Soin building auction brings dreams of Lotto, philanthropy

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I’ve been having Lotto-Powerball-Mega-Million dreams again. You know what I am talking about.

It is the phenomenon that happens when one walks or drives by a billboard that says “drawing (fill in the blank) million dollars” and one’s mind starts to cruise around the Mediterranean and decorate condos overlooking Central Park in leopard print everything.

But it’s not all about living the life of a Real Housewife of whatever shamed city.

The dreamer decides how much to give to charity, family and friends and how much to hoard away from the same.

The point is that you come up with a game plan.

Mine always is the same: mysteriously disappear for an unspecified number of days, mysteriously mail mysterious notes to a select group of loved ones with instructions shrouded in mystery, mysteriously reappear floating on a magic carpet. I’d be relaxed, refreshed and loaded beyond belief.

I’d keep my same old PT Cruiser, of course. I’d never be one of ‘those’ rich people you see.

Oddly enough, it wasn’t a billboard that sparked my latest spell of ‘if I had a million dollars.’ But I did see a sign.

In so many words, the sign said that the former Soin International Building in downtown Dayton could be mine — all mine — if only I had the right amount of moolah.

The building complex and garage at 33 W. First St. and 21-29 W. First St. will be the prize in an ‘absolute auction’ at 6 p.m. on March 29.

The highest bid wins and there is no minimum.

I naturally went back to winning the lottery, as there is no way I could even come up with “no minimum.”

I don’t want to manage an office complex, mind you. My goal would be to use the building to further my presently fictitious philanthropy.

I’d invite inventors to compete for free office space in my compound of imagination. There would be all sorts of exciting perks to encourage creativity.

I’d offer a prize for innovation that would rival the noble Nobel Prize.

Portions of the building would be reserved for do-gooders. Yup, I’d give them all sorts of money and free space, too.

Who am I kidding?

I’d buy that building and use it to store shoes and custom PT Cruisers.

Good thing I don’t often play the Lotto-Powerball-Mega-Million.

What do you think? What would you do if you won the lottery? Tell Amelia Robinson by email at arobinson@Dayton DailyNews.com or Twitter at