Luck occurs
When preparation meets opportunity.

What has been your biggest stroke of good luck?
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:36, 73 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

prepare to vomit
meeting my mrs

or that time I won £2.5 grand
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:37, Reply)

What were the circumstances of both events?
And can you pin-point the preparation you made to have this stroke of good fortune fall into your lap?
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:39, Reply)

an aptitude for maths and physics
choosing to do civil engineering at Cardiff
getting the required grades
I consider all that to be mainly luck

I only managed to piece together the circumstances surrounding winning the money after the fact, because I had no recollection of entering the competition. I can be fairly sure that it wasn't much more than a lottery because if I had had to do more than fill in a short form then I wouldn't have bothered.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:41, Reply)

good grades are only luck to a certain point
i am lucky that i have a photographic memory, but i still had to read the boring shite to memorise it and regurgitate it in exams from the ages of 7 to 25 to get to where i am today.

of course i could have been a damn sight luckier and gotten a damn sight further if i'd been born looking like angelina jolie. humph.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:43, Reply)

I didn't go down the regurgitation route
found it easier and less time consuming to actually learn the principles. Enough to get by anyway.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:45, Reply)

this lack of common sense is a hallmark of my life
i have never done an exam in my life (and we're talking scholarship, school entrance exams, oxford entrance, GCSE's, A-levels, first degree, law degree, LPC, financial accounting for solicitors and now my masters) that i didn't ignore all year and then frantically cram for at the last minute. i'm lucky that i am good at exams, so it nearly always results in an A or a first, but do i remember a word of it afterwards?

just don't ask me to balance a spreadsheet for chists sake.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:49, Reply)

That's me.
I always fared better in exams than with essays or coursework, yet for the exams I'd just read bullet points over and over for a few hours and with essays I'd be studying and researching for weeks. Makes no sense.
I'm good at bullshitting, evidently.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:51, Reply)

i look with bemused envy
at people who have pages of beautifully colour-coded notes. makes no sense to me. memorise, regurgitate, forget. that's how it works!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:52, Reply)

I'm familiar with those people
they just have a fancier method of memorising.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:54, Reply)

I used to envy them.
But meh, I was having egg and cress sandwiches and a glass of red wine with my mum when they were having nervous breakdowns over the causes of World War One.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:54, Reply)

hehe
I tended to stop revising at 6pm while in Cardiff, then go and smoke bongs until midnight. Then sit an exam at 9am.

Others would be revising all night.

Could never understand that. It still annoys the mrs slightly I think.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:57, Reply)

I can still remember many of the concepts that I learned at school, a level and university
I couldn't do the equations without references, but they are pretty stuck in there.

Conveniently I was also good at exams, I just never pushed myself that hard, hence a BCD at A level and a 2:1 at university. Got me where I wanted to be though, so that's what matters.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:52, Reply)

i'm ridiculously competitive at pointless academic shite
that B for latin a-level haunts me every time i have to do a cv, i hate it. A, A, A.... skanky B. what a make-up wearing moronic teenager i was!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:53, Reply)

I was disappointed with my D at A level maths
until I started university and discovered that I was significantly more adept at maths than many on my course who had got As and A*s

I never felt the need to compete with that stuff, even with myself or the system.

Path of least resistance was my motto
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:55, Reply)

I only paid attention in the subjects I enjoyed
And in sixth form ended up bunking off school a lot to play games, sleep and masturbate. Hence i ended up with the lovely grades of AAEU.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:58, Reply)

You did better than I did!
I stopped giving a shit at 6th form, I left with only 1 A Level.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:59, Reply)

I was actually relieved when I got to university and was no longer the highest-achieving kid there.
I went to a cack school, and my three lazy Bs at A-level were the best grades in my year. To suddenly not be despised, seen as a target or get all that "Ooh she did the best in her year!" shit from my mum was like a weight lifting off.
Hi, I'm Roota, I'm average.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:59, Reply)

that must have been a relief
I can still remember the look on my bro's face when he realised I wasn't stupid, academically.

I don't profess to be a genius, particularly since being a regular on here, but I'm certainly not a dumb ass
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:02, Reply)

Don't put your A-levels on your cv
you've got higher qualifications, so no-one gives a shit, surely?
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:10, Reply)

my recruitment agent drafted mine, i just did as i was told
the thing is, everyone in law has a 2:1 or a 1 and commendations or distinctions in the GDL/LPC. so they look for something to make you stand out. as you get more senior of course you're right, they get bumped off for big cases/deals and nobody cares about a-levels. but i've been here quite happily since i was a baby of 18 months PQE, so therefore my a-levels went on there and it hasn't been re-drafted since!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:26, Reply)

Fair enough..
I never know what's really best. I was told the rule is unless it is actually relevant to your field, then you list your last qualification only. Even I don't list my A levels and academics would usually claim their 11+ was relevant given half a chance...
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:45, Reply)

I tended down this route too
And sadly after nearly seven years have passed since I finished my degree, I can barely remember anything specific about it at all, just vague notions and arguments.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:55, Reply)

Same
except I only graduated 2 and a bit years ago. It worries me sometimes, how much I've forgotten.
(berk, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:18, Reply)

I understood for the necessary period of time and also did the regurgitation thing
But years later, only the cpncepts I found interesting are the ones I could still vaguely explain to you.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:49, Reply)

regurgitation would be useless in your field anyway.
it's only suitable for certain disciplines - humanities, social sciences, some aspects of biological and chemical science. maths and physical sciences are things you have to understand from principles to be any good at past A level.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:12, Reply)

you'd be surprised at how succesful it was for exams at university level
they didn't tend to deviate much when coming up with questions.

left some of the highest achievers on our course a bit fucked when they got into industry.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:17, Reply)

OK, rephrase
it "shouldn't" work for those disciplines. As people rapidly and brutally discover.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:33, Reply)

you are indeed right
your previous post was as well in fact, because it certainly wasn't suitable.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:35, Reply)

i was never any good at them past the age of 6, frankly
my mind just does not work that way.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:28, Reply)

+not

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:58, Reply)

Have you been replaced by a talking fortune cookie?
How will that affect your ability to screw the pooch?
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:39, Reply)

There is no luck
only probability.
Which basically makes me a God.
(PsychoChomp, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:40, Reply)

Why have you turned into Tony from Baron's Nightclub (4th best club in Hull)?

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:40, Reply)

Hahah
I was thinking 'Little Plum'
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:40, Reply)

Um heap big thread start

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:41, Reply)

Shut it.
Kinky John.
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:41, Reply)

I swear, on my NECK that Mandate are gonna be HUGE.

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:42, Reply)

you sound like a chinese fortune cookie in the first line
and like a stroke victim in the second line, sort it out.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:40, Reply)

I had a stroke the other day.
I didn't really consider myself a victim afterwards though. Just the usual mild guilt.
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:42, Reply)

alternatively
luck? in my experience there's no such thing as luck
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:42, Reply)

Depends what you define luck as.
If you consider it as something good (or bad I guess) happening by chance, then really you only consider it 'luck' if you weren't witness to every single instance of cause and effect that lead to that instance.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:46, Reply)

mainly what I was doing was quoting Obiwan Kenobi

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:46, Reply)

Ah...gotcha
*shelves vaguely-Philosophical ponderings on luck*
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:48, Reply)

now that I've thought about it
I suppose I consider luck to be the combination of events, choices or coincidence, that leads to something happening good or bad.

for the most part, things have worked out well for me, so I consider myself lucky.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:50, Reply)

Sorry, got distracted reading about rationalism and empiricism
I consider myself lucky too, in that I have awesome parents who are still very much in love with each other, and who brought my sister and I up to be moral, healthy and moderately well-behaved adults.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:03, Reply)

same here
having a stable family life seems to be a break from the norm these days
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:04, Reply)

Sad but true, my friend

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:05, Reply)

Probably getting this job
I have a degree in Philosophy, but managed to get a trainee position in this company when it was just branching out into digital forensics. If a mate hadn't told me about the position, I would have ended up in some shitty job, or even joined the Navy (I had the application forms to go in as an NCO if I didn't find any suitable job).
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:42, Reply)

Hello Sailor.

( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:45, Reply)

In a Vipros-like display of smugness and sentimentality, I would say meeting djtp.
And second to that was the day I rang my current employer and lazily asked if they had any jobs going as I was about to graduate and had a degree in useless subjects. They gave this clueless upstart a graduate traineeship, and I've done alright here for 10 years.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:45, Reply)

The other day I was thinking (it happens rarely I know)
And probably dropping out of Uni, because then I moved home got a random job that required no skillz, then in that job I was introduced to the wonderful world of b3ta (although it was more wonderful back then.. didn't have half as many shit people on)and from there met some awesome people (mainly Clendrix, Lusty and Wooks) and decided to move to London, where some people may still say I have a shit job but I do ok, the job is pretty stress free and we have a luagh and always have cheese in the fridge, oh and I get given jam randomly and get to go to museums and walk through parks.

And in answer to your question below: because I was bored mainly
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:55, Reply)

Sadface

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:00, Reply)

Who are you again?

( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:02, Reply)

Replaceable it seems

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:04, Reply)

Camden is only down the road
I could have my pick of replacement yous
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:29, Reply)

You should hold auditions
Include testing of middle-lane-driver-pointing and white-russian-making skills.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:31, Reply)

I'm making the posters as we speak

( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:33, Reply)

*high fives*

(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:14, Reply)

meeting the mister
cheesy but true
(DeeDee, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 11:57, Reply)

I'm with you.
It's nice having a best buddy who you can also do the sex with.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:00, Reply)

trudat
*high fives all round*
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:02, Reply)

*throws head back and boogies*

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:04, Reply)

*wallflowers*

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:05, Reply)

C'mawn, get on daaown!

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:06, Reply)

Really?
Gosh, I mean, won't DJTP mind?
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:07, Reply)

fnaaar!
Nah, he's taking a tarte to 'a dinner party we're attending' instead of me, apparently.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:11, Reply)

It's always nice to take dessert to dinner parties.

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:12, Reply)

I am making my Rocky Road, which is well-loved round these parts.
I'm sure you'll try it one day if we ever go to the same food occasion.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:14, Reply)

even better when they're good at house-y stuff, and catching spiders etc

(DeeDee, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:06, Reply)

I'm lucky that not only is my mrs lovely and feminine and stuff
but she is also good at DIY. Makes up for me doing almost all the cooking.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:07, Reply)

Wasps are my trouble.
But if I always have a can of Raid to hand I shan't bother him.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:08, Reply)

i use the hoover
or send the cat in to do the catching, then find a trail of spiders legs around the house :(
(DeeDee, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:10, Reply)

it's touch and go with my cat.
Sometimes he's all over it, and other times he ignores the spider totally, even as I'm pointing and flailing.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:12, Reply)

Men are only good for lifting heavy things, killing spiders and wanking.
/so I've been told
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:15, Reply)

and opening jars

(DeeDee, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:16, Reply)

And changing lightbulbs

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:20, Reply)

and putting together flatpack furniture

(DeeDee, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:24, Reply)

ooh yes!
haven't used him for this yet...
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:26, Reply)

You make your own luck.
/uninteresting but true answer
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:13, Reply)

I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.
/Thomas Jefferson
(BrianHequator was stretching owls, on, or around, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:16, Reply)

I find the more I drink the less I care about luck

( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:28, Reply)

I am incredibly lucky.
Considering how poorly I did at school and my past bouts of depression, I should be dead or destitute. I have a wonderful family who always helped me. The fact that I complain about the only thing I'm not lucky with sometimes embarrases me.
( girlinthehole, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:56, Reply)

I got half way up his thigh...
Then his guards removed me from the palace.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodluck_Jonathan
(The Archduke of South London I'm in your Girlfriend eating her organs, Wed 26 Jan 2011, 13:40, Reply)