Wednesday, 29 August 2012

My Golden Horseshoe: A True Story

For those of you that don't know me very well, it may surprise you to learn that alot of people believe I have a golden horseshoe wedged somewhere uncomfortable.  And I don't mean the back of a volkswagon.  I guarentee you that this is indeed the case, although it is likely smaller than you are imagining simply for the sake of personal comfort.
I am gifted with way more than my fair share of luck.  I  always have been.  I assure you that this is not a boast, merely a statement of fact.  Now I also want to come right out and say that this does not mean that bad things don't happen to me.  Of course they do.  Into every life a little rain must fall.  And some days it falls in cascades, in torrential buckets even.  But that's life. C'est la vie.  But I frimly believe that when the clouds clear my golden horseshoe mainatins a karmic balance that is perpetually in my favour.
So back to the horseshoe.  It primarily comes into play in relation to contests where prizes are involved.
Here are a few real, honest examples:
Door Prizes:  The earliest example I can remember is winning a scale diecast model tractor at a local pig roast/barn dance when I was about 4 years old.  My Dad had filled out the ballot and used my name instead of his own.  Imagine my surprise when they called my name!
Concert Tickets:  Back in High School I won tickets to see Big Sugar on from FM96 by being the right caller.
Poker: While I certainly don't win every poker game I sit down to play, I have had years where my earnings from small home games were up over the $800 mark, and my first 2 attempts at a Vegas poker table had me up another $750 over 2 sittings.  Not because of my skill, but because I often get great cards when I need them.
50/50 Prizes:  I think I have won 3 50/50 pots over the years, one of which was for $437 - which I think may still hold the record for being the largest prize awarded at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
Game shows:  While out on a North American Tour with a show, I was selected to be a contestant on The Price is Right and won about $10,000 US in fabulous prizes.  (A home gym, and matching Kowasaki Dirt Bikes for those of you who don't know the story)  Yes, this actually happened.  I have the video to prove it! This is obviously the largest win to date, and totally deserves it's own blog post as my 15 seconds of fame, but that is a tale for another day.  Side bar: I was also selected to be a contestant at the The Price is Right Live in Vegas, but only won a T-shirt.  As I was one of the first 4 selected in Vegas, I didn't realize I only had one shot at the bidding phase to make it up onstage, but that's okay, since Just the Wife swore there was no way I would even get picked to be a contestant.  Oh ye of little faith!
Raffles:  For my most recent win, I just found out that I won a sexy Broil King BBQ in a raffle sponsored by DaveFM at the K/W Ribfest and Craft Beer Show this Summer.  I had actually been thinking just last weekend that I would need to replace my current BBQ next season, so the timing on this win is pretty remarkable.
So there you have it.  I think all this is pretty good evidence of a little bit of luck, and in my opinion it has totally been worth any minor discomfort that my golden horsehoe may have caused over the years. 
Of course I am still hoping for a big Lottery win, but you can't always get what you want.
Besides Sean Connery has told us what winners get to do, and I'm okay with that too.
;)

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