It Isn’t The Winning Or Losing That Matters…
I like getting things for free, I’ve said it before and I’ll damn well say it again. I love the idea of having to put in minimal or no effort to be rewarded with something I obviously don’t deserve if I can’t afford it myself.
On a routine basis I enter a week-load of competitions and surveys for free stuff, answering questions and riddles in the hope that from the multitude of entries, my name gets picked. In truth, my big winnings in competitions over the years has been: Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles wash-on tattoos, Cinema tickets and about £50 total in multiple lottery draws. Although surveys have helped me out a great deal for little pockets of extra cash.
The one thing about competitions that I question is something that I only really noticed in the 90s with new gaming systems coming out, and that is how runner up prizes have become an item of torment. In the olden days, a runner up prize would be less valuable, but still useful – if you didn’t win Castle Grayskull, you’d still get a figure or a colouring book; if you didn’t win the Food Processor, you’d still win a cook book and apron.
These days there is a growing trend to torment runners up in ways that would make the Bullseye catchphrase “Let’s have a look at what you could’ve won” seem pleasant. Losers at least get to know that they failed, but runners-up just get tormented.
How? Enter a competition for an X-Box 360/Wii/PS3/DS/PSP and a new game, runners up get the game, or a competition for a Blu-Ray DVD Player and Blu-Ray DVD, runners up get the Blu-Ray DVD.
That’s rather cruel, opening your post box to see the runners up prize and no way to actually play the damnable thing. What happened to the days of great prizes and runners-up getting the gifts that suck? The good ol’ days.
Bonus! Bonus! Bonus!
Yesterday, I closed the Easter Egg Hunt. My inbox was full, but after I got rid of the spam I was able to see the two entries. Congratulations to our grand winner, Dan, and our just-as-grand-but-with-a-smaller-prize winner, Dio.
For those of you playing at home (you forgot to send it in, by the way), here’s where the eggs and bunny were located:
One of the survey sites I frequent introduced a new area today. In addition to being able to complete their rather infrequent paid surveys, members can enter daily surveys that on completion will enter them for prize draws daily, weekly and monthly. I am duly impressed. I can now try and get more for free!
Yay Dan!! *tosses confetti*
Guise, I love how you write about one thing, get me all riled up then drop something I wasn’t expecting. I thought you were going to talk about free things again. XD
Now I have to think of something Guise appropriate for him to write about. Hmmm…..
Dio, sequential logic has no place in my universe, thankyouverymuch!
Dan, wait, did you just use “Guise” and “appropriate” together about my writing? Now there’s a first…
XD, it was a first. ^^ I think you’ll know what I like (and no I don’t mean furry smut, kthxbye). I should have had my own contest…^^ Artwork to the winner!
Dan: I can only wonder.
Well Guise, you’ve set the standard pretty high (or low as the case may be) so I have to think of something “good” for you to write about. Give me enough time and I’m sure I’ll come up with something.
Man, it’s been a while since I’ve been around, but I’m back on it now. I’ve been tres busy at work mostly due to my new promotion at work (woo-hoo!). I’m now salaried (which means loads more money than I was making before–PS3, here I come!), full-time, and have really good benefits. It’s been a long time coming, so I’m pretty jazzed about it.
That being said, since I’ve been completely neglecting all my internet duties, I’m missed like the last 6,000 entries here so I totally missed the egg hunt. Crap. Congrats, Dan though. I honestly just couldn’t be bothered to read every word and comment of the last few entries that I missed but I did give them a solid skim and I have to say that my favorite thing I saw out of all of it was the Bunnygirls picture. Good show. That’s not to minimize the fun of seeing our illustrious host sporting his own bunny ears on a regular basis here, but hot Asian girls in bunny bikinis kind of stand out, ya know?
Dio, that seems like a rather desperate play to get out of being blamed for an entry! ^^
Dan, heck either leap or limbo that bar!
DJ D, welcome back, I was wondering where you’d wandered off to. I knew bunnygirls would be the right mood setter.
Yeah, it’s good to be back, and I’ve brought something with me–and this time it doesn’t require a cream to get rid of it. No, it’s an anecdote. I just posted this over at X-E a few minutes ago and while I apologize for it being off-topic, I thought everone here would enjoy its inappropriateness. First, let me set it up, since I’m just copying/pasting my whole post from over there. I was mentioning that because I got my promotion, I’m quitting my shitty second job waiting tables. Next Wednesday will be my last day. Leigha responded that I should make my last day there memorable by spitting in someone’s food or something like that. To which I responded:
Oh, and Leigha, I’m trying to find a way to make my last day (next Wed) at the restaurant memorable, but I don’t think I could top what we did this past Christmas. We had a slow day one day and got on to the topic of how far you could possibly kick a baby. I mean, sitting on the top of your foot, after you’ve gotten a good swing and follow through, how far could you punt the thing? Somehow we came up with an average weight of 6 pounds for what this kid would weigh. Well, we were standing at the counter and about 10 feet in front of us was the front door and next to that was a Christmas tree. Someone said they could make it to the tree and probably out the front window of the front door. We started seriously debating it and finally decided it had to be resolved. A guy went back to the kitchen and disappeared for a while. We were wondering what he was doing when he suddenly emerged from the kitchen with 6 pounds of pizza dough (it’s an Italian restaurant) wrapped up tightly in plastic. Well, that sealed it (no pun intended). We all took turns kicking the baby across the restaurant to see if we could hit the Christmas tree (By the way, I’m so glad that I’ve reached the point in my life when I can legimately type that sentence).
I came up with the argument that the physics of this wouldn’t be completely accurate because while this is a lump of dough that’s basically just dead weight, a real, live baby’s weight distribution would be completely different. He’s got arms and legs flailing all over the place, his head’s probably wobbling everywhere and you know he’s not gonna sit still. So, while this exercise is going to be fun, it won’t be completely scientific. But, when you’re kicking pretend babies across an Italian restaurant at Christamstime, you can’t get hung up on the details.
Well, I kind of shinned it, cause I didn’t line it up right on the top of my foot and it just hit my shin and only went about 3 feet. Somebody else, however, managed to not only make it to the tree, but shattered one of the ornaments and took out one of the presents under it as well. It was great! And the best part was, there were still customers in the restaurant. Short of kicking a real baby across the restaurant on my last day there (all in the name of science of course), I don’t know how I’m going to top that.
DJ D, allow me to suggest a more scientific version. You need a larger than average doll with the thinnest skin, so very likely the cheapest you can find, hot glue for sealing closed any gaps and about 8 tins of custard (300ml tin = 375g of custard, 6lbs is roughly 3000g). Fill the doll, seal shut and kick.
My reason for custard as your source of weight is that it is a non-Newtonian liquid, it solidifies through sudden impact but with remain otherwise semi-solid and shifting mass at other times. Also remember that diapers may change the aerodynamic properties of a kicked baby.
Guise, I think, as always, you’re on to something. It’s something no one should be up to, but it is something.
And yet again, Guise takes it to that place that no one really dared to go! That’s why we love ya!
Oh and DJ D congrats on the promotion.
Thanks slacker_dan.
On the topic of chocolate bunnies, I just got back from Food Lion where they had tons of Easter candy on sale and I picked up two hollow chocolate bunnies. I’m eating one right now and it’s great. It’s wrapped in aluminum and I started at the ears and I’m slowing peeling back the aluminum as I go. I’m at the base of the ears and have made my way to the brain. The way the ears have been eaten away and the aluminum is all peeled back it looks just like I’m performing some kind of amateur autopsy on the thing. It’s not very big but it’s really rich. I can only eat so much at once. I think I’m going to finish off the head and let it be…..Oh, who am I kidding, I’ll pick this thing up again in 15 minutes and it’ll all be gone in half an hour.
You know I really fell off this year. I didn’t even get a Cadbury Egg much less a chocolate bunny! I just wasn’t feeling the Bunny vibe this year (aside from Guise’s articles of course). I think maybe theres something wrong with me!
Dan, Yes I would have to say something is terribly wrong with you. I can’t see an Easter going by without having at least one chocolate bunny. This year I had my first Cadbury’s egg in about 20 years. Had 2 of them actually, and they were seriously, seriously sweet. I mean, I had no idea those things were like that. I almost got another one tonight at the grocery store, but I don’t think I could handle another one.
Wimps, I can pack 4 of those suckers in a single sitting; but I AM a woman, have a sweet tooth, and they ARE smaller here, but that’s beside the point. ^_^ I just wish they made the fondant available by itself. Heaven.
The student store was liquidating their easter stuff and I managed to buy a cute, blue, wind-up hopping toy bunny to go w/ my pink one I bought last year. I love easter toys. XD
Oh I can pack them away too, I just didn’t feel like fighting the crowds for chocolate, I wimped out and just grabbed it at the checkout instead. Snickers truly does satisfy!
Dio, it just so happens that I now have a blog entry for you in my mind. Also, Creme Egg eating vlog, you know you want to. Oh, and I have a fondant recipe. < .< >.>
DJ D, my bunnies are still in one piece, as well as the big egg and some of those soapy bubblegum ones. The mini eggs, including the Milky Bar eggs, are gone. Creme Eggs, I still border on the loathe/love divide with them, I’m fine with them as long as I don’t actually think about them.
Dan, it could just be that you are a heathen in the eyes of the Great Bunny? Don’t worry, the Cottonbum of Glory will forgive you when you finally reach the Sacred Carrot Patch of the Everhopping.
I guess I am a heathen
I promise though, when I go to get groceries I will check the clearance aisle and see if I can salvage any Eastery goodness. Except for Peeps, Peeps are nasty!
Peeps are nasty!
Thank you so much for saying that. I’m glad I’m not the only one around here who is anti-peep.
[...] is the post dedicated to Dio after her win in the Easter Egg Hunt. Her chosen topic was: “I think you’ll know what I like (and no I don’t mean furry smut, [...]
[...] is the first post dedicated to Dan after his win in the Easter Egg Hunt. His chosen topic was: “some of the folklore of the UK”. So, I’m going to give a brief [...]