Elpis*

After Friday's post about fibonacci, I have to make a confession. Even though I like math -- and believe in it -- every once in a while, I still buy a lottery ticket. This, even though I know that the odds of winning the lottery are only ever-so-slightly increased when I actually buy a ticket.

But occasionally I still buy a ticket. When I do (as I did this past week), something funny happens. I don't look to see if I won. Because after I buy the ticket and right up until I find out the result of the drawing, it becomes Schrödinger's lottery ticket.

Follow me here with the cats and lottery winnings.

On one hand, it occurs to me that maybe I don't even want a cat.

I'm chugging along pretty well here in life. I've got a nice home and have appropriate amounts of good food to cook and eat. I stay warm if not all that fashionable. Emmie lives nearby in a nice house of her own. We both drive cars that are probably not long for this world, but her office isn't too far away and I don't need my car very often -- I can get to most places I want to go to on my bike or on foot. Simple is good. Less is more. So, why mess with a good thing?

On the other hand, though, I also don't want to find out that the cat is dead.

It'd be nice to get a hassle-free car, and there are a few things around the house that need attention that I just can't afford to pay for right now. G-Dog works way too much as it is, and I'm trying to find a job, but given my age and inconsistent employment history, whatever I find is not going to pay for a car or a bathroom redo any time soon.

So I just leave the box alone. I don't look to see the winning numbers. That way, the cat is both alive and dead. My life is simple and my problems are solved.

*And, if you'll forgive me another container, the title of the post is a Pandora reference. Perhaps when it comes to Schrödinger's lottery ticket, though, unlike in the greek myth, Elpis is the first thing to escape when the box/jar is opened. And it is that spirit of expectation that makes the lottery ticket fun -- and maybe even worth a buck every once in a while.