Anyone who's ever played a lottery knows the real fun is before the drawing, when your numbers have as good a chance of being the winning ticket as anyone's. And so it was as we made our way home from the beach last Saturday night that I asked her a few questions regarding what we would do with all our "loot"? Like the apple that has fallen not too far from the tree she responded "travel"-- good answer, I already liked where this was going. So I asked Sophie "if you could go anywhere you wanted RIGHT NOW, where would it be?".... She thought for a moment, and as I eagerly awaited my travel plans she blurted out CHINA!! She said that she wanted to see the Great Wall....that's cool. It wouldn't have been my first travel location, but cool all the same. I told her we would leave on Monday, and she said "but papi, what about school", I told her not to worry we would "buy-out" her teachers' contract and take Mrs. Dinger with us to "home school" her.
She began to like this game too and so I continued on. I asked her what it was she wanted to do for people who needed help. Again, she pondered-- a bit longer this time and recounted how she and her mother had encountered a homeless veteran panhandling on the median at a red light, and how her mother gave him some change. "Help the homeless" she said, this made me feel even better about this new found money we had coming. Of course the conversation eventually wound back to her missing ice skating lessons while away in China to which I responded we would just buy the rink, and have her school lessons moved there as well. She loved this idea. By now all sorts of crazy dreams, wishes, and desires were flowing freely back and forth. We decided upon a trip to Ireland as well, she said she wanted to take her Irish nana (my mom), so I was pleased we would be going to an english speaking country as well.
As evidenced by my lack of announcements we didn't win Saturday night, at least not the cash. When she asked if we lost the next morning, I told her no. I told Sophia we didn't win any money, but that didn't mean we lost. I told her in light of all we have lost recently, including my father and our cat--that we had actually won something far more important. We had each other, we had our health, and we had a glorious Easter Sunday to go to mass together. Added to this, we had a beautiful day in which to spend together at the beach playing in the sand and the ocean. Sophia immediately knew what it was I was saying, and she told me that family and health are more important than money. Now this kind of smarts you can't buy with any lottery. Amen; our blessings are worth far more than $65 million dollars, though it would certainly enhance them for sure.
So today I stop and get the paper on my way in to work and see that the lotto has again rolled over, now it's up to $82 million. Wow, looks like alot of readers of PinF will be seeing a direct hook if we win. Mind you, I have a 1 in 23 million shot to be exact. Comparatively, to put this in proper perspective PinF's chances of a shark attack are 1 in 11.5 million, becoming president?, well that's 1 in 10 million. Poker Pro already knows this one: drawing a royal flush in poker? 1 in 650,000. OK here's one a bit more likely: drawing a 4-leaf clover on first try? 1 in 10,000. Unfortunatley what I've learned from all of this is that PinF is more likely to be struck by lightning, 1 in 3,000--than win the lotto.
Still it all comes back to that wise statement. You gotta play to win. So play we will once again tonight. I need all of your wish lists by 10PM tonight, lets say you all have $50K to spend, you can either have a lump cash payout, or PinF and Sophia will make your dreams ($50K's worth) come true. If I win, please pardon us until weI get back from China and Ireland, then I'll be up toPhilly to hand out the checks. Wish us luck!
8 comments:
akjn is sending good luck wishes your way...I think we should pool the $$ and buy an old hotel in the Keys that we can run, then all retire to when we need to. Any left over $$ plus each of our social security checks can provide young, attractive male/female nurses for our care and wheeling us out to the beach every day. We will call it Sophie's, and can also run a Maine Coon shelter on the side. Oh, I forgot to mention that we'll probably need a plane, too, for runs to Sligo when we are in the mood :)
AKJN---I like it. Your are obviously forward thinking...nice. Yes I anticipate the type of sea-plane that Jimmy Buffet has, that way we need no landing clearances, just plop it down on which ever beach hits our fancy. Nice expenditure's --- all of them approved by the way, by the PinF procurement office. I failed to mention I will be providing a lifetime of fried twinkies to PP, that and a 10k allowance for him to play on one hand.....
Pepe's is for sale in Key West. But, could you give me $500,000 instead of $50,000?? I would feed you and Sophia for life. And your big cat, too. Marines would eat free, Jojo could be the greeter/bouncer, CNN could mingle with the masses waiting for a table, and you, PinF, could be the swashbuckler. We would replace the rum with Scotch though. And we will hire Jimmy Buffet to entertain us! If I must be virtuous, then we will give the leftovers to the homeless, ok?
It appears Tek Fiddy is coming in just under the wire of the 10PM deadline...duly noted. CNN is at great risk of not collecting her share....and where's that guy Chuck?.....hmm...his departure sure has been strange...such a focal point for so long...he just faded away...and the Tman? PP? where are those guys? Wealthy already i suppose....
DAMN - it's 11:30 pm ET, and I missed the payout deadline. I sure could have used a pair of those crocs I've been reading about.
Tman and PP can send their applications in for review for the cabana boys positions since they missed the deadline...Peck can be the permanent in-house entertainer in his lobster costume :) Finally, Chuck must appear in a USA themed thong and perform each Thursday night-Ladies Night-to 99 Red Balloons...ak can help with the German parts of the song.
...so it is written...
Peck you were grandfather'd in. No worries mate. PinF has the unfortunate task of informing his many faithful and destitute readers that they must trod on and continue working.
Good luck, I actually have drawn a royal flush once in my career! I believe the airlines still sell an unlimited flying pass that use to cost around $125k, it might be more now. Fly anywhere in the world, anytime, you can put me down for one of those, please.
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