Do you think your life will change if you win?

I was just thinking about what would actually happen if I won a trip into space. The cash prize is a lot of money I could really use. I also was thinking about the cool factor of flying into space. Can you image being that perosn who gets to tell people what its like in space. Cool.

And beeing able to tell what it's like in space, may help to get money as well

I think the first regular person in space is going to a spot on a late night talk show, that might pull a little money. You think any advertising will come from it.

I will probably just take the cash. My dreams of going into space went bye-bye with my back/knees/ankle at Maxwell AFB.

I will make one prediction, though -- if I (or some other non NYC NWS meteorologist) win, there will probably be some sort of congressional inquiry. Free trip to DC?

If meteorologists win two in a row, we will have to change the rules of the game to make it more attractive to non-meteorologists. So far the leader is a graduate student in human migration.

No Congressional inquiry required. The rules do not forbid meteorologists. Just the other day, both AccuWeather and Custom Weather were off by more than 15 degrees. The Congressional inquiry might be into why our weather forecasters can be beaten by ordinary citizens.

That's the point I'm trying to make... and when i testify I will tell them that I was one of "their" forecasters and I just decided to do something else after getting death threats from several June brides who's weddings got rained on.

Don't the brides know that any ultimatums are supposed to precede the weather? The consequences from a prediction in the wrong direction are enough to predict rain every Sunday.