During the week, some of the employees were soliciting participation in their Super Bowl pool. I don't follow football particularly closely, and I've never participated in a sports pool; but it's one of those "social things" that felt uncomfortable to avoid. I'm pretty much a non-participant in social stuff at work, but the football pool was being put on by my department, so on the last day I scraped up ten bucks to purchase one 'square' on the chart. I'm not even sure how the game worked (someone explained it to me, but I had such a fever going I could barely see to walk straight let alone follow the payoff procedure). There was a sort of grid, with sixty-some squares, and numbers were assigned to the rows and columns at random after all the squares were "sold." When I went in to claim a square there were only six spots remaining. I picked one and paid my ten bucks, and that was it. My donation to "being one of the gang."
I think it backfired. I won. Twice. My "numbers" came up as the half-time score, and because there were no additional goals during the 3rd quarter, I won again. A hundred bucks. Each time.
I found out about it this morning. Quite frankly, I had totally forgotten about the game pool as soon as I dropped my ten bucks. First thing this morning one of the office staff says to me, "contratulations."
"Uh..." I drooled dully. "For...?"
"The pool."
"Uh...," I continued, still half-asleep and half-sick.
"The football pool. You won. Twice."
"Oh. Uh... thanks. Twice?"
I received several additional congratulatory greetings. Not particularly heart-felt, it seemed. I know many of the people buy numerous spots every year at ten dollars each. My first time participating, I just picked up one of the leftovers, and turned ten bucks into two-hundred.
I suspect it generated some ill-will. Not exactly the purpose behind participating.
I don't know, is there some kind of "pool etiquette" that says I should use the money to buy treats for the staff? Realistically, the money would come in kind of handy at home right now, but I suppose I'd better make sure to "do the right thing" at work first.
I don't mean to turn my nose up at the cash, but really, I suspect I'd have been better off not winning.
I have more not particularly amusing musings to write about if I ever get over being sick.
