Hey, you never know

$252 Million jackpot Powerball tonight. Got my ticket yesterday already. I'm one of those people who usually gets a ticket when the jackpot crests $100M, and certainly when it approaches and passes $200M. I realize that many lottery winners talk about how their winnings corrupted their lives, but I think it would at least be interesting to be given that chance, right?

Several years ago, on one occasion when the jackpot was close to $200M, I had my ticket in hand and as usual, began the mental arithmetic of what the lump sum payment would be, and what the annual return would be if I invested that lump sum, and who I'd donate to and what I'd buy. For some reason, on that particular occasion, I had an especially "good feeling" about my chances. The morning after the drawing, I drove past a billboard showing that the jackpot was now $15M, meaning that someone had won. I was convinced it was me.

I spent the next hour in the car ruminating no longer about how I would spend the money, but what I would do in the immediate aftermath of my winning: how I'd break the news to Erin, what I'd do about work, who I'd call first (my attorney? my accountant?). I was consumed with the idea that I was now a jackpot winner.

I got home, went about my usual business in kind of a fog, then late that night got the daily paper to check my numbers. Not a single match on either of my tickets.

When I relayed the story to Erin, she said, "Well, was all that wondering worth your $2.00?". And that, in a nutshell, summed up my love of the Powerball. I realized then that I'm not really paying for the chance to win $200M (because the odds are so insane that that chance isn't even worth $2.00). I'm paying for the opportunity to fantasize for a few days about what that life would be like. That's certainly worth the price of a shamrock shake.