Mega million jackpot a record $ 476 million for Friday's drawing

Mega Millions mania is here. The Mega Millions jackpot just keeps growing and growing: It's been weeks since anyone has been able to nab all five winning Mega Millions lottery numbers plus the all-important Mega Ball number.

That means the Mega Millions jackpot keeps rolling over. The Mega Millions jackpot now stands at a record $476 million -- nearly half a billion dollars -- for Friday night's drawing.

So buckle up, and prepare for three more days of Mega Millions mania.

PLUS: 6 tips to avoid getting scammed in the lottery office pool

The nationwide lottery has a wide reach, played across 42 states -- including California, plus Washington, D.C. and the U. S. Virgin Islands.

The $476 million jackpot easily smashes the earlier Mega Millions jackpot record, which occured in 2007 when the bucket of money hit $390 million. And it's likely that the jackpot for Friday's drawing will soar even higher as everyone runs to their local convenience store to plunk down their dollars.

The winning numbers for Tuesday night's drawing were 9-19-34-44-51 plus Mega Ball 24.There were still plenty of winners. Dozens of people walked away with prize money for having five of the six winning numbers.

If you win Mega Millions on Friday, you have two options.

The first is the gimme-all-my-money-now option. Mega Millions pays a one-time lump sum. The cash option for the Friday drawing as it stands at this moment is $341 million. The second option is to have your Mega Millions jackpot paid out over 26 years. For every $1 million in the jackpot, you will receive approximately $38,500 per year before taxes, according to the Mega Millions website.

Just so you know, your chances of hitting all six numbers in the Mega Millions lottery is 1 in 175,711,536.

Cherry blossoms welcome DC spring

WASHINGTON - We cowered, waiting for a sharp blows of a seasonal bully.

Our long dresses, fiercely protective scarves and hats were to ward off attacks from winter's weapons, snow, ice, freezing temperatures and cold winds.

But winter never the country's capital hit with his usual misery and spring officially arrived Tuesday.

Winter is known for its official deadline to ignore, but we already have the spring feeling in the caress of mild temperatures and seen cherry blossoms in Lacy around the city.

This morning I walked over small, silky petals drifted down from the clouds of flowering of the trees around my apartment complex.

They reminded me of a Washington event that does not focus on partisan battles, House resolutions or other typical DC fare.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival the first day of spring and beginning of period 27 April. I like to think that even though Tokyo is not the view of the United States that famous cherry trees 100 years ago, the nation's capital would have the spring in one way or another to celebrate.

Cherry Blossom experts on the job here - nice work if you can get - predicted peak bloom dates the beginning of the first day of spring and continue through Friday.

As Texans look for bluebonnets to herald spring, we know it's that time of year when cherry blossoms appear.

Tornado season was always the most clear in Texas, considering the number of times I was in the bath or squatting passages, but in Washington, every season is distinguished.

Spring is one of the best in a part of the country where winter is a tyrant up with ice and summer is a hot, humid blanket smothering the Mid-Atlantic.

Back home in Wichita Falls, summer begins in February or March and barrels through October right when people eventually trade in flip-flops, shorts and tank tops for something warmer. This is how I remember it, anyway.

The worst of spring in the DC thunderstorms can pack the wallop, turning umbrellas inside out and cooked for travel.

Spring is a generous this year with miracles.

The Metro system announced weekend track work on spring break. It's going furiously for the last few weekends.

For Virginians and others, which means that the usual slow or weekend trip to Washington in a crawl. Weekend commuters time to read 50 pages in a novel, a new bucket list, go crazy and then get over it.

I would say civilizations rose and during the wait, but it would be exaggerated.

Now trains will move spit-spot, but more people are on them already this week.

The dark suits and solemn expression of commuters to mix with the T-shirts, athletic shoes and cars filled child of cherry blossom tourists from around the world.

They ask for directions from strangers who do not speak their language, shouting at each other to hold together (I think) and generally breaking a ban on the morning cheerful chitchat in the metro.