mega chances of losing

The other day I did something that I'd never done before: I crawled out of the cave in which I'd been living and bought a lottery ticket. I believe in the inherent value of trying new things, no matter how insignificant -- and hey, I had a 1 in 176 million chance of winning, whatever that means. I once met a girl who had never seen a Star Wars movie and vowed that she never would. She expressed a kind of defiant pride when the topic was broached. While I realize that no science fiction film holds the secret to life's mysteries (okay, maybe The Empire Strikes Back), the fact that she refused to watch any of them on principle irked me. Shouldn't a full life include the pursuit of novel experiences, even frivolous ones? I believe that as hard as it is, an open mind is key to the appreciation of our existence. Thus, there I was clutching my Mega Millions ticket, crouched over my monitor at work to check the winning combination, ready to hop up and dance a sailor's jig if my numbers came in...

What a letdown. Talk about buyer's remorse. I learned today that my chances of getting killed during a 10 mile drive to purchase that ticket were SIXTEEN TIMES greater than the chances I had of actually winning. So that's what 1 in 176 million means.

I don't rue the experience, but I think I may be against the purchase of lottery tickets on principle from now on. Yeah, I definitely feel a defiant pride coming on.