Friday's MegaMillions is just under a third of a billion bucks. What would you do if that chunk of change landed in your lap?

For the sake of discussion, let's pretend it's tax free.

Oh I almost forgot: I'd give it to Leona Helmsley's dog.

In this order:

Student loans
Credit cards
College funds for three kids (two unnamed as of yet)
Both sets of parents get retirement funds and a cruise
Build the house I've designed on a rural plot in Maryland, near DC
Let Husband the Artist revel in his ability to write full-time
Run for President and repeal the stupid No Child Left Behind act.
And with the leftovers, I'd do the same thing I do every night: Try to take over the world.

1968 Shelby Cobra with a 427 & headers, mahogany paneling, british racing green, and cream leather interior.

And, college for the kid.

And, a house that is not reliant on the whims of the new re-finance rules as to whether or not we can stay there.

But, the car comes first.

Dragon, I'd retire the credit cards first. Unlike most credit debt, student loans will be forgiven if you die before they're repaid. Just let your accountants pay them every month. Not as if any of that would be a problem with that kind of money.

I'd lose my virginity, fall in love with the perfect girl, and become a great writer. Wait. I saw that in a movie. Sorry.

College for the kids? They're going to inherit millions and millions of dollars. If they want to go to college, I'll pay for it, of course....

I'd set up trusts for the kids, a charitable foundation that I would run, take care of all family members (maybe like $1M each for my siblings and whatever my parents want).

On the material side:
Large apartment in NYC
Large house in the Outer Banks
Travel Travel Travel
Buy Art Buy Art Buy Art

I always said I would endow a few chairs (seat? whatever you call it, I am not sure) at my almost-mater (the college I attended 7 years and DIDN't graduate from) in women's studies, theatre, or both (burn!) that would result in those professors making significantly more money and hopefully having more clout than all the "celebrity" business profs.

The rest of my dreams involve horses, travel, and easing the life of my family, freeing us all up to be creative (every last one of us is a frustrated something-or-other working a day job and painting/writing/etc on the side) and enjoy each other more.

I would put a lot of money in backing Herasmus's bid for the presidency if the platform was repealing the No Child Left Behind debacle.

I would buy an apartment in NYC on Beekman Place. I would buy a little beach house in Playa de Pals on the Costa Brava in Spain and buy a little restaurant that my husband could run when he felt like it. I would probably get behind political causes and become a big mouth. I actually have a friend who won 100 million last summer and got one lump sum of about 45 million. She has set up a foundation and is giving small grants out with the income from the endowment. She bought herself a beautiful house and is making it her dream home and just got back from a trip to India. Her life still isn't perfect, but it's pretty damn cool.

1. Quit my job.
2. Move to a bigger house.
3. "After that who cares?"
--Mary from It's a Wonderful Life

I'd build a great big compound (or neighborhood) where all my friends and family could live in awesome houses with nice furnishings, great yards, etc. It would be just like Big Love without the whole polygamy thing.

And, I would NOT quit my job, well okay, maybe I would. But I would at least try to start my own firm or consulting company.

I would make my dream movie, which is a three-hour dark psychological drama about the irredeemable futility of the human condition, shot with a single camera on a blank stage and two actors and no music, until the last five minutes, which features an outrageous, epic action/special effects pyrotechnic bonanza and a cast of thousands and which costs $325 million.

I'd follow in Larry Flynt's footsteps (or wheel ruts?) and start offering outrageous sums of cash to anyone who has proof of a prominent right-wing bigot behaving hypocritically. Of course, right-wings bigots have been doing a pretty good job of accomplishing this themselves lately, so...
I'd probably go for something utopian like Rachell's idea.

I would keep my job for a while, make the same allocations as my boss, and turn it into $650M.

And then I will find Pinky and the Brain and together we will take over the world.

I would purchase an uninhabited island in the south pacific. Declare myself sovereign. Modernize it so it's livable. Invest the rest of the money so that money makes money so my family will always have money no matter what. Live there till I die.

I'd buy a robot that reminded me to buy lotto tickets.

I'd be much more patriotic because I could buy far, far more stuff than I already have.