John and I have always done things slowly. It took us eight years before we got married. It took him a long time to graduate college; then, it took him even longer to go back and get a degree in a true passion. Even simple tasks are done slowly, especially by me. I'll take one item out at a time and place it on the conveyor belt at a cash register. I'm sure this irks people. I don't care.
When John was getting his B.S. (love that abbreviation), he worked part-time at a liquor store. When people would ask what my husband did for a job, I'd respond with a vague "Oh, he is back at school, but he is working at a retail store." Inevitably, they'd ask what type of store. There's no way to class up the word "liquor store." So, there it was--- he works at a liquor store.
I used to envy his hours at the liquor store. All of these eccentric customers would come in---people who would make ideal characters in short stories or poems. This one Russian woman came in and would buy Jersey Cash 5, Mega Millions, and whatever other daily tickets were being sold. She would bring her son with her and John would yo-yo with him. Maynard would come in, wearing tattered Sanuks. He'd bring his guitar and jam in the middle of the store. Carmine was tall and brassy. She wore a lot of makeup and told me, on several occasions, "You're husband is a sweetheart. And I'm not blowing air up your ass."
And then there was Eddie. Eddie would sit for hours and play scratch off lotto. One day, I commented to him, "Geez, lotto is really a big hobby of yours." I said it cutely and innocently, but he responded sharply, "This ain't a hobby; it's a job."
I myself have been playing lotto for over a year. Like clockwork, I go to the corner store every Tuesday and Friday. I purchase one Jersey Cash 5 and one Mega Millions. The odds of winning Jersey Cash 5's jackpot are about 1 in 675,000---it's considered one of the "best odds." The odds of winning Mega Millions jackpot is 1 in 275 million, but, as the commercial goes You never know.
I still work hard at my teaching job and haven't decided on the lotto being my job just yet. What I would do if I won is an interesting question to ponder.
John and I have a joke about winning. If we win at least $30,000 I can get a vanity license plate that pays tribute to the film Rockadoodle. This is a weird obsession that I have, despite never having seen the movie.
In reality, I'd be so ridiculously nerdy with the money though. I'd get new windows and siding on the house. I'd go on one of those all-inclusive cruises. We would try to start a family and not worry about daycare expenses. I'd buy a Prius.
Every time I check my lotto numbers, there's a quick pulsing of my heart. The most I have ever won is $10 and that occurred once. I've won $1 about five times over the past year. Still though, I keep playing. It's not a hobby; it's not a job; it's a wish.
When John was getting his B.S. (love that abbreviation), he worked part-time at a liquor store. When people would ask what my husband did for a job, I'd respond with a vague "Oh, he is back at school, but he is working at a retail store." Inevitably, they'd ask what type of store. There's no way to class up the word "liquor store." So, there it was--- he works at a liquor store.
I used to envy his hours at the liquor store. All of these eccentric customers would come in---people who would make ideal characters in short stories or poems. This one Russian woman came in and would buy Jersey Cash 5, Mega Millions, and whatever other daily tickets were being sold. She would bring her son with her and John would yo-yo with him. Maynard would come in, wearing tattered Sanuks. He'd bring his guitar and jam in the middle of the store. Carmine was tall and brassy. She wore a lot of makeup and told me, on several occasions, "You're husband is a sweetheart. And I'm not blowing air up your ass."
And then there was Eddie. Eddie would sit for hours and play scratch off lotto. One day, I commented to him, "Geez, lotto is really a big hobby of yours." I said it cutely and innocently, but he responded sharply, "This ain't a hobby; it's a job."
I myself have been playing lotto for over a year. Like clockwork, I go to the corner store every Tuesday and Friday. I purchase one Jersey Cash 5 and one Mega Millions. The odds of winning Jersey Cash 5's jackpot are about 1 in 675,000---it's considered one of the "best odds." The odds of winning Mega Millions jackpot is 1 in 275 million, but, as the commercial goes You never know.
I still work hard at my teaching job and haven't decided on the lotto being my job just yet. What I would do if I won is an interesting question to ponder.
John and I have a joke about winning. If we win at least $30,000 I can get a vanity license plate that pays tribute to the film Rockadoodle. This is a weird obsession that I have, despite never having seen the movie.
In reality, I'd be so ridiculously nerdy with the money though. I'd get new windows and siding on the house. I'd go on one of those all-inclusive cruises. We would try to start a family and not worry about daycare expenses. I'd buy a Prius.
Every time I check my lotto numbers, there's a quick pulsing of my heart. The most I have ever won is $10 and that occurred once. I've won $1 about five times over the past year. Still though, I keep playing. It's not a hobby; it's not a job; it's a wish.
