If I believed in that sort of thing, this would totally count as synchronicity

[Orrex]

I hadn't seen my father in 20 years nor spoken with him in more than a decade. However, for various happy reasons, I got in touch with him a few months ago and invited him to trek across Pennsylvania to meet his youngest grandsons. He gladly accepted, and he visited this weekend. I'm not a "share your feelings with the internets" kind of guy, so I'll simply state that the reunion was terrific and I'm glad that we were able to arrange it.

Here's the weird thing: while reminiscing about stuff and swapping stories, he told me (light-heartedly) that he's always felt "out of step with the world." As evidence, he cited the phenomenon whereby he consistently misses green lights. No matter what route he travels nor what trick he attempts, he still manages to get to the intersection just as the light is turning red.

Alternatively, he's noticed that the red light will turn green once he's brought his vehicle to a halt.

According to him, this effect is so pronounced that I commented on it in about 1973 while I was sitting in a box on the front seat of his Rambler (the box serving as a car seat back in those halcyon days). I have no recollection of that, though.

However, when I mentioned that I've observed the same thing happening to me, he thought I was simply humoring him. Thus I invoked DU's powerful Search Engine and dredged up this post from August 2006:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=5536656


Clearly, the universe is conspiring against us. Nothing so trivial as probability could ever hope to explain it.


Regardless, it was a funny story to share, and he was delighted to have documentary evidence in support of my own experience!

[mr blur]

1. This is precisely the sort of thing that no one ever believes.

As someone once said. ;)

[TZ]

2. lol

Apple doesn't fall far from the tree apparantly. Either that or you and your dad share some universe hated genes...;)

[Heddi]

3. That happens to me, too (the green light thing)

Thank God not EVERY traffic light turns red as I approach it, just the ones that are within 1/2 mile or so of my house, in any direction. And this has happened with every set of lights around every place I've lived since i was about 21, or at least that's when I started noticing it. My husband too, because that's when we started living together.

Regardless of the time---7am or 7pm or 4:32pm or 1am....as I approach the green light it turns red. It turns red even if there are no cars going the opposite way.

It's like GOD does not want me to get damn home and TAKE OFF MY FUCKING SHOES AND BRA I mean it's not like Iv'e been WORKING FOR 12 HOUR STRAIGHT WITHTOUT A PEE BREAK OR ANYTHING oh why do you hate me, universe, why????1!!?!

[Orrex]

4. I'm certain that God wants you to take off your bra

A God worth worshiping could want no less.

[Heddi]

5. I cannot worship a god

that wants the bewbeez contained. I just cannot do it.

[Orrex]

6. Any god that wishes to constrain the bewbeez is a false god indeed.

[realisticphish]

7. DUzy, right here nt

[TZ]

11. Nice post Dr. Strange!

:rofl:

[PADemD]

8. One of Murphy's Laws?

The later you are running, the greater the chance of hitting every red light in your path.

[Orrex]

9. That's certainly true

If I have an appointment 45 miles away, and I leave an hour before my appointment, the drive takes about 72 minutes (owing to stoplights, traffic, etc.)

If I travel that same route with no specified time of arrival, the drive takes about 43 minutes.

[moggie]

10. Why aren't you making money from James Randi?

I have a stupidly trivial thing with boxes of pills, such as aspirin. These invariably contain a leaflet from Big Pharma explaining in detail how the pills can kill you, folded up and wrapped around the blister packaging in such a way that, when you open the box, there's a 50% chance that you'll have to remove the leaflet before getting at the pills. At least, it should be 50%, but in my case it seems to be nearly 100%. I've taken to mentally flipping a coin to decide which end of the box to open, but it's almost always the "wrong" end. Just my luck to have a completely useless occult power.

[SheilaT]

12. I have the most amazing parking

karma, or whatever you want to call it.

I can almost always get a good parking space. Once again when I got to work today (I work at a hospital) someone pulled out of a very good space just as I turned down that row.

Happens all the time, even when I'm a passenger in the car. If anything, my parking karma (or whatever it is) gets better all the time.