Well, the local lottery is up to nearly $150 million, so I bought a ticket today just for fun. I know that mathematically it is a stupid bet. The odds of my numbers coming up are over 500 million to one, and the direct cash payout after taxes is about $50 million, so it's not like an investment. In fact, I go with the famous line from "Almost Live!" (an old late night Seattle show that used to come on before Saturday Night Live) that "the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math". But I always buy a ticket if I think it will be fun to have one. You don't pay for the prize. You pay for the fun of thinking about what you would do with the money.
I always pick the same numbers. 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, 42 (1x2, 2x3, etc.). That way I don't have to have the ticket handy to see if I won, and I can also vicariously play even when I don't have a ticket. I told Michelle that we've won over $100 in the last year playing the lottery (twice a week), simply by not buying tickets, because those six numbers (or even four of 'em) have never come up. Somehow that wasn't very satisfying to her.
Anyway, it's fun to buy once in a while just so you can dream. As the Washington State lotto used to say, "Chances of winning are millions to one if you buy a ticket. Substantially higher if you don't." If I win, I think I will purchase a local radio station just so I can syndicate Air America and let people listen to something different for once around here. I won't quit my job, though. Too much fun. But I probably wouldn't do summer teaching any more, and Michelle would damn sure quit.
They say money can't buy happiness, but I would like to give it a chance.
Posted by Observer at June 19, 2004 04:42 PMComments on entries can only be made in pop-up windows while those entries are still on the main index page. Sorry for the inconvenience this causes, but this blocks about 99.99% of the spam the blog receives.
"Money can't buy love, but it can buy a whole lot of like"
:)
Posted by: Humbaba on June 19, 2004 04:48 PMLottery update: Here's a shocker. We didn't win. Didn't match a single number. Someone else did, though.
Posted by: Observer on June 20, 2004 11:42 AMWe matched the bonus ball and 2 others in one line. Woohoo! But that line (out of 33 purchased) was part of a pool of 15 people at Rich's office anyway, so we might get a whole small soda outta the deal. Whoopie do!
Posted by: Perkusi on June 20, 2004 12:24 PMOh, and about money buying happiness:
I would love to have that kind of money and try it out. A good portion of it would be given to family. Another good portion would be given as an endowment to my school. I'd probably try to use some of the cash to start up a free fine and performing arts school for public school and home school children.
After all that, I'd like to have enough left to buy a slightly larger house, decorate it the way I want, get a couple of reliable vehicles and one 1966 Ford Mustang (midnight blue, preferably convertible), set up a perpetual income from the interest that would afford us some playing around money, and set up retirement funding.
Is that too much to ask? :-D
Posted by: Perkusi on June 20, 2004 12:29 PMI would probably get more sex -- just guessing.
But the important thing is: Happy Father's Day!
Posted by: Polerand on June 20, 2004 06:35 PMOk, polecat, I nearly laughed so hard I peed my shorts. Of course you'd get more sex! It would be a lot tougher telling whether they liked you or your money, but your dick would be super mega happy.
Christ, I'm still laughing hard enough for tears to steam down my face.
Posted by: Humbaba on June 20, 2004 08:20 PM