Wednesday, February 25, 2009

vegas is a city of odds

Regardless of who you ask, the odds of being struck by lightening are slim.
Some guy on Wiki says 1: 280,000. Scientists are more generous claiming 1: 700,000. And the Brits (those chipper cheery Brits) state 1: 3 million.

On a bit of a roll, I researched a few others.
The odds of being attacked by a shark (not killed--just attacked)are 1 in 11.5 million. The odds of winning the lotto vary, of course, though usually fall somewhere in the 1 to 10-14 million range (or zero to 10-14 million if you don't play, as my mother likes to remind me every Christmas when she gives me a stocking stuffed full with PLEASE NOTE losing lottery tickets without the slightest sense of irony). The odds of both your main and reserve parachutes failing on a jump are less than 1 to a million. And, while there is no official data available regarding the odds of wearing the same dress as your boyfriend's other girlfriend to a mutual friend's wedding, I can personally assure you that it has happened at least once.

It should, therefore, come as no surprise to you that the odds of running into one of your sophomore English students and her impeccably dressed grandmother while trying on a black satin corset (complete with ribbons, lace and other whorrish accoutrements) at Victoria's Secret on an idle Sunday afternoon are IN FACT not insurmountable, as I can once again personally assure you that it has happened at least once.

Ah-hah. True story.

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