Too absent-minded to amass a fortune? Unclaimed...

Too absent-minded to amass a fortune? Unclaimed prizes in the California Lottery have totaled more than $180 million in eight years, says spokesman Bob Taylor.

Lotto officials are still waiting to hear from the lucky soul who won a $12.6-million prize in Costa Mesa earlier this month. Winners have 180 days from the date of the drawing to collect; afterward, the dough is donated to the state’s schools.

Here are some other winning Lotto and Fantasy 5 tickets in the Southland that no one bothered to cash in:

* Nov. 9, 1993: Rancho Cucamonga, $92,993 (38, 15, 28, 19, 30).

* Oct. 21, 1993: Oxnard, $80,460 (33, 2, 11, 22, 13).

* Sept. 8, 1993: Santa Fe Springs, $2.76 million (45, 13, 07, 35, 06, 29).

* Sept. 23, 1992: Montebello, $6.44 million (12, 50, 31, 49, 36, 08).

* Sept. 12, 1990: Garden Grove, $16.4 million (34, 16, 38, 26, 23, 35, BO3).

* June 15, 1988: Hawthorne, $4.7 million (32, 20, 10, 17, 40, 01, B31).

Painful to read, isn’t it?

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Other roads to riches: Now for some people who are serious about increasing their savings. On the side of a First Interstate Bank building in Covina, Berni Grasha photographed posters with contrasting approaches.

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Save the Disney Concert Hall Fund: Albert and Patricia Garcia of Hacienda Heights were chagrined to hear of the $50-million cost overrun for the Music Center’s Disney Concert Hall. You know, the building with the avant-garde design by Frank Gehry that, some critics say, resembles an exploding shoe box. Anyway, just to keep the project alive, the Garcias asked us to forward their check for $20 to the Music Center.

“We also look forward to being in attendance at the first performance,” they added.

In the absence of checks from other public-spirited citizens, maybe the Music Center folks should start playing the Lotto.

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Sidewalk safari: “What was the most rugged and adventurous vacation you’ve taken recently?” Westways magazine asked its readers.

Intrepid traveler Leslie Walker of Visalia responded: “Hunting for a prom dress on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles with twins! One day of shopping with two very different tastes in clothes is worse than running the Iditarod or crossing the Namib Desert.”

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A chilling combo: We’ve heard from a couple of commuters who questioned the taste of the beer billboard adjacent to Hillside Memorial Park alongside the San Diego Freeway in Culver City. The billboard says: “Grab the Cold One.”

miscelLAny:

miscelLAny: USC Trojan Family magazine reports that a 1974 survey of incoming freshmen at USC found that the first objective of the majority was “to develop a philosophy of life.” The first objective of the majority of the 1993 freshman class, in contrast, was “getting a good job after graduation.”