he has a lot of different races lined up - both trail running and mountain biking (why he can't just use a road, I'll never understand :)... but I have only one. TransIowa (version 4).
So I went to the hole in the wall bike shop in DownTown yesterday to request the owner build me a front wheel for the bike I'll be riding for TI v4. I have a back wheel, but no front.
Well I forgot what it's like to try to get a hold of this guy... the only person in town whom I'd let build my wheel... his phone doesn't have an answering machine, and despite his shop hours being listed as 9am to 4pm - in reality they're usually more like 10am to 2pm. So I dropped by at 12:45. Door Locked.
I was distressed. I tried calling him later while I was running other errands DownTown - but the phone was never answered...
so - to quash my distress I decided to head over to my favorite Thrift Store and find some books with good pictures and photos
(SelmaLee approved of the result) that I could use to create my own postcards for my TransIowa entry... last year they had a lottery system where you could send in as many postcards as you wanted for a random drawing - the more you sent in the more likely you were to be drawn. They had already mentioned postcards on the website this year - so it was something I could dwell on to lift my spirits... gotta love a craft project with a real purpose!!!It happened the system wasn't needed last year - as they didn't reach their 100 person limit and all those who entered got to participate.
I spent two hours last night going through my new books (including the one at right, which is nothing but full page, color ads from the 60's - talk about a great find!!!) and cutting out choice pictures for use as/in postcards.
The TransIowa website was going to have a Big Surprise up at midnight on Halloween - but when I got back from the gym last night I was too tired and went straight to bed. When D got up this morning he woke me to say they'd opened registration!!! Perfect timing!!!
Except they've changed the rules.
No more lottery - no more multiple postcards. They're accepting one postcard per person on a first come first served basis for entry in the race :(
What are I supposed to do with all my extra pictures???
I think I might cry.
2 comments:
Well, I have it on pretty good aurhority you can send more than one postcard. In fact, more might be appreciated. Some, amongst us, striving to be C students and voiced dissent about the lottery and paying the price of first class postage multiple times.
Really
I had been attempting to calculate the proper ratio of Fun creativity and increased chances vs. time involved in making postcards and cost of postage... though postcards can be sent at a reduced rate somewhere around 24 cents right now...
and I do agree with the idea of allowing those who have already attempted/completed the race to have first dips on a certain number of spots...
if only I had known the new rules before I got all excited about making postcards, I probably would have agreed its a less stressful and more balanced system. (Just so long as the post office doesn't lose anyone's postcard :)
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