Time flies...the mind spins.
Jul. 2nd, 2008 03:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reprobaytWas driving around town when I heard a commercial about the Georgia Lottery's 15th anniversary.
Started me doing that thinking thing.
You see, I was lucky(?) enough to help start the Georgia Lottery as a programmer/QA tester/data center operator/etc... We really didn't have titles back then - it was just the IT department. The Vice President did as much grunt work as the secretary back then. I remember staying up all night in the server room the first night - watching the number roll by with no problem. I remember being told that I was making poor people buy tickets...I didn't know I had such great powers! I remember being told I was going to Hell for helping to bring such an abomination to such a God-fearing state such as Georgia. *make your own joke here*
But what I remember the most is that I met 3 great friends during that period - and all three have had great professional and financial success. 2 of them married each other and the third married a professional football player. They have the big homes off of the golf courses - 6 bedrooms with the to-die-for kitchens. They have the shiny cars and every toy you can imagine.
Me? At my best I haven't made half of what they made...still struggling to make ends meet and the only toy that is affordable now comes out of a Happy Meal.
But I have talked to them late into the night...I know of the heartaches and pressure they are under. I know how they hate the travel and business meetings...how they miss spending time with their spouses and/or kids. How quality time with family and friends always seems to be compressed. They barely have time to enjoy their spoils.
So, even with all my struggles, past and current...
...because of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
felishathekitty, Trey, all of you, even TheChild - I think I'm ahead.
================
Remind me of that from time to time....OK?
Started me doing that thinking thing.
You see, I was lucky(?) enough to help start the Georgia Lottery as a programmer/QA tester/data center operator/etc... We really didn't have titles back then - it was just the IT department. The Vice President did as much grunt work as the secretary back then. I remember staying up all night in the server room the first night - watching the number roll by with no problem. I remember being told that I was making poor people buy tickets...I didn't know I had such great powers! I remember being told I was going to Hell for helping to bring such an abomination to such a God-fearing state such as Georgia. *make your own joke here*
But what I remember the most is that I met 3 great friends during that period - and all three have had great professional and financial success. 2 of them married each other and the third married a professional football player. They have the big homes off of the golf courses - 6 bedrooms with the to-die-for kitchens. They have the shiny cars and every toy you can imagine.
Me? At my best I haven't made half of what they made...still struggling to make ends meet and the only toy that is affordable now comes out of a Happy Meal.
But I have talked to them late into the night...I know of the heartaches and pressure they are under. I know how they hate the travel and business meetings...how they miss spending time with their spouses and/or kids. How quality time with family and friends always seems to be compressed. They barely have time to enjoy their spoils.
So, even with all my struggles, past and current...
...because of
felishathekitty, Trey, all of you, even TheChild - I think I'm ahead.================
Remind me of that from time to time....OK?
