In the Connecticut office, there's a group of people who have put a buck into the pool for the state lottery. One of our production managers is the keeper of the dollars and twice a week, for the midweek and weekend draws, she gets the tickets on behalf of the group. It's been an ongoing ritual.
I've always been aware of it but not being a gambler, I've never participated. I've almost never purchased lotto tickets. I don't do the scratch off lottery tickets. I don't even like to gamble when I'm in Las Vegas because we all know that the odds are stacked against our ever winning anything. The odds are better that you'll lose money. What fun is that?
What I didn't realize was that this group of active lotto participants in Connecticut have become part of a social inner circle and the opportunity to participate on that level for me was suddenly much more appealing. How it plays out is this: if you're putting in a buck for yourself, sometimes you cover other people at the same time. Then some weeks they cover you. It starts to become a bonding experience.
Case in point--This past Monday I put in five dollars for the Wednesday draw to cover myself, The Man in Plaid, The Fisherman , The Wannabe and Bipolar Woman. On Thursday, The Man in Plaid put in to cover himself, me, The Fisherman and The Wannabe. He's not crazy about Bipolar Woman. When I was in Prague, I had an e-mail from The Fisherman telling me I was covered for the duration of my vacation absence. So I caught him at the return end. Prior to that, The Wannabe covered us. She insists on covering Bipolar Woman who has never actually anted up a penny herself. The Man in Plaid says she has alligator arms; they're too short to reach for the wallet. I think we should cut her off, frankly, but I have too much affection for The Wannabe who insists on including Bipolar Woman (it must be out of friendship and/or fear--not sure which).
Regardless, it's become a means of social engagement at work. What a bonus it would be if our numbers actually hit.
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2 comments:
Hey, it could happen... after all, somebody has to win. Good luck, and should you win, don't forget about your faithful blog followers.
Actually, don't think of it as gambling, think of it as spending money to fantasize about quitting your job and moving to that farm house in Vermont. Hey, a dollar for an hour of figuring what you'd do with that money is much cheaper than the movies. Because yes, the lottery is a tax on people who can't do math. :)
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