You Might As Well Dream Big, Right?

Ah, daydreams. Aren't they great?

Some people dream of escaping the winter and finding a warm, cozy island in the Caribbean instead of a snow-bound home. (I know that I do.) Some people daydream about doing the nasty with some super-hot model/bimbo/starlet with large knockers, zero brains, and a hefty trust fund. (Not me – that would be piggish.) Some people daydream about what they're going to have for dinner that night. (Guilty as charged.)

But most of all, I daydream about winning. I like to win things. In fact, over the years I've had pretty good luck in the "winning" category – probably more than my fair share.

Of course, that doesn't stop me from wanting MORE. Greed (as Gordon Gekko taught us years ago) Is Good.

So it's with that "Oooh, I wish I had that" attitude that I show you my latest daydream. I want THIS:

Yes, it's the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway prize for 2008. A big-ass home on Islamorada Key, Florida. Including the furnishings, the GMC Yukon, and the house, this baby totals up to $2.2 million in prizes. All of this could be yours if you beat the one-in-80 gazillion odds and they choose your entry as the winner.

This isn't a one-time daydream of mine, mind you. I've been drooling over the annual HGTV giveaway houses every year. But this time around – to win one in the Florida keys – would be even cooler.

Wouldn't it be sweet to win this place? To be able to sit outside your mega-million dollar Florida beach house, cocktail in one hand, Southern Belle fan in the other, pretending that you're king of the world? Hell, for that opportunity I'd even put up with the drove of "friends" and "close cousins" who'd naturally drop by for a visit. (Room rentals start at $500/night, double occupancy. Cash only.)

Oh, sure - I'd have to convince The Lovely Mrs. G. to move again, just a couple of months after we packed it up and moved to Omaha. But I think the warm winters and the abundant sunshine might do the trick, especially when we're experiencing "freezing drizzle" here in the Heartland.

But the sad reality is that if I did somehow win, I don't think I could afford to keep it. I can only imagine what the property taxes will be on a $2.2 million home, and if somehow I was able to scrape together the cash, I think that the insurance on such a place smack dab in the epicenter of Hurricane Alley would just about do me in.

But since we're daydreaming here, we'll just pretend that the house is built on top of a gold mine and/or oil well, so money will be no concern. Yeah, that's the ticket.

You can enter once a day on the HGTV website. But if I were you, I wouldn't waste my time. You see, I've already won this beauty. It's mine – all mine. And you can't have it. So neener, neener.

Hey, a fella can dream, can't he?