This Is Really Getting Funny!

I had intended my last Peet's coffee post to be the final one, but I can't let this go without blogging about it! From the moment I made my Destiny or Coincidence post things have continued to take on a life of their own, moving from an innocent blog poll, to entering an official contest, to becoming a winner of said contest and receiving Peet's beans for a year, and now this craziness...

Our next door neighbor Robyn just told Amy, "It's not everyday I get to read about a neighbor in the newspaper." Of course Amy was completely caught off guard and didn't know what Robyn was talking about, until she explained that the Beaverton Valley Times ran a brief blurb on my contest victory. Really!

Amy and I almost couldn't believe it (they certainly didn't arrange an interview with the victor, much less even inform us) until Robyn handed us her copy of the local rag. Sure enough, under the title "Coffee Lover's Essay Earns Free Beans From Peet's" is a brief summary of "Beaverton resident Matt Guerino" and his recent triumph, along with some blah blah from a Peet's PR guy about how great the contest is going. While they didn't interview me, the VT did quote briefly from my winning essay.

This is a momumental achievement. After all, it's not just anyone who gets written about in a publication as prestigious as THE Beaverton Valley Times. Just to give you a sense of how big a deal this is, my blurb appeared on the same page that reported major headline news stories such a new web site launched by the Small Business Administration, an upcoming student art display at a local car dealership, and (most impressive of all) the grand opening of the Camp Doggie Tails full service dog salon. This is NEWS people!

So let me see: I settle the question of destiny, win free coffee for a year, and now I'm a local celebrity! What will happen next? A seat next to the Mayor at Portland's Rose Festival? Official pronouncement at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing? An invitation to ride shotgun on the next space shuttle launch? Stay tuned...

Here I am with the newspaper and my 1st free coffee beans from Peet's!