Oh, the COINmanity!

I've had a bit of a dry spell when it comes to ladybug sightings and penny-finding and five-dollar-daughter-billing. However...

Thursday night, when I left my dark basement lair to relax in my OPC (Old People Chair) and watch some DVRs on the big screen, I got a surprise. I had just turned on the DISH receiver and television, with the remote on the TV tray that acts as my end table. I hadn't plopped down yet, still needing to adjust the lighting, and had my back to the television. I looked over my shoulder to make sure I'd hit the right buttons. You don't even want to know what I have to go through (now that I am Geniusless and Ponyless with the gadget boys away at college) when I hit something wrong.

The first image that popped up on the big screen was the tail-end of an Illinois Lottery commercial, with a ladybug crawling down a finger. I'd seen it once before, and had looked for that image in other Illinois lottery commercials, but never saw it again until now. I was beginning to think I had imagined it a while back. Well. That was a pleasant surprise.

Saturday morning, I was headed to town for my 44 oz Diet Coke at the gas station chicken store. First, I wanted to pick up some scratch-off tickets at Orb K. I turned into their parking lot, but it was a madhouse. I suppose a lot of highway travelers were getting a jump on the holiday, and this place has a dozen or more gas pumps. I left without stopping, and made a snap decision to go get my tickets out of the machine at Country Mart instead.

When I pulled into my favorite parking spot at Country Mart, I was thinking about my tickets as I stepped out. A shine caught my eye. I took out my cell phone to capture the sight of the elusive wild penny.

I know you can't see it here. Those are tar spots that you might think are coins. I couldn't tell when I checked the phone, because the sun was so bright on the screen. BUT I got a closer view. The penny is up by that snaky line of crack-patch tar, right at the sidewalk corner.

Well. That, too, was a pleasant surprise. Old Abe was looking up at me like he was posing. Of course I picked that penny up. It was a 2001, in case that date means anything to anybody. It does not have significance for me. That I know of. Oh, and I won $25 on a ten-dollar ticket I got there.

Sunday, I stopped by Orb K during a lull, to cash in that winner for some more tickets. I was standing fourth in line, with only one checker working. No sooner had I walked up to the queue than the lady at the front completed her purchase, stepped to the side, and

PICKED UP A PENNY OFF THE FLOOR!!!

Noooo! That was MY rightful penny! Had I only had time for my eyes to adjust from the bright sun, I would have noticed that penny on the penny-colored tile of Orb K's floor! To make matters worse, the dude in front of me told the lady, "Use it to scratch your tickets! It'll probably be good luck."

Yes, the Universe was frowning on me that day, I suppose. Not only did I miss my rightful penny, but that lady probably hit a big winner on a ticket I was going to buy. As it was, I won $30 total on two ten- and a five-dollar scratcher. I was still miffed about that penny, though!

Today, Monday, I cashed that $30 in for more tickets over at Waterside Mart. My luck has run out, because I didn't win a single thing on the two ten-dollar tickets I bought. But the ten dollars in change was given to me as

TWO FIVE-DOLLAR BILLS!

Yeah. I'm okay with not winning for a day. Maybe I'm on the every-other-day plan now for my mystical signs from the Universe.