I Am Choosing a Winner for the Contest
Hey, what if I liveblogged the process of me choosing a winner for the contest I’ve been running? I think that’s a great idea. Do you agree that it’s a great idea?
You do? Awesome!
6:22: I’m going to go run the report for my own donations. This will take longer than it usually does, because LiveStrong switched to a new system this year and I don’t know my way around as well.
6:25: Holy smokes. I can’t remember the password for my account, thanks to the fact that I’m using a notebook computer right now and the password is saved on my desktop computer.
6:27: OK, got it on the fifth try.
6:28: Apparently I raised $56,105, during the course of this contest. THANK YOU for your generosity, people.
6:30: Oh, downloading a CSV was easy. That’s a nice change.
6:33: Just realized that I do not have a spreadsheet program installed on this computer. Downloading one now.
6:37: Team Fatty Davis raised a total of $93,934. Congratulations on your hard work, Team Fatty!
6:42: Team Fatty Philly has raised $1201 so far, and Austin has raised $400. A good start!
6:48: Nothing to do now but wait for the spreadsheet software to download. On the super-duper fast hotel internet connection I’ve got.
6:50: The 6:48 note was sarcastic.
6:55: Oh come on. It’s just a spreadsheet.
6:57: Fine. While I wait for this to download over the next 1.8 eons or so, I’ll try using the online spreadsheet in Google Docs.
7:09: The Google Docs plan is working out fine. I’ve got all the essential data in there now and now just have to figure out enough about formulas to give everyone their assigned contest numbers before I do the random drawing.
7:22: OK, I’ve got everything in the spreadsheet and the formula is applied.
7:23: For what it’s worth, the spreadsheet software has still not completed downloading. So Google Docs was definitely the way to go here (I was not paid to say that).
7:24: Heading on over to random.org to pick a number! This is the big moment, folks.
7:28: And the winning number is 6576. That may not mean much to you, but it…doesn’t mean anything to me, either. Heading on over to see who has that number.
7:30: Oh, this is too weird. You’re not going to believe this, but it’s true: I am the one who won the contest.
Seriously, I made a donation, just like everyone else. And my number won.
Too bad I’m not eligible.
I swear, the first time in my life I’ve ever won a contest and it’s my own stupid contest.
Heading off to draw another number now.
7:33: OK, this time the number drawn was 52,315. And it is not me this time. I won’t give a lot of hints, but I will say that the winner is a man, and is from Austin TX.
No, not that man from Austin TX.
I’m going to start writing that email now.
7:41: The email is off! Now I just wait to hear back from the winner. I’ll update again when that happens.
MONDAY MORNING
7:15am: Still haven’t heard back. Oh, and also I’m traveling today and so won’t be able to post anything. I will get to work, however, on writing up my experience at the LiveStrong Challenge here in Davis today, though. Cuz it was awesome.
9:07am: I just heard from a (very surprised) Ed Perrey, who’s very excited to have won. He’s considering options and will get back to me shortly on what he’s thinking in terms of what bike to get and where to ride.
Congratulations, Ed!
Comment by Liz | 06.23.2012 | 7:26 am
[Thinking hopeful thoughts . . . ]
Comment by USAFANARC | 06.23.2012 | 8:54 am
By writing “Austin, TX” did you actually mean Simi Valley, CA, by any chance??
Comment by Liz | 06.23.2012 | 9:04 am
Congrats to the man from Austin, Texas!
Oh well, off to find something else to dream about . . .
Comment by MattC (yes, that one) | 06.23.2012 | 9:12 am
Ooh…this is bad…I can feel the silk slipping away…bye bye silky…(imagine sad face here)
Comment by davidh,marin | 06.23.2012 | 10:05 am
I have family, by marriage,in Austin. I’m sure it’s just a routing error.
Comment by Zeeeter | 06.23.2012 | 10:06 am
Are you sure the whole unicycle thing didn’t have any impact?
As the network in the hotel was so hammered I went for a ride this morning instead. Now I know why it was so slow, assuming you are in the same hotel!
Comment by aussie kev | 06.23.2012 | 10:57 am
congrats “man from Austin TX”
Comment by MukRider | 06.23.2012 | 10:59 am
I always meant to move to Austin. Heard there’s a great music scene and an increased likelihood of winning cool contests…
Comment by diverkiwi | 06.23.2012 | 11:01 am
I have friends in Austin… that counts, right?
Comment by Susie H. | 06.23.2012 | 1:01 pm
Sure would love to be a fly on the wall when Man from Austin gets THIS email. :)
Comment by AustinSteve (aka Captain Steve) | 06.23.2012 | 2:29 pm
Missed it by this much “”, apparently… geez, I even checked the Spam folder for the note… hmmm, it must be some sort of routing error.
BTW, this is the FB page I setup for Team Fatty Austin
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Fatty-Livestrong-Challenge-Austin/75883074705?ref=mf
Like it! And join the team, virtually or for real
http://laf.livestrong.org/site/TR/Challenge/Challenge?pg=team&fr_id=1182&team_id=1504
Comment by NYCCarlos | 06.23.2012 | 3:45 pm
doh! can’t catch a break this weekend! :)
Comment by mykill | 06.23.2012 | 3:52 pm
First the Man From Austin wins my bike then they raise the forecast tomorrow to 82. If my luck keeps going south at this rate, i won’t even podium tomorrow.
Comment by Chase | 06.23.2012 | 3:57 pm
So I know it was such a small thing to do, but frankly I found the live blog format for this quite entertaining.
Comment by AKChick55 | 06.23.2012 | 4:28 pm
Are you sure it wasn’t a female from Anchorage? :) I’m so sad…guess I’ll just have to hope for more contests in the future with great bikes. Going to have to settle for getting a photo with you and the Hammer. A new bike and a visit to Utah would have been sweet, but let’s face it, I probably would have died of heat and elevation had I tried to bike so I guess it’s better that someone who is used to heat wins. No, I don’t really mean that. :) hee hee Congrats to the man from Austin! I’m wondering if it’s someone I met at last October’s LIVESTRONG Challenge?
Comment by AKChick55 | 06.23.2012 | 4:29 pm
By the way, getting to meet and talk to you and the Hammer – totally awesome! And a photo is a major consolation prize!!!
Comment by Yannb | 06.23.2012 | 5:22 pm
You mean I don’t get to win another bike? :-(
Actually, I am very happy with my Fat Cyclist, Shimano, Sycip.
Am bummed that we aren’t in Davis for the Livestrong ride this year.
Comment by Mike C | 06.23.2012 | 7:33 pm
Congrats to the man in Austin!
It was so great to meet everyone last night. I’m looking forward to my first ride with Team Fatty. See you all tomorrow!
Comment by Christina | 06.23.2012 | 7:42 pm
Phew! I wasn’t sure what bike to pick anyway. Congrats, random dude in Austin.
Comment by Doug (way upstate NY) | 06.24.2012 | 3:00 pm
I have a sister in law in Austin. Does that count?
Carlos, you’ve had pretty good luck in contests here recently buddy. So, I don’t feel too bad for you. :-)
Comment by Jim B | 06.24.2012 | 9:11 pm
Hey, I’m a man! And I’m in Austin!! And I made a donation!!! But no email. :-(
Comment by Bill Canning | 06.24.2012 | 9:34 pm
Congratulations to Team Fatty for a super successful Livestrong Challenge Davis! This was definitely the most fun I’ve had at a cycling event, and it was great meeting Elden, The Hammer, and all the other members of Team Fatty!
And by the way, the pie was awesome!
Comment by Nancy_in_MN | 06.25.2012 | 4:20 am
All along I’ve been quite sure that winning this contest would change my life.
Now I’m trying to figure out how I can be a man from Austin, TX. This may be more change than I can handle.
Rats!
Comment by Fat Cathy | 06.25.2012 | 10:47 am
Sigh. I was SO sure I’d win the bike this time. Bummer. Enjoy your new bike, Ed!
Comment by Nurse Betsy | 06.25.2012 | 11:29 am
Congrats Ed and enjoy the ride.
Comment by Cyclin' Missy | 06.25.2012 | 12:01 pm
I like the live blog of the drawing. Funny!
Comment by MukRider | 06.25.2012 | 1:26 pm
Congrats Ed! Or as you may now be known “random dude from Austin”
Comment by Jeremy | 06.25.2012 | 11:33 pm
Enjoy the ride, Ed!
Comment by Chris | 06.26.2012 | 2:29 pm
From one Austinite to another, Ed, go to the Utah mountains before it hits 105 here. Oh, too late. :-)
congrats. Let’s race around the ‘nut sometime.