Mega Millions reaches $1bn

I don’t think I won.

My husband is always telling me to play. I think I have played the lottery twice in my life. He thinks I am lucky since I have won other types of things. But if I did win a big payout like that, the first thing I would to is offer to get air conditioning for the church where we were married. It’s a beautiful church, but I was dripping in sweat during our August wedding.

 

My wife asked me last night what I would do if I won. (I don't play.) It was an interesting exercise in discovering what you're most passionate about. I think that's why some lottery winners have miserable outcomes--they don't know who they are.

Statistically speaking, your odds of winning are indistinguishable from zero. Yes, someone will win. But not you. And not anyone you know.

 

If I won the Mega Millions, I'd quit my full-time job and travel the world, primarily the African continent. Before I leave the U.S., I'd pay off all my debts (car, student, credit cards). Buy a house in the U.S., one in Jamaica and one somewhere in Africa. Probably use them for Airbnb revenue. I'd also donate to all my alma maters, St. Jude, CHOP and other children-focused organizations. I'd still adjunct online, so I continue my passion of working with students.

Haha.. wish me luck!

Advice: Don't let luck determine your future.

 

Someone is happy this morning:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/30/us/mega-millions-lottery-jackpot-saturday/index.html

 

I can't see getting a bag of potato chips as "winning." Those things are lethally addictive! I quit smoking after 18 years with NO problems. And drinking after about 40 years - again, not difficult. It took me TWO YEARS to get "clean" when I decided chips had to go. I think they must have been heroin-flavoured.

 

There's some interesting stuff in this area. It comes up in gambling addiction in particular. With a lot of addictions, you can physically leave the area you were living in, block your dealer's number, etc., in order to interrupt those normal behavioral patterns that lead you to use, whatever the substance. With things like food or gambling addiction the same dopaminergic pathways are in play: eating yummy food feels great and our brains release dopamine and re-wire to encourage us to do that more. With these addictions though, but we have less ability to escape. Gambling addicts may be in situations daily or weekly where they have to handle money or be near a lotto terminal. They can't opt out of those transactions as easily as someone using cocaine can.

Same thing with food. You have to eat something, so it can be really tough to decide not to have the chips.

 

That's why weight problems are so difficult to end, permanently. They're persistent and recurrent, because the person has to be around food. Besides their own needs, they may have to feed a family. It's something like an individual with a drug dependency being compelled to work in a hospital, or pharmacy. Or a gambling addict working in a casino. Or, even, in a lottery booth.

One can, however, decide to keep certain foods out of the house, not buy them etc. But it's NEVER easy. A lot of people don't understand this; they say "weight problems are all in a person's head." Yes, largely, they are. So is gambling. That does NOT make these problems one bit easier to deal with.

More people need to realize this. Especially a guy I know locally, who takes pleasure in fat-shaming women. He's a misogynist and a borderline sadist. I haven't been in his shop for years.