in case you were wondering...

First week of December I entered the Wheels of Fortune contest the local radio station was running to win a Hyundai Getz and got through to the final round, giving me a 1 in 36 chance of winning. I know you're all sensible enough to realise that I would have posted an insanely happy account of that fateful day...had I won the car. But for those would like loose ends tied off neatly, let me confirm that I did not, in fact, win.
*quiet sob*

My number was 9, and the car sput-sput-sputted its last little sniff of the one litre of petrol they'd put in it...at number 3. I was just glad it didn't stop on number 8. That would have been too excruciating for words.



Here are the breakfast team, Chris & Sarah, in the Getz.






Waiting all around the oval to see where it stopped was actually pretty boring. But each time it went by your section of the oval, a little 'ooh' of excitement would kind of well up as you imagined what it would be like if it really did stop just there in front of you. This built with each successive lap as it became more and more possible that the car would finally run out of petrol. On the later laps you'd completely lose hope when it passed by, because you just couldn't believe that it could finish another full lap. It really is as good on petrol as they claimed. It travelled 9.8km on that one litre! And oh my goodness it was SO QUIET. If I'd had my eyes closed I would have struggled to say when it was driving by. I know old cars are noisier, but this was whisper quiet like those experimental electric cars. Pretty cool.

We each wanted it for ourselves of course, but all of us were united in wanting anyone but number 1 to win it (if we didn't). The woman on the number 1 space had actually filled out her entry form while she was at the car dealer picking up her own brand new Hyundai Getz. That's right ~ she already owned one! If she'd won I think there might have been a mutiny. Luckily that didn't happen.

I'd love to end by saying that it was just fun to be part of the contest, but just like those actors at the Oscars who smile almost convincingly into the camera and say "I'm just happy to have been nominated", I'd be lying, lying, lying. Driving home in Trixie, my noisy sky blue 1984 Corona, sucked. But, shhh, don't tell her I said that. She tries her best.