One Powerball Quick Pick, Please

A few years ago, while coming home from my honeymoon, I read The New Gilded Age : The New Yorker Looks at the Culture of Affluence. Among the many great essays was one that really stuck with me. Mr. Lucky, written by Rebecca Mead, is about a struggling performance artist in NYC who won forty-five million dollars in the New York State lottery. It's hard to imagine that those who don't even play the lottery don't fantasize about winning.

I remember driving a hotel guest to a convenience store a few months ago. We started talking about Powerball and he, a financial adviser, was going on about how it was a terrible way to spend one's money. Instead, smart investing of even small amounts was always a wiser way to work toward riches. That said, he returned from the store to the van with two Powerball tickets. One for him and one for me...just in case.

John Falcon was the big winner in the Rebecca Mead story. Three years since I read that story and six years since he won, a musical documentary of his life has been released, entitled One Man Show.

I think I'll buy a ticket today.