I bought a few lottery tickets maybe twenty years back for my friends' Dad whenever he'd let me use his wonderful old beat-up Ford PU truck. It was red and had wooden racks and sounded gloriously ancient as it rattled down the road. It had a problem with the linkage hanging up now and again and on the coldest night of the year it hung up when I stopped at an intersection a block from their house. Francine and I bundled up against the wind and trudged back to her house to tell her Dad. Oh, my! He was not happy and I was shakin' in my boots as we followed him back up the hill to the truck. He bellowed, "Git down here, girl and learn sumthin' about a linkage! I 'ain't savin' yo' butts next time!" I crawled under the truck next to him and watched as his scarred black hands handled the flashlight and fiddled with some skinny lengths of connected aluminum rods. "Girl; you see where that piece is knotted up at the link? GRAB those two pieces and yank them out straight again! Lawd; it's cold!" I pulled; nothing happened. "Act like you got some sense, girl! I said, 'PULL' and I don't want to hear nuthin' about you cain't!!!!!" Well, it WAS freezing---this was not a fun adventure, so I yanked the heck out of those rods and they straightened out and innocently looked like they'd always been that way. All he said was, "Girl, don't forget what you just learned and don't y'all come whinin' again if sumthin' breaks!" Francine helped me haul some stuff and then we grabbed some goodies and hot coffee before taking the truck back. The next day I bought him five lottery tickets. He looked like he'd just won when he saw them! I made sure to always get him a few each time I borrowed his truck after that, He passed away suddenly a few years later. A nephew from DC took the truck and had it totally restored. I'm glad it was so loved and was still in the family. I never felt the need to buy a lottery ticket for me. It was much more fun getting them for someone else who truly believed his lucky day was coming!

I meant to ... but forgot. Had a light or two on ... plus computer ... plus radio, I think. By the way - those Tiki torches throw out smoke, don't they? A bit of six of one, half dozen of the other at work, here? I agree that expanding the knowledge of the need to reduce pollution, global warming and waste is important. When the oriental folks by multiplied millions begin to come anywhere near our level of generation of those pollutants and warming - our unemplyed people won't be able to put gas in our cars or our generators. But that won't matter much - for the world will be becoming so polluted that there'll be a question as to whether mankind may survive. Have you visited a garbage dump lately? When are we going to tell our appliance manufacturers, who 60 years ago built appliances that could operate 40 years later ... ... that we're sick and tired of buying current appliances that'll only last for 10 years - 15 at the outside? Only tiny birds that haven't learned any better foul their own nest. ole joyful

Silver Quite interesting reading. I have thought about EX and how he must feel about DD, or any woman that has been in his life. I do understand the conceptual thinking behind the term "limerance". I had a man that I felt that way about once. I never told him, figuring that if he felt anything for me he would approach me. There were a few mixed signals, I thought but he never made an attempt that was something that I knew for sure showed he was interested in me. He had enough chances to do that and he didn't. He thought of me as a friend or sister I guess. Or he would have gone for a little "roll in the hay" if I would have. He even introduced me to a girlfriend that he began dating and ended up getting her pregnant and they later married. Ouch! With EX's past ( if what he has said is true ) he undoubtedly has great fear of rejection. Again, if what he says is true, he wanted my DD to stay with him, build a future with him and he wanted a family with us. There are too many things though that are negatives to the success of their relationship that he is completely out of touch with which makes me think that he has a break with normal thought processes. This is evident with other actions...his extensive lying and his criminal behavior. My DD did not want to marry or have children ( my goodness, she is only 20 ) and he did. Very much in fact. I don't know that she will ever change her mind but he had said that he would rather have had her and no kids than to not have her at all. I don't know that it would have been something he could have easily lived with though. The age difference is something that was too vast....11 years...when dealing with her age group. Had they met when she was in her 30's or 40's or older then it would not have been as big a deal. I am sorry for him when it comes to honest, heartfelt feelings that he might have had for my DD. The fact that he could install such fear ( and continues to do so ) and the fact that he has told so many lies negates all of that though. It sucks to be rejected. Our family histories have a lot to do with whether or not we can process the rejection in a healthy way. Most of us have been and some of us have stepped over a line while dealing with it that we cringe at after having healed a bit. It is important to teach our kids that when they deal with peers or a romantic interest people have a right to reject them. In the long run it is for the best. I don't know how much EX has control over when it comes to his emotions about the breakup. I am sorry that I can't talk to him. It just can't happen. I want him to get help and to go onto have a happy life. More importantly though I want him to leave my DD alone and let her move on. Thanks for the thread and the link Silversword.

Depends on the sum - I figure I need $40 million. First off I would be down to collect the money next business day - without makeup - no one would recognize me in the picture the lottery insists on taking. I would have my banker meet me at the lottery office to take possession of the cheque. I would send my dog to the home boarder's while I moved us out same day to an apartment/hotel. I would hire a tax accountant/lawyer and redo our wills. I would buy a house that had a separate apartment for a professional dog walker - I hate the cold - don't mind the walk part - it is the "out" part. I would be responsible for the hugs and kisses. I would find an "appropriate" charity to immediately donate our house to - and I am sure you all know what I mean by "appropriate" charity. I would sure as heck not be giving interviews to the City newspaper and having my face splashed everywhere - people who do this want the publicity - and they really feel that everyone is happy for them - face it - unless you are very fond of someone or you are going to get some of the money -you are generally not that happy for the winner of a big prize! Of course I want the big prize because that would make a difference. Not that I would turn down my nose at $2 million but you really couldn't do a lot with $2 million these days - creature comforts certainly - but only so much. Recently 4 Cdns. split a big prize so received $12.5 million each. So if you took your $12.5 million and bought a big house in the fancy part of town, a "cottage" in the Muskoka's, a BMW, furnished and secured both homes, paid insurance/taxes - you would have nothing left. I would want something to do - no doubt animal related, but generally people who really love their jobs and might want to continue working often can't due to the constant harassment by people. And I sure wouldn't need any new friends or relatives - the ones I have wouldn't get anything. Phone and e-mail would be appropriately handled. Now all I have to hope is that when I win that the prize isn't $2 million split between 12 ticket holders. If we go away and I have a points seat and am on a different plane than my husband we put the lottery tickets in the safety deposit box - heaven forbid that his plane go down with the ticket on his person - or of course, mine.