BACK WITH A VENGEANCE--LET THE CONTEST BEGIN

What?? Finally, a post on the blog? You read that right. Halleluia and Praise the Lord (more about the Holy stuff in a minute) The Blog is back and better than ever. I've got a very cool and fun contest planned, and I am very jazzed about it. I will describe it in detail below. But first, I do apologize for the lengthy hiatus from posting, but truth be told, I was struggling with a bit of blog disillusionment, and middle aged malaise...it was nothing personal..no, no, no....it's not you, it's me..., seriously...

Blog thirty second time out: I am currently watching Notre Dame getting HAMMERED by Florida State...and if that doesn't cause me to shut down this post, nothing will, so I think we can all safely say, I am back in the blog business to stay. I am begging Dave McKeon to change the channel because I just can't bear to watch the carnage, but like so many of my pleading requests, (the white Hermes bracelet, a week in Bermuda, washing the garage floor, throwing out his golf sweaters from the early 90s) he adamantly refuses.

I was all ready and psyched to post up on Fat Tuesday, (which is my absolute favorite holiday, always celebrated with a dozen donuts or five) and get this new contest rolling, but I was too busy drinking Hurricanes and eating pralines to make it happen, and then, Shocker, I was slightly brain damaged on Ash Wednesday and frankly was unable to string two sentences together, (Hurricanes plus jello shots plus middle age equals full day alcohol recovery detox)...and then we took off for Spring Break on Thursday,(best Spring Break ever--).... and it was all over from there. Sorry, I love you guys, but not enough to actually produce a big post over my vacation.

But guess what did happen on our Spring Break? We were spending an awesome week on the Isle of Palm at the Wild Dunes Resort (highly recommend, we booked through Jetsetter.com--got a GREAT deal) and went in to Charleston the second day we were there to meet my cousins Mark and Amy, and their three kids. (Their girls were hysterical and their baby Luke was a total champ. He is only three months old and never peeped once). But because the world is getting smaller every day, guess who we bumped into while strolling on King Street in Charleston?  ANGELA and BRENDAN FITZPATRICK-!! I kid you not! Yes, that Angela, the winner of the Burberry Fitness Challenge. Sure, she and her lovely family happen to live in Charleston, but what are the odds??? Fate, not chance, people, Fate. While Angela was not wearing her Burberry Victory scarf, and in her defense, it was like 78 degrees out, she and Brendan could not look better. They gave us many super suggestions for great meals and were even kind enough to invite our big, hungry crew over for dinner one night. Their hospitality was amazing (both Angela and Brendan's moms were there, so the eating was top drawer) and their two boys Jake and Henry could not be cuter. Seriously, they were so funny and incredibly well behaved.  We had a terrific time and I feel pretty darn good knowing that the Burberry scarf is residing in such a happy home.

 We returned to town last night, I've unpacked all the bags, done all the vacation laundry, cleaned out Posey's closet, rearranged my closet, cleaned out the refrigerator, celebrated Jack's birthday, bought a few pairs of shoes from gilt.com, a few more from Bloomingdales (Tory Burch flip flop season is right around the corner) and picked up a pair of Stewart Weitzman boots on sale from Nordstroms (told you I was over the middle-aged malaise) So, now with all those chores done, I am unveiling THE CONTEST OF THE SEASON.

Here we go: Get ready because this is a good one:  I am starting the "You can't scare me Trivia Contest" Yes, Brian Pond, this ones for you.  All trivia, all day. Well, some trivia, most days. Here is how it will work. Every evening except Saturday, I will post two trivia questions.  You all will have until the next days' post to answer the questions.  You can cheat all you want, because all I am looking for is blog traffic and some great comments. The only real restriction is that your answers must be posted on the comment portion of the blog before the next days' post. Hell, you can all cheat off of each other for all I care. If the first dude to post an answer is right, just steal and repost his answer. I really don't care. I just want the traffic, feedback and conversation. But, because I do want to reward the eager beavers who actually know some stuff without copying off the guy sitting next to them, I will award one bonus point per question to the first person who answers each question correctly, and likewise, because I don't want to penalize those people with actual jobs who can't hang out on the internet all day, everyone at all who answers the questions correctly during that day will get credit for their answers. ( I will explain more later)

However, there is a slight twist to this competition. In honor of the Lenten Season, (when I mentioned this contest to my sister Wendy, she said: "Really, Laurie?  Lent is like half over". Not sure what calendar she's looking at, but at our house, Lent is a full 40 days--and again, blame the delay on the jello shots), one of the trivia questions each day will be Bible and holy trivia. Yep, so all that knowledge about Charlie Sheen is not going to get you too far. You actually have to know some Holy Stuff. Why? you may  ask, Well, in addition to the Lent thing, I recently learned that my kids in Catholic high school have to take this Catholic achievement test called the ACRE test. I guess they've been doing this for several years, but it's the first I've heard about it. This ACRE test assesses students' knowledge of their Catholic faith. Word on the street is that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is going to require all teachers in Catholic schools to pass this test, or take some class to learn more Catholic doctrine. Ouch...it got me thinking, who am I kidding? Despite several years of Catholic school AND Catholic college AND Catholic Law School, I am pretty darn sure I would flunk the ACRE test...in spades. So, in solidarity with my Catholic teacher friends, (that means you, Casey Ferraro) I am going to bone up on some Catholic fun facts to know and tell, and if I'm learning this ACRE stuff, so are you fellas. (The good news is, you guys get to win some fun and special prizes--and I promise, they won't be just some Holy Cards--the saving your soul part is extra). Your welcome.

So, while one question each night will be Holy, the second question will be totally not. It will be pure American, cultural, low brow, reality TV driven, possible 70s tv genre, maybe some random sports question, People magazine fodder, celebrity driven trivia, no GRE math, no Double Jeopardy, no Masterpiece Theatre sort of questions. Just pure trash. I like to think this levels the playing field a little bit for all of us. Half good, half bad...hopefully this should appeal to everyone.  (OK, Notre Dame just got KILLED in the NCAA tournament. I knew this was going to happen the  minute Marquette beat Syracuse---Go ahead, John Mattuecci, rub it in...I can take it...)

So, to recap this awesome contest: Starting tonight--you will be given two questions: One holy, one not. You have until tomorrow night (probably around 7pm or so) to answer these two questions. Everyone who answers the questions correctly will get points. One point for each correct answer. (so if you only get one of the two right, you get one point) The first person to answer each question correctly each day by posting their answers on the comment section of the blog, will get a bonus point for each correct answer. So, if you answer both  questions right AND are the first answer poster, you can win a total of four points in a day. If you answer both questions right but are not the first to post the answers, you will get two points. If you just get one right, one point...Got it? AND you can cheat like crazy. but again, cheating on a Holy test?? During Lent??? Do so at your own risk...Every night, except for Saturday, I will post the answers to the previous days question, have a rolling tally of contestants points, and will also post the questions for the next days' competition, so you have six days a week to earn points.Obviously, consistency counts. You know Judy and Louis will not miss a single day of question answering, so everybody be forwarned. ( I am not posting questions on Saturday because according to my dad, Sundays are not part of Lent. So in his loophole version of Catholicism, you can smoke, swear, drink, mainline sugar or indulge in whatever you gave up for Lent to your heart's content on Sundays. Of course, my dad also swore that milkshakes were not "sweets" so he could drink them every single night during Lent, but...I do think it's nice for all of us to have a day off)

Now, on to the prizes: Because the last contest resulted in several winners, I am already planning on Five super legit prizes for this contest. The person with the most points can pick the prize they want, the person with the second most points can pick from what's left and it goes from there. Oh, and did I mention, EVERY one is eligible in this contest, even my kids...So, Holy Nate, show us what you've got....
So, here are the prizes in kind of descending order according to face value:

1. Two tickets to the Notre Dame home football game of your choice for this fall (ok, so they suck at basketball, but by all that is good and holy, I KNOW they will win a few football games this year, and besides, Marquette doesn't have a football team, so no weird karma juju going on there) and the chance to tailgate with the masters...(really, to tailgate with us, but you don't have to....)
2. The silver Tiffany Bead bracelet--it's a classic and every chick should have one--win it for yourself, or win it for your lady friend..
3. A $150 Gift certificate to J.Crew--always fits,
4. The silver bead Notre Dame rosary--it is very, very cool and fits with the theme
5. A five gallon vat of Dave McKeon's super special, kind of deadly, home brewed, Long Island Iced Teas delivered to your door on the date of your choice.(or if you live far away, I will ship all the ingredients to make your own)

So, those are the prizes you are all fighting for. (I may kick in a few more, as I am going to London and Scotland  to visit Annie during this competiton and may come across a uber cool international gift that will up the ante at just the right moment...) Good Luck, God Speed, and join the fun.

HERE ARE TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. (Holy Questions) What was the Great Papal Schism and when did it take place? (What? you thought I was going to give those tickets away to just anybody?? You  have to earn this)
2. (Non Holy Question) Who is the girlfriend of the step brother of the Kardashian sisters?

Post your answers as soon as possible to get those crucial bonus points....they will really come in handy as the contest progresses.

And because this is still a full service blog, here is TODAY'S TOP TEN

1. The Fitzpatrick Family, including the mother-in-laws, sister-in-laws and kids
2. Poe's Bar on Sullivan's Island, the best burgers and onion straws ever
3. Ben Silver--a super old school store in Charleston
4. The Battery area of Charleston--so beautiful
5. The Beach at the Wild Dunes Resort--miles of sand, no crowds,
6. Hall's Chop House--great steaks AND the owners sent us a thank you note!
7. Jack McKeon--turned 18 on St. Patrick's Day--now legal to buy cigarettes, lottery tickets and a hand gun....scary!
8. The Tory Burch espadrille flats--almost all sold out at Nordstroms, get yours today
9. The Morris Inn at Notre Dame
10. The "You Can't Scare Me Trivia Contest" --enter today, early and often, get in it to win it...