Adventures Outside of Flavour Country

Marcus Buckingham's strengths revolution tells me that one of my main themes, or strengths, is INPUT. This means I am given to research, this means that I tend to accumulate minutiae concerning things I like. This means that when I was a little-leaguer I kept track of all my own stats - not just hits, and batting avg. - but also things like on base percentage and slugging percentage. This also means that whenever roll up the rim season comes around, I keep track of my winning percentage. Last year was abismal - I was something like 1 for 30.

This year will be a little different, considering the fact that I'm off coffee for lent. But it's almost like Tim knows that I've stopped drinking his elixir - so now he's taunting me with his cups. My first coffee (Monday) was a loser, my second (Tuesday) was the proud winner . . . of another coffee. Today when I was in Pembroke, I had a bizarre moment when I wasn't sure what to do with myself . . . "I'll stop for a . . . oh, I can't do that, so I'll . . . ???" I settled on going for a tea. And my tea was the proud winner . . . of another coffee.

2 for 3. Batting .666? On the thing I've given up for lent? 2 free coffees waiting to be redeemed?

It's the most luck I've ever had rolling up rims. But it also kind of reminds me of the "beginner's luck" phenomenon. You know how, for some strange reason, a lot of newbies to cards or gambling tend to have an uncanny string of good cards, or good luck? Letting it ride, a lot of people get hooked.

It also makes me think of how lotteries are hell. How much of the winnings is money from desperately poor people who hang their last shreds of hope on winning big? Who can't afford what they spend on tickets? Whose children suffer for it?

And have you ever seen tv shows that showcase the lifestyles of winners? Sure they end up with big houses and lots of stuff, but invariably the garish amounts of money they win leaves them isolated, lonely and disillusioned. What kind of a hell would it be to win a lottery and then have all your relationships deteriorate on account of who gets what, and whats fair, and so on? You end up with (dirty) money, but (and) . . . alone.