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8 FEB 04: ONE MAN'S TRASH....
While walking down 4th Street the last few afternoons, I've found several discarded lottery tickets on the street. The Georgia Lottery reminds people to "play responsibly" - but apparently needs to tell players to throw away cards responsibly, too.
I stopped to pick up a two-dollar card on 4th Street - and much to my surprise, it had a winning combination! In all my years, this never has happened. You may call lottery players stupid with their money, but most ARE smart enough to keep the
winning cards.
This card in the Georgia Lottery's "Hearts and Roses" game showed a match of one number for one dollar. It also had a "Cupid" symbol for two dollars, so I held three bucks in my hand. Since I don't gamble, this would be reported on my taxes as "earned income."
My only concern about the ticket was that most of the serial number was scratched off at the bottom. In some contests, that makes the card void - and I suppose teaches players not to scratch off tickets after they've had several beers.
So Friday morning, I took my lottery discovery to a convenience store to learn if it was still valid. I kept it well hidden in my jacket pocket - not only from the rain, but from the beggars I'm sure winning tickets draw.
Since I already mentioned I don't gamble, I didn't realize until entering the convenience store that lottery tickets can be double-checked. A barcode on the back activates the computerized lottery records - which is really a bit scary. If I hand over a fake ticket, I might get arrested on the spot.
The good news is, the barcode worked on this lottery ticket. The bad news - the woman at the convenience store told me the card already had been redeemed. Maybe this explains why so many churches are against lottery gambling. They preach it's a good thing for someone else to redeem something for you.
So did I put up a fuss and protest what the barcode computer found? Some "players" might have, but I did not. I admitted to the woman I found the ticket on the street, and was checking to see if I was a winner or a loser. Since the card had a Valentine's Day theme, it only figured - I'm again a loser at love.
But enough about me. Let's check other loves from the weekend:
+ The son of Columbus Councilor Evelyn Turner Pugh was married in Atlanta. The ceremony was held at Fort McPherson - but we're waiting for confirmation about whether "Meals Ready to Eat" were served at the reception.
+ Tom's Country Buffet on Macon Road provided a free dinner for all laid-off T-SYS employees. The next time I see a beggar trying to get dinner, I'm going to remember this - and demand the same treatment.
+ The Georgia Force opened the Arena Football season, wearing Bill Heard Chevrolet logos on their shirts. So when will the Columbus Symphony start wearing logos on their tuxedos?
(Did you see what NBC promoted during the Georgia Force game -- an Arena Football FANTASY League? Aw, c'mon! Either this league is starting to take itself too seriously, or football fans truly are addicted.)
+ Instant Message to Swords of Fire International Church: Your people sure sound fired up and "filled with the spirit" during your Wednesday radio broadcast. But are you so fired up that you can't finish spelling the name of your church sign?
© 2003-04 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.