The experiment begins...

So I've been thinking a lot lately about the random nature of the universe, even in the midst of getting back into fighting weight on issues of faith (thanks, Jim!), and I thought to myself, "Self, how can you best experiment with such randomness in a fun, blog-worthy, and potentially profitable way?"

Enter the Tennessee Lottery. Specifically, the scratch-off games that have become a ubiquitous part of convenience store counters since January 20, 2004, the day the first ticket was sold in Tennessee.

So here’s my methodology: 31 days in July (at least that’s what my fourth knuckle on my left hand says…anybody else remember that trick?), $60 allocated for scratch-off tickets (broken down into 20 $1, 10 $2 and 4 $5…yeah, there’s a couple extra days there, just for fun), purchased at various locations around the Midstate, and let’s see what kind of randomness will ensue.

My prediction? I don’t think I’ll break even, I think I’ll get somewhere around 12 free tickets, and I’ll occasionally feel like a chump walking in to buy a handful of tickets. But it's all in the name of science and philosophy, right? If you want to weigh in on what you think the total outcome will be, feel free…

Here goes nothin’…