Day 134: Give me a Riesling to live

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest:  Pacific Rim Winery:  What's your Riesling For Being Contest
Prize:  $1,000 given away weekly for 10 weeks
How to enter:  Come up with a clever way to talk about Riesling Wine in under 20 words.  Get a bunch a votes and you win a grand.

I used to love Riesling.  Crisp, sweet, Summery.
I could pair it with dessert or cheese or dinner or lunch or nothing or another Riesling....
You could say I used to like drinking a liiiiiiiiiiitle bit to much

Day 133: Who Gives A Chip?

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest:  Terra Chips: Blue Chip Give away
Prize:  Trip for 2 to Turks & Caicos
How to Enter:  Online Submish




I love a good Terra Chip.  But I'm afraid of the exotic vegetable mix.  It looks a liiiiiiiiittle too much like Potpourri.  That could be a turrible mix up at a cocktail party.

Day 132: Hula Hoopla

2011 Total Earnings: $12,247

Today's Contest: Landsend Great Beach Escape
Prize: Trip for 2 to Hawaii
How to enter:  Tell them a creative way how you would announce your winning on Facebook


If I won the trip, I told Landsend that I would post a video of myself doing a traditional hula dance, but with my own original moves explaining to people I won.

Day 131: Music Men

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest: Stub Hub: Music Festival Fantasy Contest
Prize:  A VIP Cabana at the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco
How to Enter:  Submit a heartfelt story (50 words or less) and accompanying picture of why you should win

I've really wanted to enter more contests, rather than sweepstakes....even if it means that I'm doing things that are a little out of my comfort zone...like doing photoshoots, entering cooking contests, and stretching the truth a little (aka lying).
For this contest, I submitted a picture and story about how my brothers and I live in different states (true), and that I rarely see them (again true).  I then went on to mention that we stay in contact by sharing music with each other over email (not so true...though I did TALK to my younger brother once about how much I like Radiohead).  I said if we won this contest it would be a chance for all the brothers to get together and do what we love doing..making fun of my younger sister...I mean...listen to music together.


We actually couldn't have more different taste in music and probably would never share music.

My older brother David has a penchant for heavy metal.

I knew that Anthrax was a metal band I should be afraid of long before I knew it was a biological weapon I should be afraid of.


This tshirt is from their album "Spread the Disease"
...just full of toe tappers.







My younger brother Michael is low key and is into whatever...though he is quirky and has an affinity for the likes of Weird Al Yankovic.

And I am...natch...a little monster at heart....

Mayyyyyyyyybe mixed with a little Weird Al

Day 130: Olive Me, Why Not Take Olive Me?

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest: Lindsay Olives: Love this Recipe contest
Prize:  Cash prizes up to a thousand bucks
How to Enter:  Submit your favorite recipe using Lindsay Olives

I submitted a recipe for these delicious Green Olive Turkey Burgers with feta and Tzatziki sauce.
Don't these sound divine?  I think so too.  I may even cook it someday.   What?? Excuse me?
Are you accusing me of plagiarizing a recipe ?  Me, someone who considers it a cooking triumph when he heats up left over Thai take out?   How very dare you.....

2 medium cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoons cayenne
1/3 cup crumbled feta (about 2 ounces)
1/3 cup chopped green olives
Tzatziki, homemade or store-bought

Make a paste with the garlic and kosher salt: On a cutting board, sprinkle smashed and peeled garlic cloves with the salt. Mince the garlic and salt together then smear and mash to a paste using the flat side of a chef’s knife.  Alternatively, you can mash the garlic and salt to a paste using a mortar and pestle.  If neither of those methods work for you, just press or chop the garlic finely and stir together with the salt.

Gently break the ground turkey into pieces in a large bowl then mix the garlic paste, cilantro, dill, olive oil, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, feta, and olives into the ground turkey (it’s easiest to use your hands for this). Shape the meat into 6 equal 1-inch-thick patties. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes and up to 4 hours.

While the burgers are chilling, prepare a charcoal or gas grill. Grill the burgers, covered with vents open, over direct medium heat until nicely marked and just cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted in a burger should read 165°F), about 4 to 6 minutes per side.

Top burgers with Tzatziki and serve wrapped in lettuce or your favorite flatbread.

-Chef Fletcher

Day 129: Ice Ice Baby

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest:  DIY Ice My House Contest
Prize:  A remolding of your room by....wait for it.....Vanilla Ice...d'zoink???
How to enter:  Take a picture of your room most in need of remodeling. Upload it to their website and write a description on why you should be picked.

I have not idea why Vanilla Ice is associated with this contest, and quiet frankly, it's far too late for me to research...this lady needs to pack for a Memorial Day Beach excursion.
But really Vanilla Ice????  Wow...and "Ice Ice Baby" I meeeeeeeeean I haven't thought of that track since I saw Vanills on Vh1's "Where are they now".
Ahhh...but listening to that song again really takes me back...right to the dance floor at Jamie Bronstien's Bat Mitzvah circa 1991. Vanilla Ice playing, small awkward Jewish boys slow dancing with tall girls in dresses with gigantic bows, and everyone bopping around in socks that said "I danced my socks off at Jamie's Bat Mitzvah".

PS-I'm not even joking...I wrote the whole thing about Jamie's socks from memory, and then typed into Google "I danced my socks off...socks"...and THIS is the first thing that popped up.  It's a Mitzvah!

Day 128: Getting Catty

2011 Total Earnings: $12,247

Today's Contest:  Fancy Feast Tastemakers Contest
Prizes:  10 grand and a year's supply of Fancy Feast
How to Enter:  Log onto their website and create a recipe for their next cat food


I used to fed MacGregor (mon chat) the Fancy Feast Whitefish.
He liked the flavor.
I like that Lauren Bacall was the celebrity voice over of all the commercials.
She brought sophistication, flavor, & elegance....all to one little can of processed grade B meat.

Day 127: Nailing It

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest:  Sally Hansen-Beauty that Works Commercial Contest
Prize: Up to 10 grand
How to Enter:  Make a commercial highlighting one of Sally's new beauty products

I've been working on this one for a few weeks now.  My creative partner, Garrett, and I came up with an idea to do a music video to feature one of their new nail products called Salon Effects.  These are actual nail polish strips that last up to 10 days.  They're kind of major and the ladies seem to love them.

We finished up the video tonight and entered it.  Once I have a blog friendly version I'll upload it.  But basically it highlights one girl with a bunch of personalities who can express her style with each of them through this array of nails. Think Sybil with a tremendous nail fetish, singing a pop song.

Day 126: A Norse of a different color

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest:   Tenknatool-Nova Cruise Sweepstakes
Prize:  A Norwegian Cruise
How to Enter:  Online submission

I am part Norwegian.  A small part.  Like one molar, Norwegian.  But my family is really into claiming that part of our heritage.  Not exactly sure why...maybe cuz it kinda seems FAHN-cy.  My mom even eats pickled herring.   Rumor has it, we are related to the Norwegian royal family.   Mmmmm....Questionable.
This is all probably just a bunch of smoke and mirrors to cover the fact that we're really just 99% Irish.

Day 125: Boobs for Biebs

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest:  Justin Bieber's-Purple Ticket Giveaway
Prize:  An undisclosed piece of memoribillia from his movie "Never Say Never"
How to enter: http://contests.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=contests&cdn=hobbies&tm=7&f=22&tt=11&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.justinbieberpurpleticket.com/purple-ticket.html

I was talking to a lesbian friend of mine on a video shoot who got told recently that she looked like Harry Potter. Sure she has some oversized round spectacles and a bit of a shaggy hair cut...and that lightning scar on her forehead...but she doesn't REALLY look like The Potts.  Although, I was again reminded from our conversation how much lesbians DO look like another brunette hearthrob...

The Biebs....

The Actual Biebs

The "Lesbian on a Bus" Biebs

The "Lesbian not listening to a word you're saying" Biebs

The "I want to date this lesbian, but I'm kinda worried it's actually Biebs" Biebs

Day 124: Bully for you

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's contest:  DIY $75,000 sweepstakes.

How to enter:  Online submish

I have been prepping all nite for a video I am shooting tomorrow for a contest.  It's late.  I'm exhausted, and about to start my second sugar free red bull....I may delirious, but I am not delirious enough to ingest unnecessary carbs  and sugar with a regular red bull.  Outrageous!

Day 123: Turning Lemons Into Lemonade Into a Lake House

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest:  Mike's Hard Lemonade-Make it A Mike's Sweepstakes
Prize:  Lake House Vacation
How to Enter:  On Mike's website

Lakehouses (Minus the Mike's One)

Day 122: Loserville

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest: Legal Zoom Legal Sweepstakes
Prize:  iPad 2
How to enter:  Visit them on Facebook and enter there

I'm bummed.  I didn't win the Butterfly Commercial Concept Contest.  They picked some REALLLYYYYYYYY (high C there) lam-o options.  I also lost the Chipotle "Wrap What You Love"contest to a guy who took picture of himself riding his gold wrapped surf board in the ocean....which was admittedly maydge.  Feelin' like I lost some of my contest mojo.  Feelin' more than a little bit grumpy.

Day 121: When Cows Fly

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest:  Turkey Hill-Catch the Cow
Prize:  $50 in Turkey Hill Ice Cream Goods
How to Enter:  Log on to their website.  Wait until a cow flies across the screen and click on it.  Click 3 different ones, and you're entered into their contest.

I didn't know flying cows was a thing.

Nor was I aware of other things they could do.

Day 120: It's a Win Schwinn Situation

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest: Schwinn-Bike it Forward
Prize:  A Schwinn Bike for you and a friend
How to Enter:  On Facebook

A Schwinn Haiku...

With his new Schwinn bike

Greg would win Steve back from that

Purple two-piece slut

Day 119: Let the Sun (less tanning cream) Shine In!

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest: Jergen's-Glow Just Right Instant Win Game
Prizes:  Various Prizes including a Flip Cam and Cash
How to Enter:  "Like" Jergen's on Facebook and play their instant game

Played game.  Didn't win.  Boos-ville.

Regardless of my new resentment towards Jergen's because of loosing, I think I should start leaning towards using some of their self tanning creams and sunless sprays.  She (ie, me) has been running a lot in the sun recently for a bit of color, but with out sunscreen (gasp-ers) and I think it's beginning to take a toll on mon visage...

Day 118: Maid to Order

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's contest:  Hy-Vee Have it Maid Sweepstakes
Prize: $2,600 to use towards maid services for the year
How to enter:  Online submish

I could use a good maid.  I've admittedly got dust bunnies....mayyyybe more than a few.  It's like a dust bunny ranch at times in my apartment.  And no amount of Swiffering helps enough. If I don't win this maid service, I will need to resort to other methods to get them out...

Day 117: McTweet

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest: McDonald's Perfect Pair Contest
Prize:  5 grand
How to enter:  Tweet why you and someone you know/love/work with/sleep with (occasionally or regularly) are a perfect pair

This contest is to promote the 'pairing' of flavors in McDonald's new frozen strawberry/lemonade.
I tweeted about one of my best friends Josh who lives in Cali.  We have been BeFri since we met on our first day of college.

Us in our college apartment.

I am ethically opposed to McDonald's for a whole laundry list of reasons....from the treatment of the animals it uses in its products to the way it's making Americans fatty fat fats....
But I will gladly take 5 thousand of their dollars to put to my own good use.  And mayyyybeee a chocolate shake a large fries.

Day 114,115,116: I'll Have the Blog MeltDown Please

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

The blog server went BONKERS in the last 24 hours.
It erased my BRIDESMAID entry....which was so brilliant it was surely was going to win me some blog award I'm making up in my head right now...the Bloggy.

And Theeeeehhhhhhhhnnnnnnah, it wouldn't let me blog last night (which I secretly didn't mind cuz she went out late to the Barrrrrrzzzz!...and got home late-skees).  It was like snow day from school slash get out of jail free card.
I DID enter a contest though.  I entered the Hostess Instant win game...Spin the wheel, land on a money, and you win that.  I kept landing on frosting...which gets you nothing but a muffled trumpet sound effect going wahh wah wahhhhhhhhhh.

Today I entered a commercial concept submission contest for the Butterfly Garden Kit.  That's where you can watch caterpillars grow into butterflies and set them free.  My darker side wondered what would happen if you ordered them in winter.  

Day 114: Always the Bridesmaid

2011 Total Earnings:  $12,247

Today's Contest:  Bridesmaids Trivia Contest
Prize:  A pretty low end crappy Bridesmaids branded 'Get yourself ready gurrrl' kit (But heyyyy..it's freeeee)
How to Enter:  Answer a trivia question on line about the movie and enter the sweepstakes






I'm totes excited for this movie!  I'm going to see it tomorrow night-skeeees.  Kristin Wiig is genius-balls and bridesmaids dresses are a mesmerizing horror parade.  This is going to be flawless.







Let the insanity begin...

Faces blurred to protect the innocent

The three T's for a wedding.  Taffeta.  Teal.  And Tan.

Ugh, I can't believe she asked me to wear the gray belt with this.  

The formal color is red.  It looks ridiculous.  She has got a Vulcan Death grip comiiiiiiiiiing....

Day 113: Such love gives you paws

TODAY I WON $25!
I got a residual kick back from the commercial submission I entered in the Benjamin Moore Paint Delivery commercial contest

so..that puts me at..

$12,247 for the year

Today's Contest:  Purina Pure Love For Pets Photo Contest
Prize:  Cashola...up to 5 grand
How to enter:  Upload a super cut pic of your furry friend on their website.

I entered the same pic of my little love MacGregor that I did a few months ago for another pet photo contest...

Since I last uploaded this pic, MacGregor sadly passed away (gulp. sigh.).  He was an awesome cat who lived a great life and gave a lot of love.   Miss him.

Demonstrating his uncanny ability to ignore me at distances as close as 1 foot away

Me:  Do you want the $20 in cat toys I bought?  Or you're fine that random string?

Him:  Who are you?

Tug of war

Day 112: Donut Feel Good?

2011 Total Winnings: $12,222

Today's Contest: Entenmann's Donut Day Sweepstakes
Prize:  An iPad
How to enter:  Online sumbish

To celebrate National Donut Day, the first Friday in June, Entenmann's is serving up some awareness around the event with a sweepstakes.   National Donut day was created by the Salvation Army to honor the women who served donuts to soldiers overseas during WWI.

I live for a good donut.
The Entenmann's ones remind me of the ones we had in CCD (that's Catholic Sunday school)

But after my mother told me last night on the phone that one should only eat 25 grams of sugar a day, if one wants to fit into one's summer skivvies, I think dounts are out of my summer plan (thanks a lot mahhhhhm).

There is a donut place here in Brooklyn that is EVERYTHING!  It's called Peter Pan Donuts and is consistently rated one of the best donut joints in NYC.  These things are like crack.   Seriously, cuz after you eat it, you kinda fall back into your couch, your eyes kinda glaze over, you drool a little and nothing matters.  Then the beautiful sugar coma takes over.

Day 111: Grandma in the House (but she can't make it up to the 2nd floor)

2011 Total Winnings:  $12,222

Today's Contest:  Darrel Lea Soft Eating Liquorice Perfect Getaway Sweepstakes
Prize: A $2,000 Amex gift card used towards a fab getaway experience
How to enter:  Online Submish

I admit I absolutely love Darrell Lea liquorice (spelled with a Q, thank you very much).  It's got this fantastic texture and a great bite to it.
I like the black liquorice.  I know that's totally granny pants of me.  But as I sit here eating liquorice and drinking diet 7-up, I am embracing my inner-octogenarian.

Grandma Matthew's Shopping list
Soft black liquorice
Diet 7-up
Rice Pudding
Bananas
Cottage Cheese
Triscuits
Ibuprofen

Day 110: Match Point Your Hunger

2011 Total Winnings:  $12,222

Today's Contest:  Chipotle Wrap What You Love Contest
Prizes:  A Gold coin (APR...2 grand) for the weekly winners, and 10 grand for the grand prize winner
How to Enter:  Wrap something you love in gold foil and take a picture.

In celebration of their anniversary, Chipotle is wrapping what they love in gold foil.  They want America to do the same.  I don't particularly love tennis, but I do love dressing like something out of Xanadu.

VOTE for me here: http://gold.chipotle.com/contests/showentry/777288