The Ideas=Money Contest

I'd like to take the opportunity tonight to herald a new element of the blog. In an effort to maximize the value of the entertainment and enjoyment I get out of this little exercise, and to encourage a little reader involvement (even if the readers only include the crickets that snuck into this echo chamber of mine), I'm announcing the "Ideas=Money Challenge." An anagram of the acronym of those three words is MIC and that is the trio of letters that will herald related posts, its near-meaninglessness notwithstanding.

What, you might ask, is the MIC contest? The premise is simple. I'll post quotes interesting things I've read on the blog. Readers, or the reader, do one of three things:

a) Research the quote, grasp its full meaning and context, and write back to me (via email or post) with their best shot at explaining it and the relevant principles, in whatever length and depth they feel necessary.

b) Come up with an outlandish explanation and backstory for the quote that in no way mirrors reality and is outrageously...or mildly amusing, the same principle governing the final game in My Word (read to the story-telling faceoff between Muir and Norden) or that board game, the name of which escapes me, where one writes fake definitions for exotic words.

c) Snort at the post and angrily regret the precious seconds of life they expended bothering to visit the blog.

Admittedly, I'm more pro-A or B than C, but hey, whatever floats your boat. The quotes will be culled primarily from the intellectual reading (man, that sounds snotty) I'm attempting to understand, though I can't promise they will be exclusively. So, that covers the "ideas" part. But what about the money?

Good question. The money refers to the money I'll be spending on a first and second place prize. That's right, prizes will be involved. Fortunately, since I think readership of this blog extends almost exclusively to people that are either kith and kin or near and dear friends, odds are I'll be seeing you eventually if not soon. So, I don't have to worry about shipping.

I'm sure that announcement has spawned one of two questions in your heads: what are the prizes and how will I pay for them and why am I doing this? Ok, that's three questions, but I learned to count using my arms not my fingers and ever since then I get stuck at that two hump. Regardless, the second-place prize is up in the air, but the first place is fairly certain, and, as the ads say, it's not a pack of gum. No, I'm not going to say what it is. You have to click on the link to be surprised. Awards will be awarded on an "entertainment value" index that will be of my own constructing and will only be revealed as one part dice two parts coin tosses after enough people complain about not winning....oh dash it all. Well, there you have it. A good rule of thumb is if it makes me laugh heartily and/or gasp (approvingly, of course) at your mental faculties, then you've got a good chance of hearing random music in your ears.

As far as funding this little operation, I've got one word for you: pandhandling. If you click on the link, my real plan will be revealed.

And finally, why am I doing this? I'm not entirely sure myself but I believe the answer is a combination of wanting to feel important, hoping to receive more correspondence (yes, I will pretend it is correspondence), and the opportunity to get to discuss stimulating ideas with close friends who are probably not so close. And the occasional Googled stranger. That's the gist of it. Oh, and the prize will be awarded, and hopefully delivered, as my summer in DC draws to a close. I'll start putting up quotes in the morning, but it's a little late now, so I'm going to go snuggle up with the grit the shopping cart left in my bed last night. Yeah, yeah, don't ask. Right then, see you in the morning.