Comping Convert

The reality is setting in. My sister's attempt to win a car is involving the whole family. Yesterday two freelance photographers from London came and turned my conservatory into a photographic studio and took a multitude of pictures of my parents in various heroic poses. My mum usually shies away from the camera but she was in fantastic form hiding behind the role of a Superhero.

The photographers (both called Tom) were lovely - professional but personable - and one of the Toms in particular was more than a little bit yummy. Why is it that when my husband's jeans slide down his hips exposing boxers and bum crack I shout at him to "for God's sake pull your bloody trousers up" whereas Tom's low slung jeans exposing the perfect amount of his Calvin Kleins was just a total tantalising tease. Don't get me wrong, I adore my husband but I do enjoy admiring a fine specimen.

Photos done - the next step is to plan the party that will be attended by a filmcrew. My sister and I are getting our party planning heads on. The lovely lady who made my wedding cake, Lisa, is on board so we can guarantee that we will have a focal point in cake form that is as delicious as it is stunning. Our in-house band are getting their ideas together for music, which is more of a challenge than usual because they would be in breach of copyright if they were to perform any cover versions. They have plenty of original material in embryonic form. The challenge will be to see if they can get it up to performance standard with a very limited amount of rehearsal time. My ever willing husband is primed and ready to do whatever furniture shifting we need to turn our home into a party venue. And me, I am feeling the urge to write lists.

I love lists. Lists crystallise my thoughts and provide a conduit from idea into reality. They create an illusion of order from chaos and begin to instil a sense of pace and momentum as the 'ticking' off process commences. Sometimes a mental list will suffice but it does not match up to the satisfaction of putting pen to paper (or wipe board marker to wipe board!). For this party project, I think I will need to employ the ultimate listmaker's accessory - the clipboard. Once I have that in my hands, the party will virtually plan itself.

My sister's success with her competition entry has inspired lots of people to have a go. Taylor is working on an idea to try and win a signed guitar from her favourite pop star. This involves making a video of herself miming to a particular song (the fact that she doesn't actually know all the words yet is a bit of an obstacle!). I have discovered 'stickies' on the Mac and am exploring this new medium for my beloved lists to keep track of links to various competitions that my sister tips me off about. I am mostly interested in the ones that need you to make a video or take a photograph because it gives me a reason to get creative. If you have fun entering, the winning doesn't actually matter that much (although it would be a huge bonus!) I am definitely becoming a 'comping' convert.

Back to the party planning - I think it's time to dig out that clipboard...