Diary of a SubUrban Housewife

Getting Lucky

I will say that when it comes to playing games I'm very competitive. I'm competitive but very good. So much so that there are members of my family who refuse to play backgammon, cribbage, or Scrabble with me anymore.

I'm also good at games of chance. I'm still ahead lifetime over Las Vegas, and much to the chagrin of my husband, don't really feel the need to go back there and ruin my record.

I'm particularly good at picking the ponies. I've had this skill since I was a teenager. I would go to the racetrack with my stepmother and her friend. I'd get a $20 budget and invariably leave the track with totals in the hundreds (OK, you can't make a mint on $2.00 bets). My methods are extremely scientific--it involves considering the colors the jockey is wearing, how the horse looks, and the position of Mars.

So yesterday I pop into my friend Cindy's office. Her husband, Pete, called while I was in there. Come to find out Pete is at Del Mar with a bunch of his friends. Jokingly I told her to tell Pete to put $5.00 on the number three horse in the next race.

Pete starts hemming and hawing that he's not going to because if it loses he'll never see his $5.00. I promise I'll give him the $5.00 if I lose.

I came in this morning to find the following e-mail:

From: Cindy
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 5:10 PM
To: Beth Reinstein Atkins
Cc:
Subject: You won
Importance: High

$5 paid $14. Pete has $9 for you!!!

Go me!

She gave me the actual $9.00 Pete got from the racetrack.

I think I'll go buy some lottery tickets this afternoon.

Posted by beth at August 29, 2003 12:14 PM