Monday, December 21, 2009

I'm a Winner

Well, I had quite a surprise this afternoon!  I had a phone call from a Portland, OR company called HB Designs telling me I was a winner of a haiku contest for a HP - 1TB MediaSmart Server .  I don't remember how I even entered the contest in the first place and I wasn't totally sure what a "home server" was.  I do write poetry occasionally but haiku isn't my forte.  The advertisement about the home server said it was ideal for backing up files ( I still don't do this and I already had one computer crash so you would think I learned my lesson!  ).  What made an impact on me was that this server could accomodate all the computers in the family!  So I wrote my haiku - the instructions were to say why this server would  bring peace of mind to YOUR life or why I really wanted one.  Sadly, I don't even have a copy of the haiku.  It was written on their form and submitted.  I will have to wait until they post all the winning haikus on their site to see what I said!

I looked at the Best Buy website and these servers list at $549.99!  I hadn't backed up my computer yet because, since I lost my job of 21 years this past February, even buying an external hard drive was an expense I kept putting off.  Now, it looks like I can back up my desk top, lap top and mini computer and my boys can back up theirs!  Of course, it will take me awhile to read through the manual and figure everything out.  Please computers, no crashing until then!


 

16 comments:

  1. "I will have to wait until they post all the winning haikus on their site to see what I said!" That is just Too funny, Carmen! Congratulations, though... Very impressive. With haiku, it seems to me, that they either work or they don't. Sometimes a 7-year-old can hit a great one, and sometimes I can write 100 and they are pretty much all garbage.

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  2. Good Luck- I hope you are the winner!

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  3. Carmen, that's awesome, congratulations!!!

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  4. This is great news! It's nice to hear that your writings have been properly appreciated, and therefore awarded. But how could you possibly send the haiku without keeping a copy? I can't wait to read it! Congratulations, Carmen.

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  5. Congratulations. You are a true winner.

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  6. This post has a different joy in it :) Did other readers feel it?

    Beautiful post Carmen. And I hope you get your free back-up server soon. But be sure to be away from scams.

    Bhangarh

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  7. Congratulations, that is a decent prize for something you can't remember writing. Al tough I have to admit, I don't like new electronic toys because I have to work out how to use them or program them in some way. I a in desperate need of a new pc the one I have is 10 year old and only has a 20GB hard drive with a maximum space for 1GB of RAM. Just the thought of loading software and getting a new pc in working order deters me for buying a new one.

    I hope using your sever proves easy with little help form instruction manuals.

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  8. that´s great! congratulations! have a wonderful holiday carmen! dos besos muy gordos! jane

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  9. I have read some of your poetry and I loved it.

    Congrats.

    I was thinking it must be so difficult to have to retire when you don't want to. I am sorry that your job is over as I see how much you loved it.

    xoxoxo

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  10. Congratulations Carmen, I am looking forward to you posting your 3 line poem when you get it, I know it will be great....you have always been a winner in my life.....:-) Hugs

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  11. Congratulations Carmen! I'll keep my fingers cross for your computer not to crash, and I'm sure it won't..

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  12. Congratulations! And keep on posting!

    Enjoy the new prize and share your experiences with us.

    Yes, after the holidays. We understand!

    Stay warm, stay sane, stay positive.

    Merry Christmas.

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  13. Wow, that's great! I don't think I've ever won anything worth so much. I'm glad you got this early Christmas present.

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  14. Sharkbytes - I entered this contest with no
    expectation of winning. The only other
    haiku I ever wrote was for English class in
    high school ( I'm 65 so that was eternities
    ago! )

    Travelingjoan - thank you for visiting my site!
    And I already know that I won!

    Poetic Shutterbug - well, if the truth be told,
    I would have preferred plane tickets to
    somewhere but I think I need this computer
    backup more! Also, thank you for all the
    blog help!

    fullet - I know I should have kept a copy of
    the haiku. See what happens when you get
    old. Thank heavens you are a youngster!

    Rajesh - I won big time when I started to
    blog and met great folks like you!

    Bhavesh Chhatbar - my son,too, was worried
    about scams. We checked out the company,
    HP Design, and it is legitimate - the
    server is being provided by Intel.

    Liss - I, like, you hate reading all the
    manuals. I usually wait until I have a
    cross country flight to go over things
    like that! When I'm imprisoned for five
    hours, I catch up on everything! But, then
    you don't have the things with you or you
    can't turn on your cell phones or some
    electronics! One nice thing is that my
    oldest son is still at home and he is an
    electrical engineer and an Air Force
    reservist. His AF job is to work on the
    computer systems for the huge C5 and C17
    aircraft. I have to admit I depend on him
    for any electronic work!!

    Renee - dear one, I am honored that you like
    my poetry. Yes, it is so hard having to
    leave a job that meant so much to me.
    Today, I went to the ER at San Francisco
    General to pick up my future daughter-in-
    law ( a paramedic from Sacramento ) and I
    felt so overwhelmingly sad to be in the
    same ER where I saw so many rape and child
    sexual abuse victims.

    jane - dos besos y un abrazo a ti! Feliz
    Navidad!

    Bernie - you are the dearest person! I am
    so glad we met.

    Icy BC - I think I am overworking this
    computer since I began blogging, that's
    the problem. But I am counting on it
    chugging away till it gets backed up.

    lakeviewer - I have fallen behind on my
    Italian lessons. And I am not really
    doing Christmas up in a big way!

    ratty - I can't complain about this gift
    though winning the lottery would be a bit
    more helpful! Maybe it's a precursor!

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  15. congratulations on the well deserved award!!

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  16. wow, early xmas gift! congrats!!

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