I'm one of those people who scoff at the chance to win "only" $25M, $50M, $75M, or $100M in the lottery. Those amounts just aren't quite big enough for me. So, I only buy tickets when the payoff gets really big and, usually, my purchase is part of an office pool. I figure an office pool is the best way to increase your chances of actually ending up with a winning ticket.
In all the last minute commotion of trying to get things at work done before heading over here to Spain, I completely missed all the MegaMillions hoopla last week. I had absolutelly no idea that the jackpot had grown so large. It wasn't until I got here and was stuck in my dingy hotel room waiting for a train to Sevilla that I saw a news story on France 24 talking about the size of the potential payout. (In case you're wondering, no, I don't know how to speak French; I was watching the English-language version of the network. "Great," I thought. "It's just my luck to be stuck here in Spain, with no chance to buy the winning ticket." I felt a bit disappointed but told myself that it was probably for the best as I would have just been throwing my money away if I'd bought a couple tickets.
Then I found out that a winning ticket was purchased in Maryland. Hearing that news for the first time, I got a queasy feeling inside. My co-workers are nice enough people but do I really want them to have that winning ticket?
I've been on-line a couple times since I heard the news, trying to find out all that I can about the Maryland winner. The winner has not yet come forward but I know that the winning ticket was purchased in Baltimore County. "That's good," I thought to myself, "That's probably not my office since we're based in Anne Arundel County." I even interrupted vacation for an hour or so last night to check work e-mails. I told myself (and the family) that I was catching up on things I missed while out but the truth is that I was also looking for any clues that my office mates were a bit too pleased with themselves. It doesn't look that way -- unless they're all extremely good poker players, they all seem focused on the same old work stuff. No one's tone seems particularly flippant. I'm not seeing any messages that seem dangerously close to telling all of us to go pound sand.
After my intercontinental detective work, I'm pretty sure that everyone I know at work is still going to be there when I get back. But, it's got me thinking. If my co-workers really did win the lottery without me, shouldn't I be happy for them? I know that I should. But, I can't lie -- if I can't be part of the party, then I don't want there to be one. Count me in on the next pool.