I was really pumped up thinking this would be the big Saturday I was going to give away $500. As we speak I’ve got 1927 friends to draw from. This looked like a promising omen as my dad was born in 1927.

I was positive we would have a winner and I could get rid of this dough that is burning a hole in my pocket.

So I spun the wheel and ended up with #791. I tracked down 791 and it belongs to Kristy Sallie. Kristy, if you are one of my blog followers and have shared a post or posted a RI blog link, send me your address and I’ll mail you a check.

Opps, I just checked and there’s been no Fb activity for Kristy since before I started blogging. I don’t think I’ll even alert her that she lost 500 bones. My guess is it wouldn’t brighten her day.

So you might impatiently ask “Do you even know this Kristy?” The answer is no.

“So why is she your friend?” you demand through clenched teeth.

My reply is this. Years ago I noticed my son Will had a Fb friend named Will Casper. The guy lives in Georgia. I’m pretty sure the only connection they share is the same name.

I thought it would be cool if I copied Will’s lead. Maybe Will and I could form a closer bond if I had an imaginary but real friend like he did.

So I looked for another Ben Casper on Fb. Found him right away. He lives in Freeport TX and by the looks of things, we have a lot in common. We’ve even said hello once or twice. We’re like brothers from different mothers. And both mothers named us Ben.

After looking at his Fb pics, the only difference I can see is he can grow a ‘stache. I just got out of puberty and therefore can’t bust out the hairy top lip. That and he’s got all ten fingers. Other than that, if you’ve seen one Ben Casper, you’ve seen the other. I’m sure he’s younger than I so after this I’m calling him Jr.

One more thing. His wife is named Michelle Casper. That’s the same name my wife’s got! True story.

It’s lucky he doesn’t live next door or we’d have all kinds of identity problems.

Oh, there’s just a couple more differences. He’s got two more fingers than I and his wife has got one more “l” than my Michele.

I wonder what else we’ve got in common? I wonder if Ben and Michelle have seen nine marriage counselors like Ben and Michele have.

My wife says nobody’s going to believe this stuff but I swear it’s true. To verify, call any of us. Try not to get confused by who you’re talking to.

Now we must get to the reason why Ben Casper, Jr. out of Freeport Texas was even brought up. You see, Kristy Sallie, this week’s drawn name, is Jr.’s Fb Friend. I’m thinking when Jr and I became “friends”, Kristy “liked” our connection and that was a good enough reason for Kristy and I to friend up. It probably happened six or seven years ago.

Little did Kristy know at that time that six or seven years later she was going to miss out on $500. That’s the long and the short of it. It’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Wouldn’t that be something if Jr was the name I draw next Saturday?

I’m sure everybody that hasn’t been drawn for the dough is probably getting weary of this contest. It could be years before I draw an eligible winner. In fact, I’ll bet some of you are thinking I probably know just a few on the list of my Fb friends and have no clue who the rest of the list is  (like the non-winners Kristy, Al, Christine,  Austin, Cameron, Nichole, Pat, Jim, Mike and Stan), just to peel off excuses for not drawing an eligible winner.

If you’re thinking that, you’re mistaken.

So how can I make it so we end up with a winner? I know I have talked about loaning out my ‘Vette in the last few weeks.  I’m thinking this might be a good time to put my Chevrolet where my mouth is. Next Saturday I’m going to draw a name from my blog Follower’s list with the same number generator.

The winner will get the use of the Vette for a solid week. This little bit of fun is worth somewhere around $1500. The $500 foggy cash-in-the-far-distance pales in comparison to the for-sure happening of the Vette drawing next week.

At last we will have at least one blog follower get something more than a laugh or two.

There will be a few little caveats concerning insurance, gravel roads, tire wear, gasoline and safety to protect yours truly. Other than that, somebody within this blog’s Follower list needs to get ready to experience a Week With Ben’s Vette. 

I’m also going to require a few minutes of watching You Tube crashes by really idiotic and heavy-footed Corvette drivers, much like myself.

A little newer and less automatic Vette with the same color scheme rents for around $1700 a week. Rental Vette in Seattle

You might make note of the Turo site I just listed. You can rent private cars wherever you’re going.

Or, if you win the drawing and aren’t comfortable taking the Vette, I’ll throw in 50 bucks for a semi-pleasant substitute. At least I can guarantee there will be a winner next week.

I’ll also be drawing again to see if we can get an eligible winner for the 500 clams. If you aren’t sure how to make yourself eligible for these giveaways, check the menu on this blog for details.

Maybe we’ll have two winners next week. It’s even remotely possible one person might be the winner of both!

If you haven’t taken 20 seconds to make yourself eligible, you’re operating on seven cylinders. My Vette will only go to a person operating on all eight. In other words, a blog follower.

If you liked this post, make a Fb comment and post this link – recoveringidiot.com