

• If you get your request in immediately, odds are that you will get a response the way the program is normally run
• If you get it in late, you will most likely get a response really late into the night (we're talking anywhere between 11 and 2) if not Monday morning
• The list will close really late Sunday night so everyone has a chance to get to it

DONATORS

• Your e-mails will go out any time between late Sunday night and early Tuesday. We have to do it when we have the free time, you know? We will do them all at once and always announce on twitter when they are complete.
• In some instances they will be done on time if either of us manage to be free

Hope that clears up any questions!

Updates!

What with Lili being busy at college and Jennifer working 3 jobs (yes, yes, I'm awesome, I know it) ARCycling is going to have to be shifted. SLIGHTLY.

Things are going to run pretty much the same as always, open, close, books-free-for-all, etc. but it's those emails, man. Those emails. They kind of take forever. You wouldn't think so, but they do. So from now until further notice, emails might be going out a bit later than usual.

The emails to people who got books are quick and easy enough, they should go within the same time frame, but Donators, you awesome people, you. You will be getting them any time from Sunday night to Tuesday, at the very latest. This is to allows us a little wiggle room with our tight schedules.

Anyway, that's all!

ARCycling is cancelled for 9/1/13!

Sorry! That's life!
This does NOT count towards Two Week Time Out. Basically So, if you were to get off this week, you get off next week. If you were to get off next week, you actually get off the week after. Wherever you currently are in your time outs, push it back a week. All donations will be held to next week.

Sorry again!


Now to explain why, Jennifer is working (dull) and Lili, well, Lili is moving in for her freshman year of college!! So while she hasn't abandoned us (yet) for the wild college life, let's start her off in the only way ARCycling knows how to do. Gifs.
Always.
Gifs. Always.

So as someone who's been there, done that, here we go.

First, Lili's gonna be all:


Then she's going to realize college is different than high school:


Especially when she sees those textbook prices:


Then inevitably, this happens to just everything:


Then finals come... oh yes...:


But the most important thing, is to have a party:


And make friends:


And learn some stuff:


And, finally have a blast in Manhattan:


Stay tuned for any planned service changes to ARCycling in the coming weeks as we adjust to have a college student in our midst.

Guess. What.

It's been a year. We are a year old. A year. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. 8760 hours. 525600 minutes.

Okay, a year give or take your definition, but for sure a year that this blog has been open.
Now it's stats time.
In that year, we got to 600 followers. We've had over 800 books given a second, or third chance at life. We've had 250 reviews that wouldn't have existed otherwise. We've had over 200 unique donators. This is all so happying.

And do you know what that means? GIF TIME.
So lately I've rejoined the world of popular things by finally watching Sherlock, Avengers and the solo movies that led up to it and before that Star Trek. So, we're just gonna have a big crazy fandom explosion of all of these things. Get ready for your computer to be loading for like 10 minutes, like the old school days of AOL dial up.*
*Jennifer just dated herself a whole hell of a lot. Dang.

When someone (or me) gives me the idea for a gif post:


When someone is oddly evasive about giving me their full name because it's the internet:


When I make a mistake and just have to publicly eat it:


When someone asks me to do something simple:


When I totally forget it's Sunday until Lili asks me when we should open:


Me, I have to do ARCycling by myself:


When that's not the case and Lili and I are in it for the long haul:


And we knock it out like the bad asses we are:


How I dramatize pressing the 'Publish' button in my head as we open:


When we open and nothing moves instantly:


Me, to Lili for being my TWTO girl:


What solving most problems actually feels like:


When people think I actually get mad over most things:


When I actually get mad for people trying to cheat my system:


When a 'big' book donation no longer surprises me:


When I get a WEIRD book donation:


Me, when something comes up about Two Week Time Out and I pawn it off on Lili:


When I look at someone's blog who wants to request and their reviews are three sentences:


And...


And then...


And finally, my answer:


And our reaction to said blog:


When I get some snippy "suggestion":


Because of course...


When I navigate my massive spreadsheets like a BAMF:


Me, when I 'catch' someone who hasn't gotten their book mailed out in a timely fashion:


Trying to do ARCycling when my internet is slow:


When someone is just SO EXCITED for the book they got:


And now I end on a fantastic crossover:


Good gods, that was exhausting.

Now that you've successfully gotten to the end of this post, you're rewarded with information on a giveaway! Lili does the giveaways, I do ridiculousness.
Go here.

Time for a science lesson.

Remember high school biology? Let's a have a mini refresher course in one particular aspect. I've always liked the concept.

com·men·sal·ism [kuh-men-suh-liz-uhm] 

noun

1. Ecology . a type of relationship between two species of a plant, animal, fungus, etc., in which one lives with, on, or in another without damage to either.

2. Sociology . peaceful coexistence among individuals or groups having independent or different values or customs.

3. See picture below.

  

That's what we are, guys. The bird and the deer. Bird stays on deer's back and eats fleas and ticks and deer provides a buffet of fleas and ticks.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, lots. We can only do our job if others do theirs. And when we don't get donations or (worse) get people complaining about the lack of new books, well, it's like you guys are the bird and you aren't eating the fleas and ticks. We are getting itchy and can't do much other than roll in grass to relieve the itch.*

*Please ignore how strange and awkward this analogy is getting.

 Now, we can't force people for donations (obviously) but we can try encourage it. Just like non-profit charities can issues tax breaks we can offer an incentive. It's not much, but alas, we are, essentially, a non-profit charity.

Like all charities, we survive on the blood (books) that are donated to us. We would not have survived this long without them. Not a chance. We would have died out sometime in December and I would at times find something to remind me of that cute little program I created, that subsequently died when I ran out of my own books. Let me say it again, to make sure it sticks: donators = the reason we live.

So, what's the incentive?, you ask impatiently.
Preferred treatment to those who donate books.

Cannot TELL YOU how excited I was to find that gif set.
But anyway, yeah, don't freak out. Here's why:
1) A lot of those who donate, hardly ever request. Don't ask me why that is, I've just noticed the trend.
 2) A lot of the time the people who donate, don't go for the big titles anyway. Not always, just, again, a strangeish trend I've noticed.
3) It won't be a preferred treatment, like holding books for anyone or especially rescinding books after emails have gone out. No way. 

Will this be a big shift in everything we know and trust in this reality? No.
Does it mean you might loose out to the donator who requested the same book 15 seconds after you? Maybe. (You'd be surprised how often this happens anyway when people request when they are on TWTO unknowingly.)
Do I hope for a big influx of cast-off books from your school reading list just to get preferential treatment? Oh, gods of Olympus, I sincerely hope not. Yes, we'll take Pride and Prejudice, but the day any blogger tries to play this off as a hip and fun read is gonna get a big eyeroll from me. I'm an English major, I can say it.

You might not realize it, but at the end of this month, this little program is a year old. (Yes, the blog didn't get started until late July - but who's counting?) I keep worrying and almost waiting for it to lose momentum and I don't want to see it die. I've worked hella hard on this blog (and all the spreadsheets) to watch it die so easily. Even with me moving and maybe starting some kind of life and Lili going to college, we are willing to keep it going. But we can only do so much. We need you guys! I hope this gets a little more life pumping in the system and if not, well, back to the drawing board on our side.

 

Officially official.

We haven't had gifs in a while. That's a sad thing. Let's fix that.
But first we need some gif-worthy news right? Well. I just so happen to HAVE SOME.

Jennifer IS moving. And it's not to LA. LA fell through like the gods themselves were telling me this was a bad idea.

Instead, Jennifer is gonna party it up in New York City *said all Pace Picante commercial style*.
You remember this if you were a child of the 90s. 

And guess what. I have a place and a date and hopefully my retail job transfers and few friends and I'm really excited... it might turn out HORRIBLY, but this is what your mid 20s are for. Screwing up.

Now for the excited gifs.









And lastly, and maybe the best by far...