counting backwards, i count you in

Here's the thing about that red-new-black guy: he and I used to drive from Greensboro across the border to Virginia just to buy lottery tickets. It's about a 45-minute drive each way, and for a while there we did it every couple of weeks or so. It was fun, although we had to be careful right around the state line, because certain types of people are rumored to hang around there, and we wanted to avoid any confrontation. Anyhoo, we'd play a bunch of scratch offs - they were available both out of vending machines and from behind the counter at this particular outlet, oh it was fancy all right - and maybe buy a couple of lotto or big game tickets to take back home with us and stoke our dreams. And here's how it always went: I would end up about $20 poorer, and red-new-black would end up $50 to $100 richer. Without fail. And now look what happens: the kid goes and wins himself a fancy new video game system without lifting a finger, at least not one that he can remember. I dunno, the guy must be living right.

In other news: Bela Lugosi's dead. I saw Bauhaus at the Vic last night. They're pretty old, but they still ooze cool and put on a great show. I couldn't shake the feeling that it all seemed to lack relevance, though. I'm sure it was mind-blowing to see that kind of spectacle 23 years or so ago, but seeing it now is kind of like going to the coolest rock and roll museum ever. That doesn't mean I didn't buy a t-shirt, though.