Unable to resist the allure of $400M, I did go slightly out of my way on the drive home tonight and purchased a quick pick or three for the Powerball jackpot. When the California Lotto first started, I used to play $1 per week, just for the fun of it, won a dollar or two here or there. My biggest ever lotto win? $86. WHEE! Keep the day job…
A co-worker of my late husband’s won one of the earliest “big” California lotto jackpots (and this was a long time ago so it was only maybe $2M) at the convenience store where they all used to go to grab a snack after work. (Yes, I gave my poor husband grief for not buying the winning ticket LOL.)We were in college, poor as could be – living on the GI Bill mostly and his factory job and my retail job and you know how that goes – and wow, did we ENVY that guy. He got to do the whole “come in to work, say “take this job and shove it” to the bosses”…and leave forever.
I had a set series of numbers I used to play, gave that up when they added the wild card MEGA number at the end, just too complex for my non-mathy brain or something. (I put those numbers into one of my novels by the way, sneaky me). But I kinda like quick picks better now because that puts the whole thing into the hands of Fate. Either She’ll deal me the winning numbers or she won’t, you know? I won’t have messed up by picking one digit wrong. Fortunately we don’t do lotto pools at work because I know I’d be the one who was gone the day they bought the tickets and everyone else wins, but not me. (A lot of fascinating dynamics in these situations where a group buys a ticket!)
The economists always inform us the odds of winning are like being eaten by a shark in the middle of Idaho AND being struck by lightning simultaneously BUT they waste their breath because….someone…HAS…to….WIN. I don’t like my odds of winning exactly (what, 1 in a billion or something? Does China have powerball?) but if I buy a ticket I can still have that fantasy of what I’d do with all that after-tax money. Some of the daydreams have changed a bit over the years but I’d start by resigning the day job, paying all the bills….that part somehow never changes LOL! I’d love to be able to stay home and write full time…
I only buy some quick picks nowadays when the jackpot gets so ridiculous that I can’t resist indulging the grandiose dreams, just for fun. I don’t think Fate intends for me to take the easy money way through life though, probably not going to hand me (and the IRS) $400M on an oversized check in the next few days. (Or with my luck there’d be 20 other winners, you know?) But it sure is fun to fantasize!
Well enough of that fantasy, time to report back to Ancient Egypt and get on with the next scene in my current Work in Progress. Got deadlines to meet!
Here’s a fun old video on the topic of “In the Money”!