Lottery Lunacy

The Powerball lottery jackpot for this coming Wednesday is $425 million, cash value $278.3 million. Well, I don’t need all that money, but in case I win, I have a plan (Lottery Lunacy originally posted in September 2009).

We all have plans for when we win the big money, the lottery. Most what-to-do-with-the-money lists probably start out about the same: taking care of family, house, car, bills, charity, travel. You know, the usual stuff.

But what about after that? What about the interesting stuff? What do you have planned to do or buy that’s just plain fun, silly or both?

Here’s my idea of a silly waste of money, waiting only on the right combination of Quick Pick numbers to come my way (cash option, of course):

I’m going to buy a pair of Crocs for each professional football team. Then, when I’m watching the games on TV, I’ll wear one shoe from each team. For the team going left to right, I’ll wear their shoe on my left foot. For the team going right to left, their shoe will dangle off of my right foot. When the quarter ends and the teams change direction, I’ll swap shoes as well, right to left and left to right.

As a lottery winner, I’ll finally be able to afford the NFL Sunday Ticket and I’ll get to watch all the games. That means that on Sunday mornings I’ll move 30 pairs of shoes to the living room. (One game is on Monday night. Later in the season, Thursday night football on the NFL Network will take another game off of the Sunday line up.)

Each time I change the channel to watch a different game, I’ll get up and change shoes. I’ll count that as part of my daily physical activity. It’ll be fun, really.

Now, if I could just remember to buy a lottery ticket . . .

Ride-A-Long

Yesterday, I rode in the M&M stock car at the Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas.

That’s my driver, Tory, after our four laps around the track (his hand is hanging out the window). The first couple of laps were a bit zig-zaggy to warm up the tires while we waited for the photographer. Then it was four laps around the track going ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM.

I managed to get in on this ride-a-long deal via the Race with Rusty Experience. That’s Rusty as in Rusty Wallace, a NASCAR champion and racetrack owner.

The M&M stock car at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas

Ride-a-long, in style

Besides the ride-a-long option there is a driving experience option, but I decided not to do that. I mosey when I drive. I probably wouldn’t take advantage of the horsepower under that racing hood even though I’d be the only car on the track. I had visions of myself as a little gray-haired old lady driving around and around at 55 miles per hour, probably with my blinker on. Not a good use of my time or money.

Pit Pass wrist band

My ride-a-long pit pass.

Weekly Writing Challenge: Mind the Gap

Weekly Writing Challenge: Mind the Gap

Turns out there were more Tweets in a single day about the 2012 Olympics than during the entire Beijing Olympics.

The Mind the Gap question from WordPress:  Has social media changed how you view the Olympics?

My answer:  No, I didn’t watch or keep up with the Olympics.

Seems the gap is bigger for some of us than for others.

My Poor Cubbies

Finally, a reprieve! The Houston Astros have lost nine of their last 10 games, displacing the Chicago Cubs from last place in the National League Central division. The Cubs have a half game lead over the Astros. It’s not much of a lead, and possibly only temporary, but there it is.

I don’t know what the Cubs will do once the Astros move to the American league. My poor Cubbies.

Maybe next year.