30 Seconds

“You may enter as many times as you like.” it said.

The web form. For the contest.

As I submitted my lone entry, I imagined young male (I could be wrong, but I think the radio station whose web site I was visiting appeals overwhelmingly to young males) guitar-playing computer geeks cooking up some program that would allow them to enter millions of times...

Guitar playing, you see, was a requisite. They didn’t say you had to be good. I’ve been studying for 5 months now... OK, so I’m no guitar goddess, but I can play something for 30 seconds, and the was what the contest was all about (being a promotion for a concert by a group called ‘30 Seconds to Mars’ which was to take place in Portland this weekend)...

And most importantly of all, I have the weekend off! If I happened to win (which I was sure I wouldn’t) I could actually claim the prize...

First prize was to appear for 30 seconds in the ‘30 Seconds to Mars’ concert, with a guitar and a lesson somehow worked into the package... runner-up prize was to appear (with 9 other runners up) at the studio (on their outdoor patio) and play guitar on air for 30 seconds sometime on Friday...

So, yeah, the call came on Thursday. I was at work.

I missed the first call, but caught the second.

I was in the middle of an insane workday, following on the heels of an equally insane workday. The lady who informed me that I had been chosen as one of the 10 runner-ups didn’t exactly sound as if she was having a stellar day either. “We ask that you please be at the studio at 11:45am.” she said.

I had thought it was an afternoon thing. I had thought they might notify the winners more than 24 hours before the event... There was no way I was going to shed the exhaustion and stress of a 14 hour work day and get myself and my guitar to the patio in Portland in playing condition in less than 24 hours...

“I... don’t think I can make it.” I sighed, “Go ahead and pick an alternate, OK?”

Sigh.
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