A co-worker (sat 6 feet away) did not show up for work today.She hit the State lottery saturday ! 2 winners share 12 million dollars. That would have made one awesome homestead.

-- ourfarm (ourfarm@noaddr.com), March 18, 2002

Answers

I wonder if she'll show up for work ever again! ;)

-- heather (h.m.metheny@att.net), March 18, 2002.

That's cool! But since she has done that, she may be one of those folks that has unusual things happen to them! Quite likely to die from a lightning strike very soon, a much more frequent event than winning a (crooked, low probability, if state-run) lottery. She may also be at risk for succombing to fire ants, gila monsters, insane honey bees, or even the elusive Greenlandic Quark! Do I buy lottery tickets? Yes, I generally invest about $2 each year, when I have a few "silly dollars". I think the best advice thereunto is the admonition that "A lottery is a tax on people who are poor at math". Amen.

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), March 18, 2002.

Hmmmm..... Bet she needs a good stockbroker...

:-)

-- chuck in md (reply@mission4me.com), March 18, 2002.

I bet she meets a bunch of new realitives.

-- dale (dgarr@fidnet.com), March 18, 2002.

Bet she'll have friends she never knew she had..

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), March 18, 2002.

Bet if it was me, Id move far away.... and not leave a forwarding address...LOL

-- Kristean Thompson (pigalena_babe@yahoo.com), March 18, 2002.

Bet she doesn't remember me. Another long lost cousin. HEHEHEHEHEHE

-- shane (wart1907@cs.com), March 18, 2002.

I hope you are GOOD friends!!!

-- Sharon (chessyemailaddy@notreal.com), March 18, 2002.

I wonder what her facial expression will be when she finds that her government will take back about half of her prize.

-- gita (gita@directcon.net), March 18, 2002.

Her face will probably not be much different than someone who has their own business. When I had one I lost about 48% to the government in Social Security and taxes.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), March 18, 2002.

Bet you're feeling real bad about that spit-ball incident last year...

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), March 18, 2002.

Good for her, sincerely. Can't say I wish it wasn't me but I bet she has far more headaches in the days to come then she ever had in the past. I know some very 'rich' people and very 'poor' ones - funny, the rich ones are the complainers, a wee bit paranoid, and rarely have what I would consider true friends. They think 'everyone' is after their money, and they may be right. The rest of us well, we're all in the same boat so why sink it. "I doubt I have anything you'd want besides my friendship, and if I did I'd give it to you or at the least share, so if you're my friend well, you're my friend." I wish your friend luck, and a good advisor.

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), March 18, 2002.

First thing I'd do would be disconnect the phone service. SHe'll never be able to safely pick it up again. Wonder if she remembers me...I think I held a cab for her in the rain once...

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 19, 2002.

How about her name, phone #, address? OR, could you forward mine on to her?

Russ

-- (imashortguy@hotmail.com), March 19, 2002.

Ask her if she would like to adopt an older child!!!

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), March 19, 2002.

Wow! With that kind of money I could farm profitably for another, oh, five or six years! :)

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), March 19, 2002.

I hope your friend is taking the payment in installments if they have that option. Most lottery winners in up bankrupt within 5 years of winning the lottery.

Also remember, money is not happyness or success.

-- Gary in Ohio (gws@columbus.rr.com), March 19, 2002.

My wife & I talk about that at times - what would you do with 3-4 million (net)? We are kinda simple, like our toys, but only what we can play with. I can see spending $500,000 pretty easy. After that normal expenses. But, I just never really wanted the $500,000 house on the hill - I like a little one I can care for myself. Don't like servants, I like to do my own thing for me. I like chrome plated faucets, the water comes out the same as it comes out of a solid gold one. I never did like impressing other people - and that's really where most rich folks spend their dough. I'd go for the $40,000 pickup sure - for me. I would not want some $100,000 sports car.

I can see 'friends' changing around you. But I wonder how much I would change? More paranoid I'm sure. But, most of my friends I've had for 20 years or more, we spend most weekends together, bowling & volleyball every week. I wonder if we could make it without too much hassle.

Darn I'd like to try!!!! :)

Oh, you can give your co-worker my name - I don't want her money. It's hers, tell her to have some fun with it, and get serious with some of it. But don't give any to me, it ain't mine. :)

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), March 19, 2002.

I think more prizes of less cash would be more fun. Who's life here wouldn't be changed terrifically by $50,000? That can buy a homestead outright or fund a retirement program, or pay for college classes you always wanted.

I don't think I could easily spend more than a few hundred thousand. That includes the money to pay my brother's school loans and pay off my sister's home and another brother's home. I'd buy a Vespa for me.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), March 19, 2002.

I would buy up a bunch of land and either farm it or park-a-fy it. Maybe build a log cabin and get a cool oldfasioned looking gas stove. Then I could invite everyone over to enjoy the nature.

-- Chenoa (ganter@primus.ca), March 19, 2002.

I'm very pleased for her. Neat to know a "celebrity", huh?! I sincelely hope she and her family will be happy, healthy, and live well! What a cool thing to happen!!

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), March 19, 2002.

wow! i hope it helps her life out and she uses the gift wisely. i sat here and thought for a bit about what i would do with that money. send enough to our priest in russia to build the two churches he is trying to raise funds for, and some left over. buy a small house in russia to stay in when we visit....and then VISIT a few times a year. use some for egg money to start a not-for-profit here to help families and single moms stay home with their kids instead of being forced to put them in day care. get my car fixed. get our buildings fixed and my husband's shop done. pay off our used cars and get mine running a bit better. BUILD A NEW HOUSE. No, I hate big houses. Nothing huge and fancy. Just a small bungalow, only a bit bigger than ours, with a basement accesible from inside the house. But, our house needs so much work on it that if we had a big chunk of money it would be so much easier and faster to tear it down and to start over!!!! It is so much fun to dream of what we COULD do. But really, I am grateful for all I have.

But winning the lottery would sort of be like having that magic wand waved over your head one day....

-- marcee (thathope@mwt.net), March 19, 2002.

When the State Lottery here gets over $10,000,000, we figure it's worth buying tickets, so we each get one. We sit down, sometimes with friends for whom we have also bought tickets, and talk about what we would do with the money if we won. We usually wind up discussing the topic in some detail for an hour or more. This turns out to be a pretty good entertainment value, especially when compared with dinner out or a movie. Plus, we get insight into each other's hopes and dreams.

We never look at the numbers at all, that way we can continue to enjoy our tickets until the new lottery numbers are posted.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), March 19, 2002.

Win 12 million dollars? Well I guess I'd pay my bill, as far as it went!

-- ken in texas (palooza98@ev1.net), March 19, 2002.

My immediate family would be as well off as I. I would split it evenly amongst brother, sisters, parents, and myself. With some lesser amounts to Aunts and Uncles. I know that they say money can't buy happiness, but it would sure beat waking up in the middle of the night wondering where the next dollar is going to come from. I would save a bundle on asprin. And I bet I'd sleep through the night more often!! The main thing would be INVEST. And pay off the place!!

-- Mark (mcford@theofficenet.com), March 19, 2002.

Ain't gunna happen for me. Gambling doesn't bother me personally too much, but I've taken a look at what it it does to society, and it's W..A..Y bad. I posted my take on state-sponsored gambling a couple of years ago, and it's not good news. It's like cannabis: I liked it, but I couldn't live with myself if I used it (that's not a criticism of pot - just the people who deal in it). My analysis posted by an e- friend in Hawaii at

state sponsored gambling

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 20, 2002.