If I won the lottery...
May 7th, 2006, 10:39 AM
#61
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It's nice to know that we're all modest people in the end. It's nice to dream of what we can do if money was not a constraint. I know I can accomplish most of my wishes without winning the lottery (minus the villa dreams), but it would be spread out over a considerable amount of time.
Seeing my aunt and uncle, who are tremendously wealthy and constantly flaunt their ability to will us out of their will in a sneeze, I know first hand that money doesn't buy one happiness. Money does buy insecurities. We travel far and wide, while they're afraid to travel. We eat wherever we want and enjoy it, they eat only at certain restaurants to maintain social standings, and I suspect they don't enjoy their meals as much. Same with a friend who worked on Wall Street. She's very insecure, must always talk about how much money she has, what she drives, where she has "obligatory vacations", who she knows, etc. Very boring in the end. Our friendship is no longer the same as she makes us feel inferior to her lifestyle, when most of us have a better lifestyle than her money will allow.
As long as I remain the person that I am today, down to earth and all that crap, allow me a non-defective lottery ticket to prove me wrong!
Seeing my aunt and uncle, who are tremendously wealthy and constantly flaunt their ability to will us out of their will in a sneeze, I know first hand that money doesn't buy one happiness. Money does buy insecurities. We travel far and wide, while they're afraid to travel. We eat wherever we want and enjoy it, they eat only at certain restaurants to maintain social standings, and I suspect they don't enjoy their meals as much. Same with a friend who worked on Wall Street. She's very insecure, must always talk about how much money she has, what she drives, where she has "obligatory vacations", who she knows, etc. Very boring in the end. Our friendship is no longer the same as she makes us feel inferior to her lifestyle, when most of us have a better lifestyle than her money will allow.
As long as I remain the person that I am today, down to earth and all that crap, allow me a non-defective lottery ticket to prove me wrong!
May 7th, 2006, 11:33 AM
#62
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I just returned only to find rex has misinterpreted a statement I made, so regardless of the horse's health status, I must perforce set the record straight. He said,
"Robespierre replied that the more correct exprssion is to say that the odds are infinitely 'greater than' zero."
No, I didn't. I said that when you go from zero tickets to one ticket, your odds of winning increase infinitely (from zero in a googleplex to one in a googleplex is an infinite multiple). That is a mathematically valid statement.
rex then went on to say, "In both cases, this suggests that a very large number.. or even infinity... multiplied by zero equals a very small number (or even one)."
It suggests nothing of the kind. I'm aghast you would make such a leap.
"Robespierre replied that the more correct exprssion is to say that the odds are infinitely 'greater than' zero."
No, I didn't. I said that when you go from zero tickets to one ticket, your odds of winning increase infinitely (from zero in a googleplex to one in a googleplex is an infinite multiple). That is a mathematically valid statement.
rex then went on to say, "In both cases, this suggests that a very large number.. or even infinity... multiplied by zero equals a very small number (or even one)."
It suggests nothing of the kind. I'm aghast you would make such a leap.
May 7th, 2006, 01:43 PM
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<< from zero in a googleplex to one in a googleplex is an infinite multiple... >>
Well, I guess you know what you mean - - but it sure doesn't seem to be what you are saying... you're using that pesky word "multiple" - - and therein lies the problem.
Zero divided by any number from 1 to infinity is zero. One divided by any large number is a rational number - - and that rational number, no matter what its value is not an "infinite multiple" of zero; it ain't no kind of multiple of zero. The only multiple of zero is zero, and no positive (or negative) number is "an infinite multiple" of zero. No matter how many tiumes you multiply zero times infinity - - you can do it infinitely, in fact - - it is still zero, and thus no "odds ratio" can be called an "infinite multiple" of zero.
Well, I guess you know what you mean - - but it sure doesn't seem to be what you are saying... you're using that pesky word "multiple" - - and therein lies the problem.
Zero divided by any number from 1 to infinity is zero. One divided by any large number is a rational number - - and that rational number, no matter what its value is not an "infinite multiple" of zero; it ain't no kind of multiple of zero. The only multiple of zero is zero, and no positive (or negative) number is "an infinite multiple" of zero. No matter how many tiumes you multiply zero times infinity - - you can do it infinitely, in fact - - it is still zero, and thus no "odds ratio" can be called an "infinite multiple" of zero.
May 7th, 2006, 03:12 PM
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mcnyc - re money buying insecurities. I got a chuckle at the idea that we might need an "Insecurities Commission".
Gardyloo
Your title was just fine, and this is a great thread. I just wanted to poke Rex in the ribs a little. (And Rex, anytime you want to start a Pedantry club, I'll join - just as long as hot chocolate is served...)
What I really want, Gardyloo, is to find, let alone afford, a means of travel which would actually be fun, in and of itself. Perhaps flying in a private jet (i.e, along the lines of Air Force One - that is, assuming if West Wing's rendition of same is accurate.)
Or: tranatlantic travel by Cunard liner, one time zone maximum per day. No jet lag!
Or: train travel a la Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" (without the murder, that is...)
Gardyloo
Your title was just fine, and this is a great thread. I just wanted to poke Rex in the ribs a little. (And Rex, anytime you want to start a Pedantry club, I'll join - just as long as hot chocolate is served...)
What I really want, Gardyloo, is to find, let alone afford, a means of travel which would actually be fun, in and of itself. Perhaps flying in a private jet (i.e, along the lines of Air Force One - that is, assuming if West Wing's rendition of same is accurate.)
Or: tranatlantic travel by Cunard liner, one time zone maximum per day. No jet lag!
Or: train travel a la Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" (without the murder, that is...)
May 7th, 2006, 03:21 PM
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I just want a fabulous apartment in Rome with guest quarters so that I, my family and my friends can utilize it when they want to instead of trying to find the "perfect hotel in Rome" without having to spend an arm and a leg.
But of course since I never buy a lottery ticket my chances of winning the lottery is not going to happen..and one doesn't have to be a mathemetical genius to figure that out, lol.
But of course since I never buy a lottery ticket my chances of winning the lottery is not going to happen..and one doesn't have to be a mathemetical genius to figure that out, lol.
May 7th, 2006, 03:44 PM
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Speaking of retirement planning and buying a hotel in Rome - how much money do you think you would accumulate if you invested the annual maximum contribution into a traditional Individual Retirement Arrangement over the course of a 45-year working career and let the interest compound at 8% <i>p.a.</i>?
(It's a dollar fifty-four times ten to the sixth.)
(It's a dollar fifty-four times ten to the sixth.)
May 7th, 2006, 04:21 PM
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<< If you have at least one lottery ticket, your odds of winning are infinitely greater than if you have none. >>
It just isn't true. There is no mathematical expression that relates the (tiny) fraction of one (the odds ratio of winning the lottery) - - and how many <i><b><u>times</u></b></i> greater that number is... than zero.
If your statement were true - - then an infinite number of people - - all of whom did NOT buy a lottery ticket - - would have the same chance, in the aggregate, as your one ticketholder.
And they don't. Infinity times zero = zero. Even if you do the multiplication an infinite number of times.
It just isn't true. There is no mathematical expression that relates the (tiny) fraction of one (the odds ratio of winning the lottery) - - and how many <i><b><u>times</u></b></i> greater that number is... than zero.
If your statement were true - - then an infinite number of people - - all of whom did NOT buy a lottery ticket - - would have the same chance, in the aggregate, as your one ticketholder.
And they don't. Infinity times zero = zero. Even if you do the multiplication an infinite number of times.
May 7th, 2006, 04:22 PM
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Well I wouldn't personally want a hotel in Rome, or anywhere for that matter, just a lovely apartment in Rome. And I have invested properly thank goodness. But what is that old joke regarding "I just wish I could spend my last penny on the day I die", lol.
The family does have a house in Rome but like all realestate properties it needs some work done to it , sigh. A long boring story.
The family does have a house in Rome but like all realestate properties it needs some work done to it , sigh. A long boring story.
May 7th, 2006, 05:10 PM
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LOL Larry, you probably won $5.00? That is the only time I won anything on the lottery..such a big deal! Guess that is why I never ever buy a lottery ticket. Anything and everything I have is what I have earned, not won.
May 15th, 2006, 06:57 AM
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WHEN...not IF I win the lottery this is the hotel in Tuscany I will buy and you Fodorites can come over and stay here a week at a time for free...(If you stay longer...gotta make some money to keep the place up)
http://www.hotels-fsbo.com/cgi-bin/v...cgi?uid=H02638
http://www.hotels-fsbo.com/cgi-bin/v...cgi?uid=H02638
May 15th, 2006, 07:50 AM
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My husband and I fantasise about a round-the-world trip that features cooking schools and scuba diving in all of the oceans and seas. But we're planning to do that trip for real, some time in the next few years. It's just that we might be flying Economy and staying in budget hotels.
May 22nd, 2006, 11:57 AM
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degas' answer could be mine if I limit it to original birth family. Yes, it's priceless.
Superb idea, degas.
I'd sell my IL house, make my money work for me in a few other ways I can envision, while using some of it to travel to Europe and the Far East- for about three months each. Then I would come back to MI, knock down my old house and build another better one in exactly the same spot- but the one I could design for ME.
After that- and some other trust arrangements for my kids- I would live there in MI on my lake, from May to Oct. and travel the other months of the year until I'm too old for extensive mobility. And I have a plan for after that as well- if choice follows.
But I wouldn't use it for 1st class everything, not even probably on flights. Silly me!
Superb idea, degas.
I'd sell my IL house, make my money work for me in a few other ways I can envision, while using some of it to travel to Europe and the Far East- for about three months each. Then I would come back to MI, knock down my old house and build another better one in exactly the same spot- but the one I could design for ME.
After that- and some other trust arrangements for my kids- I would live there in MI on my lake, from May to Oct. and travel the other months of the year until I'm too old for extensive mobility. And I have a plan for after that as well- if choice follows.
But I wouldn't use it for 1st class everything, not even probably on flights. Silly me!
Dec 4th, 2006, 06:20 PM
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I just watched a show on TLC about how the lottery changed peoples lives (no s#@t sherlock!)...
I thought it would be fun to raise this post from the dead. Some things have changed since I posted my original reply to this post...here's my original reply and my revised reply!
Author: pantelia ([email protected])
Date: 05/04/2006, 03:29 pm
First and foremost, I'd be waiting for the bank to open, so that I could stash the non-defective (or is it undefective?) ticket in the safe deposit box until my divorce is final.
That's when the hard part starts...keeping my big fat greek mouth shut!!
Once all is said and done, I wouldn't even pack a bag, I'd head to the airport with the following, kids, passports, cash and credit cards. We'd draw straws to see who picks first, and we'd look at the departure board and decide. We could easily spend a few weeks doing that, buying clothes and such along the way.
I'd end up buying a cottage in Yorkshire, to be closer to family and friends, and so that I could send my parents there to visit.
Probably the most important part though would be paying Degas a sizeable amount of money so that I could stash the ex and his mother on her 'family ship'!!!!!
---
Well, the divorce has been final since August, so screw the bank! I'd drag the sleeping teenagers out of bed, hop in the car and park in front of the lottery office in Tallahassee and wait until they opened. After claiming my huge cardboard check, I'd head home, and call my boss from the road. I'd officially call in rich and be done! That way, I wouldn't have to keep the big fat greek mouth shut!
I'd pay the house off (the car's already paid off and less than a year old, so I'll keep that!) and the credit cards, I'd tell the kids to pack some clothes (I've decided against the buying as we go method) and we'd have a family meeting to decide where we go first.
It won't really matter what the kids have to say, first stop is Yorkshire to buy a cottage and leave my mom there for a while. I love my mom dearly and I wouldn't be abandoning her...she would love that, friends, family, her home. (We lost my dad to suicide in July. Is that even the right way to say that? I can't seem to bring myself to say that my dad died, just doesn't seem right)
After that a week or so in Florence should give me enough time to figure out where we are going next. Notice, I mention nothing about where the kids want to go!
A few months globetrotting and we'd head back to to find a nice private school for the kids. I would have to do something to keep me occupied, and I'd probably teach...that way the kids and I can travel when school's out.
I nearly forgot...I'd still be paying Degas huge amounts of money for the smallest, most rat infested cabin on her ship for the ex, his mother and the blonde!!!
I thought it would be fun to raise this post from the dead. Some things have changed since I posted my original reply to this post...here's my original reply and my revised reply!
Author: pantelia ([email protected])
Date: 05/04/2006, 03:29 pm
First and foremost, I'd be waiting for the bank to open, so that I could stash the non-defective (or is it undefective?) ticket in the safe deposit box until my divorce is final.
That's when the hard part starts...keeping my big fat greek mouth shut!!
Once all is said and done, I wouldn't even pack a bag, I'd head to the airport with the following, kids, passports, cash and credit cards. We'd draw straws to see who picks first, and we'd look at the departure board and decide. We could easily spend a few weeks doing that, buying clothes and such along the way.
I'd end up buying a cottage in Yorkshire, to be closer to family and friends, and so that I could send my parents there to visit.
Probably the most important part though would be paying Degas a sizeable amount of money so that I could stash the ex and his mother on her 'family ship'!!!!!
---
Well, the divorce has been final since August, so screw the bank! I'd drag the sleeping teenagers out of bed, hop in the car and park in front of the lottery office in Tallahassee and wait until they opened. After claiming my huge cardboard check, I'd head home, and call my boss from the road. I'd officially call in rich and be done! That way, I wouldn't have to keep the big fat greek mouth shut!
I'd pay the house off (the car's already paid off and less than a year old, so I'll keep that!) and the credit cards, I'd tell the kids to pack some clothes (I've decided against the buying as we go method) and we'd have a family meeting to decide where we go first.
It won't really matter what the kids have to say, first stop is Yorkshire to buy a cottage and leave my mom there for a while. I love my mom dearly and I wouldn't be abandoning her...she would love that, friends, family, her home. (We lost my dad to suicide in July. Is that even the right way to say that? I can't seem to bring myself to say that my dad died, just doesn't seem right)
After that a week or so in Florence should give me enough time to figure out where we are going next. Notice, I mention nothing about where the kids want to go!
A few months globetrotting and we'd head back to to find a nice private school for the kids. I would have to do something to keep me occupied, and I'd probably teach...that way the kids and I can travel when school's out.
I nearly forgot...I'd still be paying Degas huge amounts of money for the smallest, most rat infested cabin on her ship for the ex, his mother and the blonde!!!
Dec 4th, 2006, 06:51 PM
#78
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This is off the subject, but forgive me as I find it fascinating what people do with money. There was an Oprah show the other day about people that had a lot of money and what happened to them.
One was a designer and boutique owner in NYC who took in $1.2 to $2.2 million per year. She lived the high life and hung out with celebrities. But she was insecure and felt she didn't really belong and in the end she developed a drug habit. She lost her store, her husband, her kids and her home. She lived for several years underground in the NYC subway system. Now she is clean and has a couple of younger children and a very modest apartment.
There was a homeless man who was the subject of a documentary. The producers gave him $100,000 and it was a 'social experiment' to see what he would do with it. In selecting him, he went through psychological testing because they wanted to pick someone who did not have a mental or abuse problem and might have a chance of turning their life around. It turned out that he had no idea how to manage the money (they offered him financial counseling), bought expensive cars for a few people, felt alienated from his family because he felt they cozied up to him in order to share in his fortune, and ended up broke and homeless again.
They had a lottery winner who wished she could go back to being 'plain old Sue from xxx". She was suspicious that everyone was out to get something from her, she lost most of her old friends and didn't trust that her new friends were interested in her and not her money.
It is very interesting that so many people who come into money find that it hasn't made them happier.
One was a designer and boutique owner in NYC who took in $1.2 to $2.2 million per year. She lived the high life and hung out with celebrities. But she was insecure and felt she didn't really belong and in the end she developed a drug habit. She lost her store, her husband, her kids and her home. She lived for several years underground in the NYC subway system. Now she is clean and has a couple of younger children and a very modest apartment.
There was a homeless man who was the subject of a documentary. The producers gave him $100,000 and it was a 'social experiment' to see what he would do with it. In selecting him, he went through psychological testing because they wanted to pick someone who did not have a mental or abuse problem and might have a chance of turning their life around. It turned out that he had no idea how to manage the money (they offered him financial counseling), bought expensive cars for a few people, felt alienated from his family because he felt they cozied up to him in order to share in his fortune, and ended up broke and homeless again.
They had a lottery winner who wished she could go back to being 'plain old Sue from xxx". She was suspicious that everyone was out to get something from her, she lost most of her old friends and didn't trust that her new friends were interested in her and not her money.
It is very interesting that so many people who come into money find that it hasn't made them happier.
Dec 4th, 2006, 06:59 PM
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Thank you travelgirl2. It has indeed been a rough year. I can't wait for 2006 to be over. We lost my uncle to natural causes on July 4th and then my dad on July 11th, this sounds cold, but thank goodness we lost my grandmother in February. Between all that, and my divorce being final, it's been a hell of a year. New Year's day will have a whole new meaning to me come January 1st!
The documentary about the $100,000 to the homeless man sounds interesting, do you recall the name of it?
The documentary about the $100,000 to the homeless man sounds interesting, do you recall the name of it?
