The Creative Nest

Have you ever been talking to someone and suddenly realized they have a favorite word? Not just a word they use occasionally, but one they seem physically incapable of leaving out of a conversation. For me, it's the word "right." Now, before anyone gets defensive, I'm not talking about using the word when it actually belongs in a sentence. I'm talking about the people who end nearly every sentence with it. "I went to the grocery store today...right." "I'll probably mow the lawn tomorrow...right." "It's supposed to rain this weekend...right." "I found a great restaurant...right." At first, you don't even notice it. Your brain is happily focused on the conversation. Then one day, for reasons unknown, your brain decides to point it out. It's almost like a switch flips. "Hey...did you notice they end every sentence with 'right'?" Well, thanks, brain. Now I can't hear anything else....

I have what I believe is a million-dollar business idea, and honestly, I'm surprised no one has thought of it before. Who wants to help me open an online hardware store that sells nothing but the leftover screws, bolts, washers, and mystery pieces that come with DIY furniture? Think about it. Over the years we've all assembled bookshelves, TV stands, desks, coffee tables, entertainment centers, and enough cube organizers to furnish an entire apartment complex. Every single project starts the same way. You dump hundreds of tiny pieces onto the floor, spend an hour or two trying to decipher instructions that appear to have been translated seventeen different times, and somehow manage to put the furniture together without completely losing your sanity. Then comes the moment of truth. You stand back, admire your work, and notice there are still three screws, two washers, a tiny metal bracket, and a plastic doodad sitting on the floor staring back at you. Now what? The furniture is ...

Sometimes curiosity gets me into trouble. Other times it gets me into really fun projects. This one definitely falls into the second category. It all started with one of those random questions that popped into my head while I was thinking about the lottery . You know the kind of question that sounds perfectly reasonable for about five seconds until reality smacks you upside the head. I wondered, "What if someone just bought every possible Powerball combination?" No guessing. No hoping. Just buy every ticket and guarantee a jackpot. Seems simple enough... right? Well, after doing a little math, I quickly learned there are nearly 292 million possible Powerball combinations . Since each ticket costs $2, you'd need roughly $584 million just to buy every single ticket. And that's before paying people to print them, transport them, organize them, keep them from blowing away in the wind, or finding a convenience store clerk willing to ring up your order without questioning ...