What Are The Odds

So this week, I work for Neill on Wed, and told him I would if he bought me lunch.
He wanted to go to gutbombs (India Palace - which I really have to be in the mood for as it's so filling - like, don't eat again til lunch the next day, as it seems to just sit with you filling - not a bad thing, but, just a bit much if I have evening activities, or have had breakfast, etc.), or to 'the Vietnamese place' (Saigon Cafe), as usual.

No one else will go to those restaurants as they all have scandahoovian palates. "It's too spicy."
Fuck, these people have NO idea what spicy is. AND spices don't always mean hot, and really, nearly no dishes are, just some of the dipping sauces are really - which I LOVE.

I, however, love both places, but opted for Saigon Cafe as I was hungry for Asian (never had it with Kev as I had expected), and they have a pretty decent and cheap buffet. This time they actually had several different dishes I'd not seen there before, although many seemed to include green peppers - there must've been a sale. I like them, but, am not a huge fan, so I kind of picked around them somewhat.

Afterward, the tab and the fortune cookies arrived, so I picked first.
I have this thing about picking my own, and I hate to have the last one left, or one picked for me.
Just me, but yeah.

We ripped them open and I said, "You first," so he reads his:
"Keep your feet on the ground, even though friends flatter you."
I burst out laughing in disbelief.
Mine was Exactly the same.
What are the odds?
The stuff on the back - in this case: Daily Numbers and Lucky Six #'s, were different.
Still, funny to us.

Fast forward to today.
My Census buds wanted to go to lunch for Dan's birthday today and we let Dan pick where he wanted to go.
Saigon Cafe it was. Again. Ok. I can deal.
More new and very delicious dishes, great company = It's all good.
Mary brought a devilish chocolate cake with fudge frosting for Dan and all of us to celebrate.

After came the tabs and the fortune cookies.
Carey, who was sitting to my right, picked up the tray - I eyed it and spotted the one I wanted and just waited. He then held it toward Tom, he picked, then to Linda, she picked, then Carey himself PICKED THE ONE I WANTED!!!
So, fine.
I took the one next to it.
Then made a comment that he had picked the one I wanted to pick, but such is life and laughed it off.
Then Mary and Dale picked, leaving the last one for Dan.
I sang to him, "The cheese stands alone," and we both had a giggle - him repeating my lil song.

Everyone opening and reading aloud, it finally comes back to me.
I rip open the plastic, then crack open the cookie.
NOTHING.
IT WAS EMPTY!!!
No fortune for me! (No Soup For YOU!)
A big, "Oh, Oh," went round the table, some laughing it off, some saying it was bad luck.
I was bummed. Poo on this poopy cookie.

A few said I should ask for another, and the opportunity didn't come 'til we were ready to leave, and the waitress came round to ask if there was anything else we needed.
So I spoke up, saying, "I need a new cookie, I was robbed, mine had no fortune in it."
The rest chimed in backing me up.
She said, "Well that's no good, let me get you another."

I kinda cringed - SHE was gonna PICK MY COOKIE.
Ah well, they really do pre-pick them anyway don't they when they prepare the tabs.
I resigned myself to whatever happened - silly, I know, but...still.
So she walks over to the counter/register and there are two trays with tabs on them and cookies.
She takes one cookie from one of the trays - SOMEONE ELSE'S FORTUNE!!!
Then, she shakes her head and puts it back.
HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF (inside quiet sigh, but...HELLO...good girl.)
She then reaches under the register area to a big box, and found nothing, so she stepped away from there and back to the side of the counter kinda next to Carey, and then reaches into the box and pulls one, then tosses it back, then picks another. Odd as hey.
JUST PICK ME A DAMN COOKIE ALREADY!
MY WHOLE FORTUNE IS IN HER HANDS and SHE CAN'T DECIDE!
So she comes round the table handing it to me and says, "Here you are."
I replied a very half-hearted "thanks," as I was hoping since the box was right there, she'd just pick it up and let me dig in and pick my own.
No such luck.
Ah well.
I'll be right - right?
I make a crack about how last time I was there with Neill, we had the same fortune - 'cept the back part. They laugh and said how lame - but funny too.

So I rip open the plastic, and crack open the cookie and read quietly.
Everyone is watching in anticipation.
I read aloud, "Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought."
IT WAS THE SAME EXACT FORTUNE that Carey had and ROBBED ME OF!!!

WHAT ARE THE ODDS???!?!?!111111

I laughed LOUD and so did everyone in disbelief.
So Carey pulls his out to show the evidence, and we both turn them over for the back-side-goodies: The Daily Numbers and Lucky Six #'s.
THEY WERE BOTH EXACTLY THE SAME!!!
(I'll post this later as I don't wanna share my possible Mega with some random...LOL)

WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT!
I then pull from my wallet and show the Neill match, reading it too, another round of giggles at the message.

We all laughed and conversations about past fortunes and fortune trivia went round the table.

I then said, fuck, we need to go play the lottery!!!
(which I almost never do - like maybe 8 yrs ago, and once in 95)
But I figure that with this being such a coincidence, that why not risk a buck to have some fun with the lotto and these numbers. Figuring, we both win, split the pot, and as Dan always says, "I'll pay you each $10 if I win." This of course, gleened a huge laugh all around.

What makes this more cool, is Carey worked for me, kept me sane, and was one of my most favourite Census people. We've stayed friends, hooked each other up with work at Blues Fest or Grandma's or the Inline Marathon, shared food, recipes, clothes for his kids, and he hooks me up with extra pancakes once a month at his church's pancake breakfast.
We're good buds.

So we all walk over to the Holiday Center to the Snyders and I place my picks - although the woman didn't ask me what I wanted my Megaplier (my power number of the six) to be - but I was ok with that as she picked the number 2 and heaps of my fave people have bdays in feb. As good a number as any, right? Right. There is also a 36 on it, which was funny to me as that is Kev's age. heh heh.

Carey then decided instead to play the powerball with our Daily Numbers: 400
and Linda placed a bet for her fortune numbers too.

We all parted ways.

Later this evening, after my MRI, I decided I wanted a bottle of wine and thought, "I am gonna stop and put $1 on the numbers from my matching fortune to Neill's as there were some good numbers on it too," figuring, "why not, it's only a buck and how often would you get two matching (for the most part in Neill's case) fortunes ever, much less two in one week."

This time I picked the Megaplier to be 20 -my kid's bdate. They are always lucky - so who knows.
Plus this day (11th) is a birthday to several people I know, and with that whole earthquake/tsunami thing as well as other events that played out over the day - I figured there'd be no better reason or time than now to play.

I then visited the website, but the numbers had not yet been picked for the MegaMillions.
BUT get this!
The Daily Three had been picked - not 400, but, 2 5 3
The Numbers on my Neill Fortune: 2 4 3
HA!
Too bad I didn't play that too.
I am so not a lotto person, but it did crack me up that I was 'that' close.

I'll post the Mega results as soon as they're up - not that I'm counting on any of the numbers, but for this one time, I found it a bit fun to play given the circumstances.

Stay Tuned...

**EDIT**
Our Numbers:

The Results:


I got nuthin...but it made for a good story eh.