Have you ever been listening to the radio and heard a contest where if you called in and told the last 10 songs and who sang each of them you'd win a prize. Usually it's a hat or a snow cone gift certificate; something like that. It's never been that big of a deal, however, I can remember thinking how much I wanted to win a contest on the radio when I was a little girl. It has become apparent to me since I have moved to Vegas that I still have that desire, and now more than ever. The radio stations here aren't giving away styrofoam dollars that triple in size when you place them in water, or collapsable cups that you can fit in your purse. No, they give good stuff.

I realized my new desire to win when I was listening to 94.1 on the way to work and they announced they were giving away a designer handbag with show tickets and coupons to spa's and restaurants around Las Vegas. HELLO!!! Of course I wanted to win that. You just had to be the 29th caller and then listen to the contents of the bag and guess the prize without going over... The Purse is Right... Well, I never got my chance to do that because I always missed the cue and they quit about a week ago. Feeling a bit disappointed, I returned to the radio, this time switching stations because they are always playing the same stupid song on 94.1.

This time it was 95.5 KWNR, The New Country. It's a good station because they play some new country with some older and that was good. Well, on the way to work I hear ... be the 9th caller right now and win tickets to Martina McBride, in concert at Mandalay Bay on Saturday! What!!???? I'm thinking now is my chance to really get something, so I think I hear the number and I call and end up getting some poor guy out of bed with me asking ... "Am I the 9th caller??" He was like, "what the..." uh.. sorry, wrong number.

Well, I come into work and explain the situation to my co-workers. We look up the phone number (I was way off) and I program it into my cell phone. We turn the radio on and proceed, as monkeys in the zoo, pounding away at the 10-key. Soon, we think we hear an ad to call in and get the tickets. I quickly grab my cell phone and press the speed dial. The phone is answered by the corporate office who then gives me the correct number to the radio station D.J. As he answers, he says that I have not called at the right time and should listen for the sound and then call back when that is played on the radio. I ask... what's the sound. He replies ... now pay attention because it goes fast...

"it's like ... summer summer summer... blah blah blah.. and its a quip put together, thanks bye"

WHAT! WHAT??? How can I listen for that? What is that supposed to be? Well, it became a quest in the office. By yesterday afternoon we were listening intently and stopping typing every time we heard the D.J. beginning to talk. Never knowing if we'd heard the sound or not, but occasionally hearing someone on the radio saying they had won the tickets. They give the tickets away every hour supposedly... so we keep listening. Today, as 4 o'clock approaches, everyone in my office has the radio station phone number programmed into their speed dial and we are all waiting for "the sound" to play. Several times, I thought I'd heard the sound and so I called in ... "am I the 9th caller, did I hear the sound?" The D.J., less and less enthusiastic, and I'm sure a supporter of caller i.d. replies each time ..."no, not yet. keep listening." We we listened and we finally heard the sound and called in...

Drum Roll!

Busy Signal.
Busy Signal.
Busy Signal.
Busy Signal.

All of us, getting the busy signal. No matter how many times we called back... Same thing. Busy signal. So, no tickets today.

Don't you just love free stuff? (It probably cost the amount of the tickets in phone charges and lost work time by now.) Keep posted to hear about when I win.

Ciao.