[david c.]

Okay, this is really cooking along! A few replies:

Mike Navarro: ALRIGHT! Thanks! You're the first official entrant. You've got the ball rolling! My kinda guy. First one on to the field! Go Irish!

12own911: girls are welcome, of course, never meant to be sexist. Glad you are on the board and "on board" with the contest.

Cam: You found the riddle of the Sphinx: "eat and drink yourself stupid" I was hoping someone would pick up on that. That was why I chose the 24th... so you could eat up/drink up UNTIL the holidays, when it really gets difficult...cookies, turkey,etc.

eion: come on man, toss down the two bits for the local paper and get on the wagon! Sorry to hear about the foot injury. I had a plantar wart once, but that's neither here nor there!

lendaddy: You're in! Industrial scale is okay as long as it is accurate enough to be fair. We will have to round your initial weight down if it uses increments greater than five pounds. Oh, the nextel is fine, or just go buy a real paper, man! Get the NY Times if you hate the local rag. It'll be worth the effort! FREE TIRES!

Chuck: What is a contest in the "Jerry Seinfeld" sense? I missed that. I really don't watch a lot of television.

CStreit: It has to be in pounds lost. The percentage loss has no bearing on the horsepower gained. To wit, if you weighed 100lbs and lost 10 you would likely win on percentage but the effective "horsepower gain" would be less than the guy who goes from 250lbs down to 226lbs (a fractionally smaller percentage).