UPDATE:  Before you read this, understand that the contest is over.  This post was written like 6 months ago.  We already have the three contestants who will be posting their videos this Thursday to win the trip.

For more details, click here.

Ok, lets start a new contest for the 5,000th comment on Friday Puppy.

I think I’m gonna up the ante a little bit.  When I was blogging (I hate that verb) for the Times Union, I had a party at my house for 10 people (and their guests) who were the 4,991-5,000th comments.  It was fun.  I’ll tell you though, I didn’t expect blog readers to be such booze hounds, and as a result, I embarrassingly ran out of champagne, kicked a keg of High Life and about 5 bottles of vodka.  One of the readers actually got so drunk she fell over into my garbage cans.   Truth.

So this is the prize for the reader who leaves the 5,000th comment on FridayPuppy.com (with my projections, should be some time around the end of winter)…. you will win a trip to sunny Panama City, Panama.   (yes, the country).  I’ll pay for the flight and pay for the accomodations for 3 nights.   I won’t be going with you, however.  You can obviously bring a friend to go with you, but that’s on your dime.    You’re probably reading this and thinking, “what the…“, so let me explain:

About 4 years ago, I got it in my head that I should switch the money I had in mutual funds, and buy a property in Panama.   I’ve never been there, but Panama is always at the top of the list of countries that foreign investment magazines and websites suggest investing in.   And then, the accountant I had been using for Bombers ended up selling her beautiful house in Albany and moved to Panama.  I was like, “what the…”.   Since then, she has been living there in the most amazing house on the country side with ocean views and tropical plants and wildlife all around her.  She has a kiwi tree.  She absolutely loves living there.  And after talking further to her about Panama, I decided it sounded like a good idea.   Admittedly, I wasn’t planning on moving there or even visiting there often, so I bought a pre-construction condo in the high end shopping district of Panama City (Punta Pacifica), and was planning on selling it after it was built.  Flip that house.  You know, like they do on TV.  Sounds simple, right?

What I didn’t count on was the market crashing.  I tried to sell it, and no one bought it.  The realtor I was using in Panama was like, “ay papi, it’s not a good time to sell su casa.”   So…. I have a condo in Panama City, Panama that just sits there.  Obviously, I’m not flying to Panama, that’s crazy talk.  So if nothing else, I think of it as an investment  property which will hopefully become a good return on my investment (please God please God please God).

But anyway, Panama is supposed to be absolutely beeeeautiful, and it’s lately developed a great reputation for being a really fun, modern city to vacation in.

So there you have it.  In summary, if you are the 5,000th comment, you will win a flight to Panama City, will get to stay in my condo (yes it’s furnished), and you will come back and give Friday Puppy a full report on what Panama City is like.   It’s like you’ll be the travel correspondent for Friday Puppy.  And plus, it will be cool for me to hear what fun there is to be had in Panama.  I wish I could give you suggestions on what to do, but like i said, I’ve never been there.

(*Here’s the disclaimer.  I need to give the thumbs up on you as a person, if you’re the 5,000th commenter.  If I meet you, and you turn out to be a freak show, it’s off.  And then the trip will go to the 5,000 and 1st  person.  Kapeesh?  I mean cmon, I can’t have you falling over into the garbage cans of my new Panamanian neighbors.)