What is luck?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

What is luck? I am probably in the top .1 percentile of the luck spectrum but that includes bad luck as well as good. I have so much luck that I started a spreadsheet awhile ago to keep track of it all. The challenge in making entries is defining luck.

Last night driving home was a clear example of good luck. 93 to 95 south has a great decreasing radius cloverleaf that I try to go through cleanly, at speed. Last night, no cars in either lane (rare) so I want to take it fast, Waze was off for some reason, accelerating into the decrease looking left through turn and all of sudden I see a state trooper out of the corner of my right eye. I then looked at the trooper in the car, our eyes met. Continued through the turn, was doing mid-60s through it with the BMW, now with 264K miles on it, though whole suspension is new. Could not believe no lights. Drove home slowly.

I think the speed limit is 35 through the cloverleaf.

What is luck? Are you lucky?

[stevej37]

States are different from another.....but in MI they have said that curve speeds are 'suggested' speeds.
I'm sure that if I crash or cause an accident while speeding through one that I would be ticketed.

Nice of the Officer to understand that you were in control.

[masraum]

I consider myself pretty lucky. It's not like I had a millionaire uncle leave me all his money or anything, but I feel like I've always been pretty lucky.

[deckard]

luck has no memory. ian fleming; casino royale

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

States are different from another.....but in MI they have said that curve speeds are 'suggested' speeds.
I'm sure that if I crash or cause an accident while speeding through one that I would be ticketed.

Nice of the Officer to understand that you were in control.

Right, If the speed limit on the white rectangular signs says 60, but then there's a corner/curve with a yellow diamond sign that says 35, then you aren't actually speeding unless you're going >60. The yellow signs are suggestions.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15348556/advisory-cornering-speeds-arent-made-up-numbers-except-when-they-are/

[gregpark]

Same in CA. The yellow speed signs at curves are advisory. If the limit is 60 then it's 60. Reckless speed is at the discretion of the officer however. The thing I never do is cross or touch a solid painted line. Yellow in the lane or white at the shoulder are the same ticket. I always drive 10mph over any speed limit and don't get tickets

[rwest]

Well, all of us are lucky you’re here Shaun, but your trooper luck might have been more of he couldn’t get a speed read on you out of a corner, so just let it go.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by gregpark

Same in CA. The yellow speed signs at curves are advisory. If the limit is 60 then it's 60. Reckless speed is at the discretion of the officer however. The thing I never do is cross or touch a solid painted line. Yellow in the lane or white at the shoulder are the same ticket. I always drive 10mph over any speed limit and don't get tickets

I'm generally 5-10, although at times it may be a bit higher. Most of my drive to work is 75mph, but there are some spots where they drop it to 60 for "construction" (even if that just means that they've put up jersey barriers on the shoulder, but aren't actually doing anything), and then "in Houston" the speed drops to 60. I set my cruise at 83 and leave it there until I get off the Interstate. I run my cruise as much as possible, because if I didn't my speed would creep up.

[Magyar Kiwi]

Luck = Fate
Cheers

[gregpark]

A couple weeks ago on Friday the 13th my luck ran out. Coming back from the mountains with empty car hauler trailer in tow my cheap ass chinese tires decided to lose air. 3 flats, 1 spare, no compressor. And a jury summons waiting in the mail! Other than that it was a lovely day

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

What is luck?

I think that 'good' luck comes into play when there's a positive outcome to a dicey situation that you have absolutely no control over.

Are you lucky?

I guess I was at least once...

I was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam war, completed basic training, then was sent directly to combat infantry training. Every company that preceded mine thru the training, down to the last man, was sent straight to Vietnam. Most of my company also went the same route, but a handful of us...me included...were assigned to stateside duty instead of being shipped overseas. So, instead of humping an M16 thru the jungle, I served out the rest of my 2 years working an office job in the 82nd Airborne division headquarters at Ft. Bragg, NC.

Lucky? I'll say it was! I've never depended on luck to pull me thru any situation ever again...I feel that I used up a lifetime's worth right then & there.

[oldE]

I have often said I must be the luckiest SOB who ever lived, because of all the stupid things I have done and got away with. Like the barn wall falling on me and waking away without a scratch.
Like heading out in a new S series International at about 5 AM and suddenly having the thought about how messed up the fiberglass front would be if a deer jumped in front of the truck. That freaked me out enough I slowed down and a big doe jumped out of the ditch and ran across the road.
Like sailing through white caps in an old 14 foot plywood skiff in November and finding out a few months later the boat had split along the keel due to rot.
Like falling in love at age 19 and still being deeply in love with the same woman 51 years later.
Lucky, I tell you.

[stevej37]

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

What is luck? Are you lucky?

I’ve had good luck and bad luck, but I do believe in the adage, “The harder I work, the luckier I get “ I can’t account for the bad luck.

[herr_oberst]

[3rd_gear_Ted]

Luck is a reflection of a certain degree of preparation

[Indescikov]

Luck favors the prepared

[sc_rufctr]

I think some people are incredibly lucky but most of us are not.

Just look at history. The only real option ordinary folks have is hard work.

[LWJ]

Well heck.

A smoking hot chick picked up on me in 1987. She is quietly reading in the next room right now.

I was born in the 1960's. To a middle class family that understood investing and saving and the value of education.

None of my alcoholic friends have managed to kill me yet.

My children are healthy, beautiful, and like me.

My dog is better looking than yours and cries when I have been gone a little while.

I have lived in an amazing country 99.9% of my life.

I have owned THREE Porsches, an MGB, a full convertible K5 Blazer, a 63 Impala, 2 land cruisers, 3 F250's among my other cars.

I have MADE MONEY on my lifetime auto purchases.

I watched Mt. St. Helens blow up first hand and then made a mint cleaning up the ash.

I had a rewarding career.

I experienced Grunge first hand.

My investment track record is far better than the S&P500

Ken Kesey served me oven fried chicken.

I was at UO during the cocaine/alcohol fueled 1980's, and didn't get arrested, any STD's, or lasting trauma.

The list goes on and on.

Yeah. I'm lucky.

[KFC911]

Luck comes with life ... both good and bad. Then you run out of all three.

We are all incredibly lucky ... some moreso than others in both extremes tho'...

A collie named "Lucky" sunk his tooth in next to my eye when I was around 5-6 years old. I was lucky too