October 5, 2021
First, I just wanted to say that I have been seeing a lot of new and familiar faces on my Instagram page in the last few hours so thank you and hello! If you've never seen my blog before, I usually post updates on Mondays and Thursdays, but since Facebook and Instagram were broken yesterday, I thought it would be better to wait to write something. (Also, this month I am posting a comic every day.)
So, if you're reading this, you've probably already heard about my CCMA Ultimate Fan Video. Since yesterday was a confusing day on the internet, I would like to tell you more about it.
I am originally from Chesley, ON but I have been living in London, ON permanently for almost six years. Prior to the pandemic, I felt like I also lived at Budweiser Gardens which is hosting The 2021 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMAs). This is the biggest event for Canadian Country music. If things go well (or as well as they can be during a global health crisis) fans will be able to buy tickets to the show, which will be extremely competitive. I recently tried to purchase a ticket for a concert in the spring and it was a nightmare. Anyway, if I win this contest I will at least be able to get into the building for free as long as things aren't cancelled. As they say in the infomercials, "But wait! There's more!" I would also get to attend a dinner, rehearsal day, the red carpet AND present The Fans' Choice Award on TV!
Last year, I came in 2nd place. I had to upload a video and send it to them, which was difficult. My video was too big for the website so I had to make it smaller which lowered the quality of the video. (I still don't think I would have won-- the winner had me beat in terms of experience, for sure!) This year was technically much easier because I could send them a link to my Instagram video and I wouldn't have to worry about the size. So I got up at 5:30 yesterday, all excited to submit everything! Then around lunch time, Facebook and Instagram went down and my link was basically broken and the video was unable to be seen or played. I panicked. I almost emailed them another link, but only one entry is allowed per person. If you enter more than once, you would be disqualified. I honestly didn't know if Facebook and Instagram would come back. Twitter was working and I read a bunch of articles that didn't sound hopeful. Luckily, everything was restored.
Around supper time, people could see my video again and it started to get exciting! From what I understand, The CCMAs will have the final decision on the winner, so you can't vote, but you can watch the video. They will be able to see how many views it gets, which is why it's important to watch it right on Instagram. It will work even if you don't have an account. Here is my link which you can copy and paste: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUms19lgmNI/
I think it should also count if you watch it here:
I am going to use this link, bit.ly/UF100521 to bring people back to this page that you're reading right now, which I think will make it easier to share. I will post any future updates on the contest here if I have any. Thank you to everyone who has already watched the video and shared it or left me a nice comment! The last day to enter is October 15, so I will probably know more after that.
Annette
UPDATE: I WON!!! Thank you to everyone who watched the video! Country Music Week is Nov. 26-29, 2021. I usually like to take a break from my blog in December, so I don't know if I will post pictures next month or wait until January. Stay tuned!
