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| I could write a few good books from this spot. |
My mother used to enter the PCH sweepstakes back in the day
when one submitted an entry by mail, not that she never won anything. When the
contest comes up every year I always think about her, and so a few years ago
I entered. But then I started getting the daily emails and quickly
unsubscribed. For some reason I decided to try again this year and in mid-February,
entered the sweepstakes. The following day the emails started to arrive. This time,
before unsubscribing, I actually read one and was surprised to find the warning
that if I did not reply in a timely fashion I would not be eligible for the Big
Bucks.
I began to respond; for $5K a week, there are a lot worse
things I might be willing to do. It often meant scrolling through pages of
sales offers to finally get to the Submit
button. I got rather fast at that, and cleanly avoided the purchase of even
one item. As the contest clearly states, No
Purchase Necessary. Unbeknownst to me, the PHC barrage of correspondence
did not stop there. I received daily emails form the PCH Lotto and PHC Keno,
PHC Play&Win, PHC Games, PHC Search, and PHC Front Page; as many as ten a day. There was no clear
indication which ones I had to click through and which ones I could immediately
delete without being in jeopardy of missing out on the $5K a week sweepstakes.
So I responded to all of them, which often meant playing silly
bingo games.
As it turned out, the lady who won the contest this year had
actually submitted her entry by mail. It must be less annoying than by email,
but I bet she got on a lot of unwanted mailing lists. Not that she would mind.
I am sure she can now afford to hire someone to sort through her mail.
If I ever again decide to enter, it will be on the last day
possible, which might be the day before the drawing. One day of finding my inbox
with ten notifications to Reply or Give Up my Chance to Win, might be worth it.
Meanwhile, it’s back to the writing board. Honest, I am more
than willing to work to make a living. It’s just that I would much prefer to
write books than engage in the limited, low-wage jobs that I can do at this point in my
life
I don’t need $5K a week for life. $1K or $2K a month would
do me fine. Maybe the publishers at Publishers Clearing House will take a look
at my work and give me a leg up. One has to dream big!
