December 1, 2009

• I've won

  Before we get on with what I've won, let me first apologise to you dear reader for my month long lack of writing to you. I've been busy with some things (including a 10km run) plus I've been a bit uninspired. Don't worry though, with Christmas now rapidly approaching, I am pretty sure I can crank out some outstanding anti seasonal sentiment over the next few weeks for your enjoyment. As for now though, please enjoy.

  Apparently I've won a watch. I wasn't really taking too much notice of the phone call I got from Ripples Hydrotherapy that was interrupting an otherwise relaxing afternoon of reading, but there was definitely some mention of a watch and a pick up location. My name had been picked out of a bucket that I vaguely remember tossing a few dollars into a couple of weeks ago as part of a Movember competition/promotion Ripples has been running. I didn't know what the prizes were at the time and, serendipitously, I am in the market for a new watch since my old one recently died after 10 long years of faithful service.

  Outside of a couple of small gambling wins, I've never really won too many things of great value so I'm pretty chuffed. It's always nice to win something unexpected. I remember winning a rug when I was in 6th grade in a raffle that my mothers womens group ran which was quite nice and was only thrown away abut 5 years ago when it finally wore out.

  However, my most memorable win was 16 or 17 years ago when I dropped into the pub on the way home from work one Friday night since I knew that Garry and some of his workmates would be there watching the "exotic dancers". As is the general case at most pubs on a Friday night, after the Salvation Army guy had guilted people into tossing some of their hard earned into his little box, the fellow running the meat tray raffles came along offering the promise of meat and beer for the extremely modest outlay of $1 per ticket - believe me, a much more desirable proposition than was on offer by the Salvo.

  Of course, as is the case with greedy drunk men about to be entertained by scantily clad women, large denomination notes were produced by all of the people at the table in the hopes that they would be a recipient of this dubious promise of carnivorous and alcoholic delight. Using the very stable logic that it only takes one ticket to win, and not being known for my willingness to invest big when it comes to buying raffle tickets, I offered up the bare minimum amount required and settled back to enjoy my beer and the entertainment that is the spectacle of drunk men becoming entertained by scantily clad women.

  I also got to enjoy the relentless sarcastic comments about being a big spender and all the other cliches that go along with not being willing to part with money, as I am often reluctant to do when it comes to large scale gambling.

  So, you could imagine the surprise at the end of the night when it turned out that my single solitary $1 ticket came up trumps. Obviously, there were other winners of the many meat trays and cases of beer on offer that night, but between Garry and his workmates and the money they had invested in the raffle, I was the only one who took home enough meat and booze to last a month.

  Who was having the last laugh now eh? Go on, you know you want to take a guess.

  Just for your information, it wasn't me because gloating about that sort of thing isn't my style at all....

  Later days.

  Trivial fact number 206:- Bonnie Prince Charlie, the leader of the Jacobite rebellion to depose of George II of England, was born 31 December 1720. Considered a great Scottish hero, he spent his final years as a drunkard in Rome -which is the least you could expect of a Scotsman.

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