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Ahh, one of my favorite "what if" games.

I guess it depends on if it's the lump sum payment, or the 25-year annuity. I'm always conflicted on which to choose. If it's lump sum, the amount is actually only going to be a little over half the jackpot amount. I tend to find myself waffling on which to choose. I mean, I could take that 50-60% that would be the lump sum payment and invest it for more than double over 25 years, so I'd end up having more money in the end. But the annuity has its advantages too.

What I wouldn't do is buy a big extravagant house. I would buy several modest houses or condos in places in which I would like to divide my year up. Hawaii, here in Oregon near my husbands family, a small place in Michigan to stay when I visit my family. An apartment in New York. London. Maybe someplace on the Med, if I really wanted to be extravagant. And we'd set up our "permanent" home in New Zealand or some other small democratic nation, because we really don't feel like the U.S. is a country that particularly represents us as citizens. Sure, any country will have some element of that, no place is perfect, but there are others that we feel suit us better.

If it's the annuity, a portion of the annual payment would have to be invested so that when the 25 years are up, the income to which we have become accustomed doesn't just completely go away. See to our kid(s) education, and live comfortably, with the means to travel and vacation. I'd set about learning all the things I have always wanted to learn, or to be better at. Singing, dancing and acting lessons, for starters. I might subsidize a small local theatre company.

If it's lump-sum, each of us (me and Mr. Ambrya) would get a percentage of the money to divide up amongst his/her relatives, whether by giving them gifts or just giving 'em cash. Since they aren't making any more land, I'd probably use my share to buy each "family" of my grandmother's descendants a moderate house in which they may live rent-free, so all their own income can go much further. I would also set up college funds for all the children, or "getting started" funds for those who go another route than college.

I could go on, but the kid is wanting food now.

College + a house, either in the mountains here in NC, or near the Rockies in Alberta. Then I'd get a job just to pass the time, where I can act like a total douche because I don't fear being fired pfft, like I don't do that already.

Lifetime LOTRO sub, kickass computer that could run it, and probably a decent TV with a couple of good game consoles.

Pay off my debt.




What? I have a lot of debt.

I'd put a fortress in the side of a mountain, find myself a bunch of loyal unnamed guards and a nuclear missile.

I would then hold the world hostage for... ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS

*pinky to mouth

No purchases. Pay off debt.

I'd buy a nice little Victorian that needed some work, and then build in a bunch of secret bookcase staircases and hidden passages behind artwork with peep holes and complete it with a wardrobe appropriate for my future as the old eccentric lady that's always stealing books from the library for no reason.

You know we'll be doing this without the $10 million in five years anyway....

P-38 lightning carcass in need of restoration, a fully equipped workshop and materials, and a soda pop with the remaining $1.00.

Yeah, probably a sweet house, investments and the like. And then heaps o' travel.

Bah. Did this in High School. Catholic High School. Yes. You're all jealous...


Um... 10 million, huh? I'm thinking that the first thing I'd likely buy would be a taxi ride out of there. No way would I show up to pick up the check driving my own car. Maybe a limo? Suppose I could have hookers and blow in there as well, but honestly that's not nearly as entertaining as some might think. Probably order some pizzas for the party I'd be throwing with my friends... :)

Gbaji would put ten million in his bank account and then get pissed when the hookers & blow dealer won't take a personal check.

Honestly, it's degraded over the subsequent 20 years. Sure, I can usually puzzle out what something says in Latin, but forget about trying to actually write something. As to "Classics", that's actually pretty curriculum specific. Maybe you read Joyce and I read Hemingway? Dunno...

I was the captain of our Academic League and Scholastic Superstars teams, and garnered a record (ok. No clue if it was an actual record, but a buttload anyway) number of medals in the Academic Decathlon. Hard to say how that applies though, since most of it is rote knowledge. I realized long ago that it's more important to understand the why and how of things, then just memorizing the what, so it may just be a matter of the importance placed on different styles of knowledge retention. It's just not as important to me to remember who wrote which work as it is for me to understand what the work was about and what it really means.

I realized long ago that it's more important to understand the why and how of things

When do you plan to put that into effect, would you say? :)

ditto