A couple of weeks ago, Greg acquired an iPhone. I say "acquired" in the sense that it is like another limb or integral body part. It might more aptly be named "CrackPod" or the equivalent. Needless to say, he has a hopeless crush on his new gadget. What's more, I want one too! (I really was looking for a phone that would also let me check email, but found the Blackberry's keyboard too tiny. I mean, not all fingers are that dainty!)

Meanwhile, I won not one, but two shiny new gadgets - and they both arrived today! Funny thing, the FedEx truck just arrived as I was writing the previous sentence (literally) and in came the HTC Fuze phone I've won. First thing this morning, there was an iPod Nano on our doorstep. ...Hmm, maybe this Fuze will fit the bill!

How did I win these things? The Nano was the drawing prize for having done a brief email survey for Getty Images, from whom I've purchased marketing stock material in the past. The survey took me about 90 seconds of "zone-out" time, between other work. The Fuze was an instant win from a sweepstakes put on by the sponsor. I haven't been random-draw contesting much lately, but I do continue to enter creative copywriting/advertising/recipe/etc. contests once in awhile. It doesn't feel like work; the ideas strike me while I'm drifting off to sleep or on my bike - and I've been lucky enough to cover my a** with the cash winnings.

(Did you know that last year, the winner of the Pillsbury Bake-off got $1M for wrapping Pillsbury P.B. cookie dough around a creamy peanut butter filling? Tens of thousands enter each year, so the odds are low...but the prize $ they give away is mind-boggling! There are always several $5K category prizes, too.)

Alright, back to the "real work..."