To the victor go the spoils

Today I won a contest. No, it wasn't "most beautiful woman in Chicago" or "most intelligent person east of the Mississippi." I won a contest in which I had to correctly name the inventor of the bicycle. (Do you know whom it is?) Or at least I had to correctly name the guy who invented what would later be called the precursor to what is now known as the bicycle.

Anyway, it was a contest offered via e-mail. The message said that prize would go to the first 2 people to respond correctly. Since I didn't even look at the e-mail until 2 hours after it arrived in my inbox, I thought my chances of winning were slim to none. But I was wrong! This morning, a lively e-mail bearing the subject "YOU WON A CONTEST!!!" greeted me when I opened my mail. It was fabulous.

So what have I won, you ask? Oh, nothing less than the most thrilling prize you could ever imagine. I am now the proud owner of 2 free tickets to the 7 p.m. screening of this weekend's Bicycle Film Festival! These babies were going for as much (and as little) as $10 a pop, but I didn't have to spend a cent. The no-cost-to-me tickets will be waiting for me at will call at the theater on Friday night. Aren't you jealous?

To be honest, the prize is really, well, beside the point. I am just content to bask in the glow of my winner status. Of course I've always claimed to have been a winner in the figurative sense. But now I have the proof. How do you like them apples?