Ticket Giveaway: David Sedaris at the Academy!!!

Though there have been some rumblings of late that NPR contributor and bestselling author David Sedaris might have a problematic relationship with the truth, I'm not so sure that I care. It's certainly not going to stop me from going to his Academy of Music appearance on October 14th in support of his new essay collection, When You Are Engulfed In Flames, reviewed here in the New York Times. Tickets range from $39 to $69 — or free, if you win my contest.

I wanted to come up with an intelligent little NPR-style word puzzle, but then I realized that I don't have the time (read: wit or intelligence) to do so. So I emailed Will Shortz at his Times address to see if I could get him to help a brother out. I guess he's busy figuring out the most annoying way possible to screw you up on 18 across, because he didn't respond. So I will resort to the most rudimentary game possible.

I am thinking of a number between one and 700 billion. Email me your best guess. You must, must, must include your full name and mailing address. Not so I can stalk you (I promise to burn your address after this contest is over) but so I know where to mail your prize.

GRAND PRIZE (to the person who gets closest to the number in my head): one pair of front-row tickets and a copy of When You Are Engulfed In Flames.

SECOND PRIZE: one pair of tickets (not front row) and a copy of the book.

THIRD PRIZE: a copy of the book

FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH, SEVENTH AND EIGHTH PRIZES: a When You Are Engulfed In Flames CD.

One entry per person. Winners will be notified next week. Ties will be broken based on which person responded first.