I read about the LG/Billboard Mobile Beat contest while I was at work a couple weeks ago. I skimmed over an article talking about how "about 30" concert-loving individuals were going to get the opportunity to write for Billboard this summer. Like most, I initially dismissed the idea of actually entering, let alone winning the contest.

Minutes later, my good friend Rose Ahn sent me an IM saying "This is so you!" with a link to the contest, encouraging me to give it a shot. I told her that I had already heard about the contest, but I'd think about it. Between my full-time job, personal blog, and second job that I recently took up after my car was stolen, I was definitely "swamped," not yet overwhelmed, but moderately intrigued.

The night before the contest officially ended, I accidentally fell asleep (not a fan of napping) face down on our living room couch, only to be awakened by the epiphany - "Tonight is the last possible night that I could enter that Mobile Blogger contest..." I scrambled to put together two photo mash-ups for my submission with the help and limited (not that I'm not grateful for them) Photoshop skills of my roommate Ryan Fujitani long after most normal people had gone to bed. I churned out a 90-something word essay and with inspirational Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway"-like lyrics in my optimistic mind, I sent out my application through my spotty wireless connection in our West LA apartment.

I gave it a shot. In my groggy state, I knew that I could live with the fact that I gave it a shot.

That same night, my fortune cookie from Panda Express read, "Great things await you in the coming month." While I'm not one to base my life around delicious, yet dry and tasteless desserts that come in plastic single serve packets, that fortune cookie just might have made my summer.

Some people are great at Photoshop. We are ok at resizing pictures.

Four days later, I received an email from Billboard's Marketing Director with a subject line that read: "Congratulations, You Have Been Chosen as a Winner of the Billboard/LG Mobile Beat Contest."

My first thought was, "No freakin' way, dude..." (how I've turned so "West Coast" in five years is still beyond me). I thought someone read my blog, thought he was funny and decided to play a trick on me.

And now, a week and a half later, I have my Verizon LG enV cell phone in hand and I'm waiting on confirmation for my first assignment. Really, it's a cliche' to say it at this point, but it's all pretty unbelievable.

If you've found this blog, chances are you love music. Most of us love music of some kind and really, very few people don't like going to concerts. For me, I love music (when you live in LA, music is your friend for hours on end when you're parked on the 405) like everyone who won this contest. What's a little weird about all this for me is that I'm excited about this experience because I just love blogging. Who says something like that? Apparently, I do.

I can't wait for the shows and the experiences that await, but I'm just as much looking forward to sharing this experience with the Mobile Beat readers and other Mobloggers this summer.

For now, the anticipation continues and I'm pretty ok with that.

Thanks for checking in.
-dc