Gambling is not my vice
I was watching a Wisconsin Lottery commercial this morning and the tag line was, "Chances are, you're going to like it." Well, odds are I'm not. I'm not a huge gambler and I don't buy scratch cards unless I'm looking for a stocking stuffer for a gambler.
Ho-Chunk isn't a draw and neither is the video machine at the local bar/restaurant. Then again, spending money to participate in a sporting event isn't a draw for many of my friends or acquaintances. Everyone has their own vice.
I know women who spend hundreds of dollars on stamping and scrapbooking. I look at them the same way they look at at me when I tell them I bought a road bike for that same amount of money - Crazy :-)
Resolutions are in full force. "I'm going to..." is on the minds of many as we enter 2012. People are looking for an outlet. That means sports, fitness, scrapbooking or volunteering...something to fill that void outside the daily life that sometimes becomes a grind.
There are others who take some of their earnings and drop it on the counter to buy a scratch off or put it in the video machine for a few moments of enjoyment (for entertainment purposes only...yeah right). I have several friends who find gambling a combination of relaxing, yet exhilarating. Thankfully, my friends have a small vice, not a horrible habit.
Gambling isn't my vice. Whether its cards, dice or even scratch offs, gambling doesn't excite me. I'll play UNO with the kids but other than that, I'm out.
Do you have a vice...that one thing that you look forward to each day to complete your life?
Steve Knox was born, raised and landed back in Janesville. He encourages you to participate as he writes on Janesville and beyond as this Generation X guy supports his Janesville mission, global vision. Steve is a community blogger and is not a part of The Gazette staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of the The Gazette staff or management.
Jan 6, 2012 at 2:11 a.m.
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I love to gamble on any thing which requires analytical thought to determine a result. Predicting out comes is one of thee most difficult things for humans to do accurately. It's very easy to see things AFTER they have happened, far more difficult to analyze given circumstances, and predict an out come. So my big vice is having 'action' on anything where an out come is unknown..Weather it be sports, an election, horse-dog races, ext...Lottery,slots, casino games, have ZERO interest to me...To this day it still boggles my mind how masses of people can sit at a stupid slot machine for hours on end. I truly don't get it.
Jan 5, 2012 at 4:42 a.m.
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12 cups of jet black coffee before I leave the house every day for 30 years and, I love it !
Jan 4, 2012 at 11:36 p.m.
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I normally don't buy scratch cards or go to casinos. I do play the big lottery games - Megabucks, Powerball, and Mega Millions. The odds of winning are extremely small, but as many have commented, for a few bucks a week players can daydream for hours about winning the big jackpot.
Speaking of vices, do you know if the Gazette has considered including a Page 3 on their web site, similar to The Sun? ☺
http://www.thesun.co.uk/
Jan 4, 2012 at 9:40 p.m.
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Opening the gazette and not seeing my name listed in the obituary.
Jan 4, 2012 at 7:22 p.m.
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Coffee.
Jan 4, 2012 at 7:15 p.m.
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Gambling is merely a means for an entity to take advantage of people who are very poor at math!
Jan 4, 2012 at 6:33 p.m.
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Vice seems like a strong word for what you describe. Seems like just a healthy hobby.
Mine is reading, which I love to do and sometimes I'll read when I SHOULD be doing something else. I've found a great time to read...while I give plasma. I get paid to read AND I'm doing good!
Jan 4, 2012 at 5:36 p.m.
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hg: Ha Ha!
You wear headphones for a reason!!
Just kidding ...
I love listening to you!
Jan 4, 2012 at 11:51 a.m.
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Stamping and scrapbooking is crazy? Have you priced greeting cards lately? I can make a greeting card, personalized according to the person's likes and personality, for pennies on the dollar. A greeting card at the local Hallmark store can cost $3.95 or more. THAT's what's crazy!
Jan 4, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.
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Internet Texas Holdem without a doubt.
Jan 4, 2012 at 10 a.m.
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happy hour :)
Jan 4, 2012 at 9:51 a.m.
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My vice would be getting home from work, going down into my "Man Cave" and putting on the headphones, cranking up Pink Floyd or Santana, grabbing my guitar and doing my best to sound like I belong in the band. It is relaxing and gets the days troubles off my mind. Watch out Carlos Santana, theres a new kid in town.
Jan 4, 2012 at 9:47 a.m.
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MLB.... Go WS Champs!!!
Jan 4, 2012 at 9:36 a.m.
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without a doubt, running is my vice.
Jan 4, 2012 at 9:26 a.m.
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Chocolate!
Jan 4, 2012 at 9:21 a.m.
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No gambling for me either! In fact a couple of years ago I went to Las Vegas for a work conference and took my hubby. There was so much to see, do, and eat! The last day we were just checking out Caesar's Palace and my hubby said, we should probably gamble a bit since we are in Vegas. We each put $1 in a slot machine, lost, and walked away happy. My real vice is candy, I love it! I try to keep it under control though.
Jan 4, 2012 at 9 a.m.
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I'm an endorphin junkie. I just don't feel the same without my daily fitness high.
Jan 4, 2012 at 8:53 a.m.
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as for my real vice....it's waking up next to my wife. I get to realize, first thing every day, that I am the luckiest man there is. :)
Jan 4, 2012 at 8:23 a.m.
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lol steve. i think I have recently gotten over my gambling bug. I will still love poker. about every other month for 10-20 bucks, but that's it. for the past four years the wife and I have traveled to dubuque on new years to go to the casino. I take a hundred bucks and leave when were ready. (it's the one time a year We go) this year I lost it quick and thought to myself, ....self....If you had taken that hundred downtown instead, you and the misses could have had a real good time. That would have been a sure win.
Jan 4, 2012 at 7:59 a.m.
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My morning Mt. Dew! I drink the diet, caffeine-free version, so it's not much of a vice. I'm sure all those chemicals aren't too good for me, though!
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