A Winning Obsession

If you happened to be listening to Portland's Radio Station KNRK 94.7 '90s at Noon' yesterday than you already know. But I assume most of you were not. On Wednesday, I was on a letterpress printing marathon at the IPRC, the radio keeping me company, when a trivia question regarding the year 1998 was asked over the air -

What pre-fabricated band debuted in the UK in Scotland in 1998 to a crowd of 90... (huge number)?

Aha! Luckily I had the radio's phone number still stored in my cell phone from trying to win U2 tickets last year -- ring ring, the dj picked up - "Spice Girls!" I exclaimed. She said, 'You're the winning caller.' Of course my prize is nothing to brag about - a 90s compilation CD that the radio station does not even have yet, and they will call me when it comes in, then I can come by and pick it up... (uh, if it's that much trouble, I might leave it there - especially if it's full of bad ska & grunge). But the bottom line is I'm a winner! And it was announced over the air. I even got an email from someone who heard my name! And most importantly, I worked for my prize.

The tangents from this post could go oh so many ways - All the times I've won from the radio in the past (I had a hey-day in the 90s actually, mostly winning tickets to local shows and free CDs), OR the fact that I paid to go to the Spice Girl Concert in 1998 in Minneapolis, own all three SG albums (on tape!), and saw Spice World (their clever-mocking-themselves movie) on opening night at the Mall of America (You know you want to know the whole story!), OR how in my youth my older sister always won bigger prizes than me - such as at the Halloween costume contest in Stone Mountain, Georgia (Where I lived from age 5 to 8.). I only won a Spanish children's record (Wait, did my parenents buy it for me?), while Sarah won this glorious Ernie in a Bathtub Radio with a removable rubber ducky - I sulked I'm sure for weeks about it. Of course today I have the radio in my possession (though, the years have not been kind to this plastic 80s toy) but being the one obsessed with collecting bathtubs, I've rightful claimed the Bathtub Radio as mine! Does that make me a winner even though I cheated?