Thursday, October 09, 2008

Thank Goodness We Won Lotto Yesterday!

Yesterday was the Wednesday before... If you know me or have read me for a while, you will note a cycle of events, and we hit the woetime when it is the Wednesday before.

I woke up late. 6.15am is late when you enjoy the timelessness of 5.30am.

V has been unwell all week. On Monday I was all consideration and sweetness. On Tuesday I treated him with cotton-wool gloves. These came off on Wednesday.

I know its not his fault he is unwell - but it was a catalyst for an internal conversation screaming match I held when I escaped with 'Salina on our bike ride.

One good thing about the irrational rage and unappeased anger swells I have on such days is that I can recognise them and try to stuff them away or stop them from spilling out into the real world (too much).

It is about the only good thing - although my sister-outlaw on the Croatian side once said it most perfectly in a hormone-charged conversation she had with her partner (that we got to be witness to) "its at this time of month, mate, that I don't placate you and tell you how it REALLY is".

Sister-outlaw's partner is originally from Zimbabwe and had 9 sisters, a mother and a grandmother who all cycled together. His grandfather taught him quite young to run for the hills when the moon was in a certain phase. Unfortunately sister-outlaw hunted him down.

As I said to a client yesterday, one thing to be said for partners and spouses is it gives you something to focus on.



Anyhow - I am over that now, and had talked myself into being over that by the time we got to the post office.

'Salina asked if we could buy something special from the Bakery. Okay, so maybe I wasn't so much over it as scanning the world for a new focus for the rage, and so she got a more vehement explanation as to why we couldn't do that at this point in time that had more to do with financial crisis and priorities than was necessary to emphasise, no doubt.

It did put me in mind, however, to get a treat for V because he had been the unwitting recipient of my inner dialogue earlier and because I like to make up for my bitchiness in cheap thrills.

So I lashed out and got him TWO newspapers.

While getting the coins from my purse, I noticed a couple of lotto tickets I hadn't checked.

Over here, you can be a registered lotto cardholder, which by rights means if you throw your winning ticket out you can still claim - and in fact, I believe they will even tell you if you have won the big bucks (correct me if I am wrong).

I know that the odds of winning lotto are less than being kicked to death by a donkey, but I also know the only way to guarantee you WON'T win is to not have a ticket.

Sort of like the only way NOT to get kicked to death by a donkey is to stay away from their rear end.

We are registered cardholders, but we have never received the call. I don't know if the above is an urban myth or not, so I hoard all of our tickets and every so often find them all in one place and get the poor newsagency girl to check them all for me to make sure.

Yesterday, our luck changed. WE WON!!!!

Okay, it was only $18.90 - not a bad return for the $660 investment over the last two years, hey?

Still, it bought a bakery item for 'Salina and a small settling of the mind for me.



Of course, on our cycle this morning, 'Salina noticed a lotto where you could win $10 million tonight - which would definitely come in handy.

I explained to her there are chances to win millions almost every night these days, and we have to limit ourselves to chosing only one night to focus our attention on, as it could be a bit expensive to try our luck on all.

But, to quote an old friend of mine, when asked to explain his ability to be anti-gambling AND buying lotto tickets "Its not gambling. Its my ONLY chance."



Edited to add: Moreena at Falling Down Is Also a Gift has just advised that Annika has just received a new liver.

I would gladly hand over all of my ill-gotten lotto wins for Annika and Deb (and anyone else going through tough stuff at the moment) to enjoy many years of healthy living!

13 comments:

Debby said...

Oh, golly, I had a better day today. Enjoy your win - Don't blow it all in one place!

Anonymous said...

*heehee* I very (very, very) rarely buy a lotto ticket. But when I do I do one of those 'quickpick' ones. They usually get me back my $ and I'm always happy with that. Now if I bought a ticket every week I would be guarenteed 'not' to win.

jeanie said...

Deb - I am afraid the fruit and veg section of one shop got the majority of it!!

Melody - we have tried that strategy - didn't work for us, although we probably lost less money.

Anonymous said...

Rofl! I was hoping you'd say that you had won millions of dollars and were going to share it with all of your readers! ;)

Still, a return is better than a loss, right!

When the kids hassle me to buy things, I always tell them that I will after I win lotto! They get the joke now!

Crazed Nitwit said...

Yeah for Annikka!!!!

You being kicked to death by a donkey doesn't sound too bad this week....maybe I should go in search of one....

:P

Crazed Nitwit said...

Um wait, I meant me, yes ME, being kicked to death not you my special lovely Aussie gal pal. Sorry I sounded evil and vengeful, it twas by accident and exhaustion.

Alison said...

Woohoo! Love a lotto win. You're on the right track now Jeanie, just a matter of a few more decimal places!

MissyBoo said...

I get excited over $20 lotto wins, too. Of course they are always more of a blessing on the "Wednesday before..."

Being registered, not only do they phone you for the big money, they will send you a cheque for the small amounts too, if you don't claim within about 6 weeks (so my mum the lotto-addict tells me)!

mommamia said...

Glad Salina got her bakery treat. I love unexpected surprises like winning the lottery.

ELIZABETH said...

I keep hoping. Last win was a free ticket .. worth $2.00 but I keep buying because some day my win will come. tra la tra la

Jayne said...

My ex-sister in law and I used to cycle together and the men folk would, wisely, head for the hills whenever we got that look in our eyes ;)

Dreaming again said...

Hi Jeane ... I just followed you here from Dream Mom, read about your friend and thought I'd give you this poem for them. It's a poem I wrote about my own special needs son a few years ago ..well, several now ...

A Mother's Heart
by Peggikaye Eagler

Every mother had Dreams,
Of a Child perfect and whole.
Every mother has Hopes,
For perfection, body and soul.

They told me you’re not perfect,
Sweet loving child of mine.
They told me that your learning,
Is taking too much time.

They tell me that your tests came back,
Showing problems and low scores.
They tell me that you have to struggle,
This hurts me to the core.

Every mother has dreams,
They tell me you don’t fit.
Every mother has hopes,
They say perfection you won’t hit.

But they don’t see what I see,
The smile that lights your face.
But they don’t hear what I hear,
Your laughter reveals God’s grace.

They don’t see what I see,
My child loving and whole.
I have hopes and dreams,
Because my child you are a gift from God
And you have a PERFECT SOUL.

© Peggikaye Eagler

jeanie said...

BrissieMum2 - my line also - and of course I would share my millions.

CrazedMom - apparently donkey farmers the world over are considering offering the service.

Alison - it all sounds so simple, moving a decimal.

M+B - thank you for that valuable information!

mommamia - she did, and so do I.

Elizabeth - you just got a song stuck in my head, and I don't know why! Someday, there'll be a new beginning.

Jayne - wisdom and men combining during that week - how perculiar!

Dreaming again - thank you for that.