Ahhhhhhhhhh!

That's been my general sentiment over the last couple of days, while I've been working through this massive project. Essentially, it's been a tug of war between departments for information. My department is responsible for training tech agents and trainers, who need the info. The department that's supposed to provide it apparently doesn't want to share. If our techs don't know, they can't support customers, and if customers get crappy support, they don't buy, and if customers don't buy stuff, we don't get bonuses. Yet, I still don't get the information.

I noticed the Powerball Jackpot is up to $179 million, which would amount to a $85 million one-time payout (and would then be about $55 million after taxes and the like). Of course, I then pondered what'd it'd be like to win that. Assuming I survived the massive heart attack that'd be sure to occur when I learned I had the winning ticket, I'd probably quit. Immediately. Not over this stuff, but just because I'd never again have to do any real work.

I'd be an eccentric millionare. Not in the Michael Jackson buying Girraffes and touching kids sort of way, but more of the "I have enough money that now all of my dreams can come true" sort of way. I think the first order of duty would be making sure some of my friends are taken care of. There's a spoken deal between a few of us that the first person who wins the lottery has to "employ" the others. I was thinking something like $60k/year + benefits, require them to play whatever game I feel like dabbling in that day, or running errands.

My more recent LEGO fixation would probably dominate most early purchases. There are some forty LEGO stores in the US, and it'd be hard for me to visit them all. So I was thinking I'd probably go buy four decked out trucks or the like, and then send said "lackeys" out to different regions. My wife and I would probably wander around the US some as well, just seeing things and wasting money. And buying an absurd amount of LEGO. I'm pretty sure there's this lawyer I know that'd have to go on retainer or something, even though she's not a defense attourney. She'd spend it all on shoes. Maybe I'd just agree to pay off her college loans for legal advice. I'd have to make an accountant friend too...

Of course, there's the pre-requiste house I'd build. I'm thinking somewhere in Texas, on the Gulf coast, so I can enjoy the Dallas Cowboys season tickets I'd buy (and drive in for the weekend). I'd get Cardinals season tickets too, but that'd be for the time we visit the in-laws. Since I'm on the coast, I'd have to get a nice big boat as well, so I can go out on the water and play with LEGO. Sure, there's the risk of hurricanes, but you know what? I don't care. The ocean is by far the most relaxing sound I know of, and I'd want to be close.

Nothing would be better then owning my own stretch of beach, or maybe a little island, have some palm trees and a hammock, stick a cooler of beer in the sand, and just tap away on my laptop and write the novel I've been working on for years. A couple of the paid lackeys would be required to move, which I'm certain they wouldn't care about (since they'd get to enjoy Dallas games and they'd be paid to play video games and watch TV). Maybe I'd make them do real work, like maintinence or the like.

The real question would be what would I do to make sure I keep money as well? It's not hard to get rich, but with my habits, it'd be hard to stay that way. I was thinking about opening something like a toy store, or a design business, or a video game company. Maybe just invest it, I don't know. I wouldn't go nuts over a kajillion cars or a private jet (though I would be first class from then on every time I fly), but would like a nice place I could work and live. Something open and lively.

I'd also probably buy a bunch of land and let it revert to wilderness. Take out things like roads and fields, plant trees and just let nature be nature for awhile. Build my own private lake, perhaps? Though I wouldn't own a jet, it'd be cool to learn how to fly and buy a plane. I'd travel around the world some as well, just because I think people should.

Course, if I pose this question to my wife, she'd answer "pay bills." She's far to grounded in reality.

Pipe dream though. More likely to get killed by a terrorist then to win the lotto (and you're 10x more likely to get killed by a deer then you are to get killed by a terrorist). But hey, it's fun to dream while you're piddling away at work.