For a lot of years, I always felt I was seriously lacking in luck. I knew people who would win contests, who would, rather fortuitously, find themselves in possession of just enough money/time/ whatever to complete what it was they needed to complete, who would be customer 1,000,000 and I would be either 999,999 or 1,000,001. I felt that, like the cheesy singers on Hee Haw (look it up, people), if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.
Then I realized that wasn’t really the case.
If all I had was bad luck, then I’d have broken bones. I’d have had stitches or even gotten so sick, I died. I would be on the street, I would be unable to get an advanced degree, I would not have had the family I had. My luck isn’t the winning the lottery type, it’s the getting through life type.
Just after Thanksgiving of this year, I was in a car accident. Wasn’t my fault, but it was fairly serious. Ultimately, the insurance company handling the claim declared my car a total loss. So where does the luck come in? The truck that smashed into mine was huge, but it was also going incredibly slowly. I was shaken, but unhurt. The guy who hit me recognized his fault and immediately claimed it. Although the policy of the Tulsa police was not to go to accident sites, one did appear, providing us with the needed documentation to file a claim. The guy who hit me also had a very good insurance policy. His was a new car, I’m sure that it was required as part of the loan. Nonetheless, he was covered. My car, while no longer pretty, was drivable and mechanically sound. I was able to drive it 700+ miles back to Colorado and my home. In the month that my car was in the shop, being looked over, I was given a rental car. No, it wasn’t a luxury car, not by any stretch, but I didn’t have to pay for it. And finally, I received a check from the insurance company. Enough to buy another car? No, not really, but it is enough to keep me current on my bills for a little while longer.
All things considered, I was pretty lucky.
Then there was me losing my job. This one is a shorter story. Basically, I’m fortunate enough to have a family who can help me financially. Because my father worked hard all his life, because he was thrifty with his money (which is not the same as cheap), when I wasn’t able to pay my mortgage or any other bills, when I wasn’t going to be able to buy groceries, he was able to help. He probably could have sent more than I asked for, but I didn’t want to ask for more than I needed. Partly because I will be paying him back at some point, partly because I’m an adult and I should be able to support myself at nearly 40 years of age. So a little bit of pride. Or stupidity, whatever. Still, very lucky. Very lucky indeed.
I’ve had various scenarios in my life that would demonstrate my incredible luck, and oddly, most of them don’t involve money. All of them, however, do involve people who’ve come into my life, either for a short while, or forever. My best friend is one of those. I was lucky to meet her. She understands the way my brain works more than anyone else I know. Why? Because hers works the same way. Oh, there are differences of course, it’d be pretty boring if there weren’t, but we have some similar tastes. Like in the men we prefer to drool over, f’rinstance. Trust me, that’s important between girlfriends.
So maybe I haven’t been classically lucky. But I certainly haven’t had a string of bad luck. There’s been quite a bit of hard work on my part, make no mistake about that, but I wouldn’t be sitting here on my computer, in my house, posting a blog online if it weren’t for some degree of luck.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Auspicious Beginnings
Monday, I had my first accounting class. It’s an undergrad class, something to get me going in the right direction. I dunno, apparently the Dean of Accounting thought it would be a good idea to get some basic classes out of the way since I don’t have any actual accounting experience.
Thing is, I didn’t go to class on Monday. Not for lack of trying, though. My class was at 5:15. I left the house at 4:40, about ten minutes later than I intended. It had just started snowing and it was rush hour, so I knew it was going to be tight. At least, I thought I knew. Boy was I wrong!
Forging my way through the pile of snow already on my patio from a previous storm, I reached my car in the distant car port (assigned parking, not one space is near the unit it’s associated with) and piled in. The snow was coming down pretty good, but I wasn’t worried, it had been warm. The ground should still be okay. I pulled out of the parking lot, onto my side street, onto another side street, and left onto one of the major streets in the city.
For those of you who live in Cincinnati, you know it’s not flat. Well, in Colorado, there’s an awful lot of flat…further east. There are many places I can go without encountering a major hill, including to my classes at CTU. I turned onto this major road, Austin Bluffs, which does have a bit of a hill. Again, I didn’t really think the roads would be that bad, yet. Driving Austin Bluffs, you can go uphill both ways. I think I like it because it reminds me of home.
Half an hour later, I’d finally gotten to the next intersection, about a mile away. Austin Bluffs stretched before me, reaching for the sky, cresting at the UCCS campus and sharply turning down again to the next feeder road for I-25, Nevada. I know this route well. My first job here was in a building about a mile west of my new school. Because of that, I knew alternate routes, too. I knew that the last thing I wanted to do was attempt to climb Austin Bluffs. Even if I could get up to the top, I would still have to come back down.
Well, that became a non-issue. Sitting on the hill were several cars, taillights on, exhaust from the cars visible even a mile away. They weren’t moving. They couldn’t. They were stuck on the hill. They couldn’t go back because there were cars behind them. They couldn’t go forward because gravity and friction were working against them. So they sat. I didn’t realize until I was 15 minutes into my mile that those cars weren’t just moving slowly, they weren’t moving at all. At that point, I was ready to turn back home. There aren’t many side roads off Austin Bluffs, so I had to go on to the next intersection with everyone else. The direction I wanted to go was north, right. I was in the left lane, with no hope of getting over. So I had to press on. I reached another major street, Union, and turned left. I planned my route back home, I would get to the next major intersection – Union is also woefully short of side streets and turnaround opportunities – and turn left, then I’d be able to get back home. Alas, it was not meant to be. Again I was stuck on the wrong side of the street, this time the right. When I got to the next intersection, another major intersection, the light was out. Technically, when a light is out, the intersection is supposed to be treated as a four-way stop. Four streets with at least six lanes each, both with double left-turn lanes, my specific area with double right-turn lanes as well, full of rush-hour drivers panicking, desperate to get home, and not bothering about the rules. It was anarchy, every man for himself. The only reason I was able to get a right turn in at all was I was shielded by a car in the other right turn lane. No accident, miraculously, but I knew it was just a matter of time.
I knew I wanted to go home, then, even though I was now even closer to my college. The roads were only going to get worse. Not to mention my class had started 45 minutes ago, by the time I’d made that right turn. Another half an hour later, another mile later, I turned onto the I-25 feeder street, Nevada. Another fifteen minutes later, I worked my way to the left and made a U-turn. I was going home. Finally.
To avoid the chaotic intersection, I drove quite a bit farther south than I normally would. The roads were pretty much empty down there, apparently those people got out while the getting was good. Finally, two hours after I started, I pulled into my parking lot and my parking space. Home at last.
Since I didn’t make it to class, I reviewed the material based on the syllabus and felt pretty good about it. This accounting thing, I think it’s gonna work out.
Thing is, I didn’t go to class on Monday. Not for lack of trying, though. My class was at 5:15. I left the house at 4:40, about ten minutes later than I intended. It had just started snowing and it was rush hour, so I knew it was going to be tight. At least, I thought I knew. Boy was I wrong!
Forging my way through the pile of snow already on my patio from a previous storm, I reached my car in the distant car port (assigned parking, not one space is near the unit it’s associated with) and piled in. The snow was coming down pretty good, but I wasn’t worried, it had been warm. The ground should still be okay. I pulled out of the parking lot, onto my side street, onto another side street, and left onto one of the major streets in the city.
For those of you who live in Cincinnati, you know it’s not flat. Well, in Colorado, there’s an awful lot of flat…further east. There are many places I can go without encountering a major hill, including to my classes at CTU. I turned onto this major road, Austin Bluffs, which does have a bit of a hill. Again, I didn’t really think the roads would be that bad, yet. Driving Austin Bluffs, you can go uphill both ways. I think I like it because it reminds me of home.
Half an hour later, I’d finally gotten to the next intersection, about a mile away. Austin Bluffs stretched before me, reaching for the sky, cresting at the UCCS campus and sharply turning down again to the next feeder road for I-25, Nevada. I know this route well. My first job here was in a building about a mile west of my new school. Because of that, I knew alternate routes, too. I knew that the last thing I wanted to do was attempt to climb Austin Bluffs. Even if I could get up to the top, I would still have to come back down.
Well, that became a non-issue. Sitting on the hill were several cars, taillights on, exhaust from the cars visible even a mile away. They weren’t moving. They couldn’t. They were stuck on the hill. They couldn’t go back because there were cars behind them. They couldn’t go forward because gravity and friction were working against them. So they sat. I didn’t realize until I was 15 minutes into my mile that those cars weren’t just moving slowly, they weren’t moving at all. At that point, I was ready to turn back home. There aren’t many side roads off Austin Bluffs, so I had to go on to the next intersection with everyone else. The direction I wanted to go was north, right. I was in the left lane, with no hope of getting over. So I had to press on. I reached another major street, Union, and turned left. I planned my route back home, I would get to the next major intersection – Union is also woefully short of side streets and turnaround opportunities – and turn left, then I’d be able to get back home. Alas, it was not meant to be. Again I was stuck on the wrong side of the street, this time the right. When I got to the next intersection, another major intersection, the light was out. Technically, when a light is out, the intersection is supposed to be treated as a four-way stop. Four streets with at least six lanes each, both with double left-turn lanes, my specific area with double right-turn lanes as well, full of rush-hour drivers panicking, desperate to get home, and not bothering about the rules. It was anarchy, every man for himself. The only reason I was able to get a right turn in at all was I was shielded by a car in the other right turn lane. No accident, miraculously, but I knew it was just a matter of time.
I knew I wanted to go home, then, even though I was now even closer to my college. The roads were only going to get worse. Not to mention my class had started 45 minutes ago, by the time I’d made that right turn. Another half an hour later, another mile later, I turned onto the I-25 feeder street, Nevada. Another fifteen minutes later, I worked my way to the left and made a U-turn. I was going home. Finally.
To avoid the chaotic intersection, I drove quite a bit farther south than I normally would. The roads were pretty much empty down there, apparently those people got out while the getting was good. Finally, two hours after I started, I pulled into my parking lot and my parking space. Home at last.
Since I didn’t make it to class, I reviewed the material based on the syllabus and felt pretty good about it. This accounting thing, I think it’s gonna work out.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
It Can't Be Worse Than Last Year
It’s 2008. The year is really irrelevant, the holiday itself is a Christian observance, the pagans of Britannia recognized the new year on April 1st, thus the initiation of April Fool’s Day (look it up, people). Chinese and Jewish New Years are at different times of the year. However, the majority of the world recognizes the Christian New Year.
I watched the Adaman club set off their fireworks from a snowcapped Pike’s Peak, watched the colors reflect from the mountain top, and show brightly through the southern Colorado sky. It was beautiful. Oh, I’ve seen more elaborate displays, after all, I’m originally from a city with one of the premier fireworks factories in the country. I’ve watched fireworks shot from the three tallest buildings in the city, viewed from 5 miles away. I’ve watched fireworks shot from barges on the Ohio river and a pyrotechnic waterfall effect. It’s amazing, it really is. But this display, from the top of Pike’s Peak, well, it was special.
This display was special, not only because of the effort the Adaman club puts into the display every year, hiking (not driving) to the top of Pike’s Peak, carrying what they need to the top, not even because today the low is below zero - get down safe, guys. But because 2008 is the first year in a long time that I’ve looked forward to. Yes. I’m really looking forward to it. So I’ve been let go. So I had to field calls from Calcutta regarding my mortgage payment (after having been laid off from a mortgage call center). So I have had to borrow money from my father to make ends meet this month (and believe me, I know how lucky I am that I can do that). I’m starting classes in a week. I’m attending a school that wants me to succeed. I’m going to get my MBA and I’m going to be able to get a job that actually pays well. I’m going to be able to afford a real couch and a real dinette and a refrigerator. I’m going to be able to afford to replace my car and hire a plumber to fix my toilets. I’m going to be able to do what my mother couldn’t. She was better off than the generation before her, and I intend to continue the trend.
I’m really looking forward to this year. Happy New Year. And God bless.
I watched the Adaman club set off their fireworks from a snowcapped Pike’s Peak, watched the colors reflect from the mountain top, and show brightly through the southern Colorado sky. It was beautiful. Oh, I’ve seen more elaborate displays, after all, I’m originally from a city with one of the premier fireworks factories in the country. I’ve watched fireworks shot from the three tallest buildings in the city, viewed from 5 miles away. I’ve watched fireworks shot from barges on the Ohio river and a pyrotechnic waterfall effect. It’s amazing, it really is. But this display, from the top of Pike’s Peak, well, it was special.
This display was special, not only because of the effort the Adaman club puts into the display every year, hiking (not driving) to the top of Pike’s Peak, carrying what they need to the top, not even because today the low is below zero - get down safe, guys. But because 2008 is the first year in a long time that I’ve looked forward to. Yes. I’m really looking forward to it. So I’ve been let go. So I had to field calls from Calcutta regarding my mortgage payment (after having been laid off from a mortgage call center). So I have had to borrow money from my father to make ends meet this month (and believe me, I know how lucky I am that I can do that). I’m starting classes in a week. I’m attending a school that wants me to succeed. I’m going to get my MBA and I’m going to be able to get a job that actually pays well. I’m going to be able to afford a real couch and a real dinette and a refrigerator. I’m going to be able to afford to replace my car and hire a plumber to fix my toilets. I’m going to be able to do what my mother couldn’t. She was better off than the generation before her, and I intend to continue the trend.
I’m really looking forward to this year. Happy New Year. And God bless.
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