I find life full of amusing little coincidences

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Turns out he is a Radio DJ on a local morning show.

Popular DJ here lived across the cul-de-sac from me. Mentioned me on his show frequently, not by name, but as that neighbor "Bob" who fixes stuff. I call him Marconi, which tickles him. Still fix his and his wife's cars.

As to semi coincidences, I walk into the parts store. There is a sweet Corrado outside. I ask "Who owns the Corrado? That thing is nice." East European accent guy who I have seen before in there and just as wrenchy looking as me says it's his. Five minute session of us both phone pic showing off proves he is a Dub freak and he also converts New Beetles into "pickup" trucks. Every time I see him now there is a fun BS session.

[Norm K]

An old friend, allthough he hasn't aged particularly well, was exceedingly good looking when he was young. Everywhere we'd go women would be hitting on him within a few minutes of arriving. Once, when I actually went home on leave, he convinced me to go to a party with him, which I quickly agreed to do, as even his "leftovers" were always pretty damned hot. The downside to hanging out with him was his drinking. He was a jovial and happy drunk, which seemed to make his appeal to drunk women even greater.

Anyway, as I'm standing back observing the goings on at this party, my friend, who had disappeared a few minutes before, suddenly exits a nearby door very quickly, and very backwards, having been punched by the boyfriend of the latest woman to hit on him. As he fell, he was immediately surrounded by the boyfriend and two of his friends. They were yelling and screaming all the things you might expect, but generally just letting him know he was about to get his ass kicked. I interceded, explaining that my friend was a bit too drunk and that I'd just take him out of there.

No joy, they were set on kicking his ass. So I did what anyone would do in my place: I calmly explained that since my friend was in no condition to defend himself that it might be best for the four of us (the boyfriend and his two buddies) to "go outside and get things worked out". This was long before the days of movie characters like Jason Bourne and such (although we did have Billy Jack) so these guys weren't really sure what to make of me. Now, I was willing to go, mind you, but the idea of taking on three guys, one of which was about my size and the other two definitely larger, was a bit worrisome. I remained calm as two of them turned their verbal wrath on me, again suggesting that things would be better settled outside than in someone's home.

I think, after my second invitation, they actually starting wondering why I might be willing take on all three at once. For my part, I figured I was probably about to take a whoopin' but not without leaving my mark and some lasting memories. Then, one of them noticed my USMC tattoo - something you didn't see many of in those days, and something I'd stupidly gotten in Olongapo during my first visit to PI. After they talked a little more shit, I made a third invitation, at which point they backed down.

Now the coincidence: we left the party, which was in Portland, and since it was still early in the evening, drove the hundred miles to Eugene to see some other friends at UO. My friend wanted some Hostess cupcakes so I pulled into a Plaid Pantry convenience store. Wouldn't you know that as we were walking out with our snacks, those same three guys were walking in. My buddy immediately offered up my services, telling the trio "My friend's gonna kick your asses!"(so much for being a jovial drunk). I kept him moving, got in the car and GTFO of there!

[john70t]

I've had a song stuck in my head for the last few weeks: Yazoo "Move out".
I hadn't heard it in years and then suddenly it's like an obsession.
Repeating over and over.

A few days ago, another neighbor told me the jerks next door are going to be moving.
Everyone I spoke with was happy about that.

[fastfredracing]

Here is another one that happened recently . I went to high school with a girl named Heidi Huy. She was really cute. A little bit of a goth girl, but really pretty. She dated Dave all through high school, and later married him. Both of them were in one of my community college classes.
Any how, every time I would hear that song by John Fogerty the old man. " you got to hide e hide e hide, you got to jump up run away " , it would always remind me of her. Even years after college, and loosing touch with her and Dave .
Wifey and I are doing a late night Wal Mart run a few years back, and over the loud speaker they are playing Old man down the road. I think to myself " I wonder how heidi and dave are doing . I turn the corner, and there is Dave. He is a truck driver and was driving for Wal Mart .

[GH85Carrera]

My dad was in the Air Force. He traveled the world a lot. Back in the 1970s he was in downtown Hong Kong and looking for a restaurant, and everything was British or American chains. He was looking at the restaurant signs, and turned a corner and bumped against an American man. It was a guy that dad went to grade school with. He had not seen him since grade school. Dad asked if the guy knew of a good Chinese food place within walking distance. He said follow me, and took him to his restaurant. He had married a local and opened a restaurant. Dad got a great meal, and they would not accept payment.

[Mike80911]

Many years ago when I was a Police Officer working on patrol I saw a guy beating the hell out of a Mercedes passing stop signs and a red light. I pulled him over and gave him a few summonses. Turned out he was a dealership mechanic test driving a customers car. Fast forward about 25 years later I was having issues with my Cayenne and a friend told me we should bring it to his friend who is an expert on German cars. Well guess who the expert was, the same guy I pulled over 25 years before. He remembered me instantly and once he told me the story I remembered him. Luckily we had a good laugh about it and he helped with the car.

[ErVikingo]

Here’s one of mine. Growing up in a small island in the Caribbean, we seldom saw a Porsche. Now there was this one we saw a couple of times back in the early 70’s. So I recall me and my three brothers in the back seat of daddy’s Buick Centurion when this yellow 911 came by and we all squashed against the window to check it out. It was owned by one of the owners of a rum distiller.

I said, one day I will drive that car or one like it!

Fast forward 24 years. I am at Sebring and a friend says, take my car and do some laps, get used to the track. Lovely car. I ask about the history of the car and the owner goes something like “funny thing, I bought that car from an old man from your island. He owns a rum distillery there and this used to be his daily driver. It used to be Bahama yellow”.

I offered to buy the car right then and there but the owner wouldn’t budge. I requested first right of refusal on it. He still owns it. I called now to see if Covid changed his mind.... NOT YET

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Originally Posted by ErVikingo

Here’s one of mine. Growing up in a small island in the Caribbean, we seldom saw a Porsche. Now there was this one we saw a couple of times back in the early 70’s. So I recall me and my three brothers in the back seat of daddy’s Buick Centurion when this yellow 911 came by and we all squashed against the window to check it out. It was owned by one of the owners of a rum distiller.

I said, one day I will drive that car or one like it!

Fast forward 24 years. I am at Sebring and a friend says, take my car and do some laps, get used to the track. Lovely car. I ask about the history of the car and the owner goes something like “funny thing, I bought that car from an old man from your island. He owns a rum distillery there and this used to be his daily driver. It used to be Bahama yellow”.

I offered to buy the car right then and there but the owner wouldn’t budge. I requested first right of refusal on it. He still owns it. I called now to see if Covid changed his mind.... NOT YET

Which island in the Caribbean, I'm having a coincidence feeling

[oldE]

In 2010, we visited parts of the western counties of England and some of Wales. The next summer at the Interpretive Centre, I was speaking to a chap who said he was from Wales and named a town near him, Knighton. As he left, I said, "The next time I'm in Knighton, I'll wave." He replied, "I don't live in Knighton. I live in Knuklas." This was a tiny village on a B road with a stone railway overpass.
I asked him what workers were doing to the railway overpass in 2010. He stopped and said,"They were re-pointing the masonary. My house is next to it." I apologized that I had parked in his driveway and he responded, "Don't worry. Everybody does."

Best
Les

[zelrik911]

I was born in a tiny town in outback Australia because my grandparents lived there and my father was on Patrol when I arrived. I used to visit my grandparents from time to time but never lived there.

Decades later I was just chatting with the guys I had worked with for many years in the big Capital city and casually mentioned that I was born in this town. One of my workmates got agitated and said "Bullsheesh I grew up there as a kid and you weren't there, I knew everyone". He thought I was teasing him.
I explained that I had never lived there and told him about my grandparents, who he knew well.

Now the crazy coincidence is that my grandparents were the first people in this small town to get a TV set and they used to allow 4 or 5 of the younger kids in the town come into their lounge room in the evening to watch the Mickey Mouse Club. My work mate was one of these kids who didnt have their own TV. He said the kids were all well behaved and used to sit in the same chair every night - he also remembered "his" chair" well and described it in detail.

I was amazed and said to him: "I have that exact chair you sat on in my living room at home" because I had inherited it (& other stuff) from my grandmother when she passed.

Although we are both retired now we are still good friends.

[A930Rocket]

Not me, but my wife was on the Appalachian trail in NC and at a shelter, met a father and two sons. They lived down the street from us.

My sister met a girl in Atlanta who was from our hometown, Westport, CT. They started talking and turns out she had lived in our old house. Same bedroom, too.

[pete3799]

As a retired owner operator long haul trucker from Vermont with over 2 million miles under my belt (or on my a$$ as the case may be) i used to meet people in the strangest places.
On a trip from CT. to CA. with a Pratt and Whitney jet engine on my wife and i roll up to the gate at Edwards AFB. As we are waiting to be escorted onto the base we got out to stretch our legs and the guard came over to chat. As we're talking he looks down and see the VT. plate on the truck. He lived about 20 miles from us.

Salt Lake City with an oversize load. Can't deliver till Monday morn. so we drop the trailer and bob tail to a movie theater. Standing in line the guy behind us reads the back of my wife's t-shirt (General store nearest our home) and says i was just there last week.

Somewhere in IL. we stop at a truck stop for supper. Walk in and there's a friend of mine from back home sitting there.

Jubitz truck stop Portland, OR. Sitting at the bar ( yeah a bar at a T.S. first time i'd ever seen one)
Chatting with the bar tender and she asks where we're from. I tell her VT. she says me too.

Pull into a T. S. in Ohio, walk into the restaurant there's our neighbor Fred eating breakfast.

Small world.

[KNS]

Back in the early '90s and a couple summers doing helicopters tours in Alaska I took a change of course and got a job the following summer flying at the Grand Canyon. "The Ditch". Tours could sometimes get monotonous with faces, literally from all over the world, starting to look alike but it was not a bad way to build flight time when you're young (Alaska was way more fun than the Canyon!).

Just before landing back at the South Rim a couple in the back asks me if I had flown in Juneau the year before. I said "Yes, I was there last summer". They said "You were our pilot!" Freaking small world. I had zero recollection of them but they described exactly a flight I would have taken them on.

[ErVikingo]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

Which island in the Caribbean, I'm having a coincidence feeling

PR You?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by pete3799

On a trip from CT. to CA. with a Pratt and Whitney jet engine on my wife

She must be REALLY fast or REALLY strong or maybe both!

[MBAtarga]

We moved from Stone Mountain GA where I had attended St Mtn Elementary school for the 2nd grade - down to Brandon FL where we lived until I started the 7th grade. I was bused from the Brandon area in the 5th grade to a "minority" neighborhood school about 13 miles away. Got chatting with a classmate near the end of the school year. Come to find out, she went to St Mtn Elementary school in the 2nd grade as well, just had a different teacher that was across the hall!

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Originally Posted by ErVikingo

PR You?

New Providence, Bahamas 80 square miles of tiny island

[ErVikingo]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

New Providence, Bahamas 80 square miles of tiny island

Lovely place!