Reading a file into a data structure....

[MrPink]

This is a continuing to a post I made in August:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/b072cfadf998deae/ce6d4d09911e4107?lnk=gst&q=MrPink#ce6d4d09911e4107

I got some free time to work with Python again and have some followup
questions.

For example, I have a list in a text file like this:
Example list of lottery drawings:
date,wb,wb,wb,wb,wb,bb
4/1/2011,5,1,45,23,27,27
5/1/2011,15,23,8,48,22,32
6/1/2011,33,49,21,16,34,1
7/1/2011,9,3,13,22,45,41
8/1/2011,54,1,24,39,35,18
....

Ticket:
startdate,enddate,wb,wb,wb,wb,wb,bb
4/1/2011,8/1/2011,5,23,32,21,3,27

I am trying to determine the optimal way to organize the data
structure of the drawing list, search the drawing list, and mark the
matches in the drawing list.

f = open("C:\temp\drawinglist.txt", "r")
lines = f.readlines()
f.close()
drawing = lines[1].split()

The results in drawing is this:
drawing[0] = '4/1/2011'
drawing[1] = '5'
drawing[2] = '1'
drawing[3] = '45'
drawing[4] = '23'
drawing[5] = '27'
drawing[6] = '27'

I need to convert drawing[0] to a date datatype.  This works, but I'm
sure there is a better way.
from datetime import date
month, day, year = drawing[0].split('/')
drawing[0] = date(int(year), int(month), int(day))

For searching, I need to determine if the date of the drawing is
within the date range of the ticket.  If yes, then mark which numbers
in the drawing match the numbers in the ticket.

ticket[0] = '4/1/2011'
ticket[0] = '8/1/2011'
ticket[0] = '5'
ticket[0] = '23'
ticket[0] = '32'
ticket[0] = '21'
ticket[0] = '3'
ticket[0] = 27'

drawing[0] = '4/1/2011' (match)
drawing[1] = '5' (match)
drawing[2] = '1'
drawing[3] = '45'
drawing[4] = '23' (match)
drawing[5] = '27'
drawing[6] = '27' (match)


I'm debating on structuring the drawing list like this:
drawing[0] = '4/1/2011'
drawing[1][0] = '5'
drawing[1][1] = '1'
drawing[1][2] = '45'
drawing[1][3] = '23'
drawing[1][4] = '27'
drawing[2] = '27'

Sort drawing[1] from low to high
drawing[1][0] = '1'
drawing[1][1] = '5'
drawing[1][2] = '23'
drawing[1][3] = '27'
drawing[1][4] = '45'

I want to keep the drawing list in memory for reuse.

Any guidance would be most helpful and appreciated.
BTW, I want to learn, so be careful not to do too much of the work for
me.
I'm using WingIDE to do my work.

Thanks,