A Bit About Me

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Along with my daily duties as founder and head writer of HumorMeOnline.com, in 2003, I took the Grand Prize in the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (also known as the "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" competition). I've also been a contributor to "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and the web's "The Late Show with David Letterman". I also occupy my time writing three blogs, "Blogged Down at the Moment", "Brit Word of the Day" and "Production Numbers"...and my off-time is spent contemplating in an "on again/off again" fashion...my feable attempts at writing any one of a dozen books. I would love to write professionally one day...and by that I mean "actually get a paycheck".

05 April 2012

Day 5: Power

This is Day 5 in Ziva's "30 Days of Photographs II" non-contest. Click the link on her name for more details.


Please also visit the other contestants in our monthly photographic quest to "theme it out" for thirty days. My submission today is directly following the list of participants I'm going to give you now: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen, Pam and Katherine



My interpretation of "Power"...


Power, they say, is the ultimate aphrodisiac...and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But without money there isn't much power going around...so money is basically the magical power behind it all.


And what power you could have at your fingertips for just some risk taking with a few bucks. I, like millions of others, plunked down some cash for a taste of some power last week. I live in Alabama and there are no lotteries here...so when I went to Georgia to see a friend last week and the largest jackpot drawing in US history was also underway, I had to play. It had to be a good omen -- things like this hardly ever happen -- at least to me. Even the name of Georgia's lottery is the "Powerball" - and you can opt for including the "Powerplay" whatever that is. Either way, that's a lot of power that would come your way if you won. Correction: A lot of power that was going to be coming MY way.


I was going to do so many good deeds with that power, too. Plus it was going to totally empower me. Millions of dollars were going to give me the power to do nearly all the things I ever wanted to do...and stand up for myself for once...and be left standing. That power would be more intoxicating than the headiest of brandies...and I was going to be one happy drunk.


But, fate is fickle and even tho all that power was equally distributed to everyone who played BEFORE the lottery; afterwards all but three were left relatively powerless.

But, for those few days...I possessed almost as much "power" as J.K. Rowling. Eh...not bad for a mere Muggle.

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14 comments:

  1. nonamedufus05 April, 2012 07:22

    I think it's the lottery companies that took your money who hold the real power. Maybe next time, huh?

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  2. Mariann Simms05 April, 2012 07:35

    Darnit - the image would have been better had they not hidden a portion of it behind the stupid right task bar.

    I guess I should have made it smaller.

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  3. Mariann Simms05 April, 2012 07:55

    nonamedufus - Unfortunately Alabama does not have a lottery and I don't play the lottery very often. But it is fun to hope...hope to get the hell out of this state and various other hopes and dreams which would become realities. Yes, there is always next time. Each time that goes past...brings me closer to it, right? ;)

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  4. Cheryl05 April, 2012 08:54

    Even with every kind of lottery known to mankind in available in NH, I didn't play. Did someone win?

    Pretty nifty interpretation of power.

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  5. mo.stoneskin05 April, 2012 09:26

    Very cool photo, magical in fact. I love the blue behind and the reflection.

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  6. Unfinished Person05 April, 2012 09:27

    Don't worry about it being partially hidden. We still can click on the photo and get the full effect, which is...dare I say it...powerful? ;)

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  7. Ziva05 April, 2012 11:14

    This is a great photo, Mariann, and I love your take on the theme. Maybe I should start playing the lottery... ;)

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  8. meleah rebeccah05 April, 2012 12:02

    very cool interpretation of power!

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  9. Mariann Simms05 April, 2012 13:07

    Thank you, everyone...and gosh I am indeed a bonehead -- I didn't realize you could click on the image to see the full image.

    Stupid me. Now I know why they say "knowledge is power". ;)

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  10. laughingmom05 April, 2012 16:10

    Awesome interpretation. I was hoping for some of that "power" myself but came up with nothing in return for our dollars. It was a powerful moment in my head at least when I spent the winnings!

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  11. MikeWJ at Too Many Mornings05 April, 2012 19:58

    Money is power, and anybody who says otherwse is lying. Not that anybody is saying that. Nobody. Dead silence. The radio is off.

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  12. Kristen05 April, 2012 23:24

    I love the photo. LOVE IT. And I dream of that power too.

    On an unrelated note - do you use livewriter to write your blog post? It gives you so much more freedom with your photos and placement than strait blogger.

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  13. Mariann Simms06 April, 2012 00:58

    LaughingMom - I always have such high hopes when I play. I don't play often at all because there's no lottery in Alabama...but the times I have played I was so having fun spending that money. :)

    Mike - I hear you. ;)

    Kristen - I only do it on the blogger.com site. I've tried going over to whatever place it is that Mike posts his blog at - but I can't make heads nor tails about it. I really should save all these things as I've been blogging for a lot of years now - and if they disappear - that's it. Not like I'm the best writer in the world, but I'd hate to see all my stuff disappeared. Is livewriter what you use? Maybe you can walk me thru it one day? I'm really technologically stupid.

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  14. Malisa07 April, 2012 10:55

    Texas has it's own lottery that I played for years. The lottery passed this Bible belt state because the proceeds were to go to education. Never did. What a surprise. I love that feeling I get after buying a ticket. Dreams, dreams, dreams. That would be a great time to see goals for ourselves. Buy a lottery ticket and dream what you would do if you won. Then write those dreams down. Bam, you've got your life goals. Maybe I should shut up now. I like your interpretation of power.

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