ok, as you're new, you won't have heard me tell this before. pls explain this one to me - i really really want to know!
about a year after my mum died, i was dreaming about her one night. as always in the dream, she was trying to speak but couldn't. this time it was on the phone. it was so distressing that it woke me up. it was about 5.30am. i was upset for a bit, but went back to sleep.

when i got up at about 8.30, i had a missed call on my mobile from a manchester number, made at 5.36am. i vaguely recognised it, so i called it back. it was the school my mum taught at. i was so disturbed! not one person there could have had my mobile number, and anyway, who would have been in a primary school at 5.30am? i literally cannot explain this, but would love the answer.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 9:56, 3 replies, latest was 11 years ago)

OH MY GOD THERE ARE GHOSTS!!!!!!

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 9:57, Reply)

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 9:58, Reply)

nah
if she were a ghost, she could do something decent, like nick me a chanel handbag.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 9:59, Reply)

You materialistic ways make ghostmum sad :(

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:06, Reply)

this almost sounds like a kids' storybook
not like the one my kid picked up at school last time i went reading, where the new kid at school came home to the hero's house for tea... and told them all about his AIDS.... for a 5 year old? really? i thought that was a bit much!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:08, Reply)

It's a co-incidence.
Weird yeah, but not impossible.
( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 9:58, Reply)

what, so someone just happened to be in the school at 5.30am
and just happened to dial my mobile number by mistake, out of all the billions of number combinations as they were sneaking around the school when it was closed?

this stretches credulity in "coincidence" too far.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 9:59, Reply)

Some teachers do go in early. Caretakers, cleaners.....

( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:00, Reply)

i don't buy coincidence, it's too easy
there will be an explanation, but i just can't think what it is.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:02, Reply)

Yeah, it's very unlikely, I'll give you that, but that doesn't make it impossible.
It's like the old 'walking past a ringing phonebox, answered it, and it was my mum OMG' stories.
( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:05, Reply)

i'd accept something like
"the secretary got locked in, was ringing every number in the school database" - but even then, nobody there would have had my number. gaaaah, it pecks my head.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:06, Reply)

I find the 'unlikely but possible' theory a lot more of an interesting thing to happen than 'Ghostmum' or whatever.

( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:09, Reply)

agreed
but i also don't accept "coincidence". it's too easy.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:10, Reply)

I don't get why it's too easy?
Co-incidences DO happen.
Weird stuff isn't supernatural.
( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:12, Reply)

Can anyone explain this unnecessary hyphen being used in the word 'coincidence'?

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:15, Reply)

My 'puter keep correcting it to that, I have no idea why.

( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:16, Reply)

i want a SCIENTIFIC explanation
not your superstitious magpie crossing coincidences
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:16, Reply)

She had an important message for you from beyond the grave
"Let it gooooo Rachel, let it goooo... It's only a pizza and some disappointing seeex..."
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:13, Reply)

For clarification, ^ this is how ghostmums speak.

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:14, Reply)

I'm going to set up a GHOSTMUM sock account and instruct her to do bad, bad things.

( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:15, Reply)

Good plan, she'll never know it's really you.

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:15, Reply)

will depend what he asks me to do
"make dr frog a cheese sandwich" will be a dead giveaway
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:16, Reply)

i DON'T EVEN EAT RAW CHEESE!

( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:17, Reply)

WHAT????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:22, Reply)

Only melted or cooked. Not raw.

( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:24, Reply)

you heathen
a good cheeseboard is one of life's finest pleasures!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:30, Reply)

It's ming.

( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:31, Reply)

i can't wait til you are one

( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:15, Reply)

The tragedy is that I will never become a ghostmum :'(

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:23, Reply)

NEVER SAY NEVER

( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:23, Reply)

But you just said it twice

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:29, Reply)

i'm special
as you well know
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:30, Reply)

Some sort of network timing error?
I regularly get "missed call" texts many hours after the actual call was made, with the wrong times on.
(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:03, Reply)

possibly
but this was in the days before i got a text to say someone called; it was just a missed call symbol.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:04, Reply)

Oh come on, it was a coincidence
The more unlikely something is, the more likely it was a coincidence, not the other way around
( Kroney, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:08, Reply)

no
you just slap that word on, like a bandage. you're like an ancient greek. ooooh, i can't explain that. MUST BE A GOD!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:09, Reply)

Someone was ringing a number similar to yours, dialed it wrong.
They happened to be at your Ma's old school.
It's hardly Bermuda Triangle stuff.
( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:10, Reply)

i think you're missing something
possibly a chromosome or two
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:13, Reply)

AH I see, gone to insults because you believe in GHOSTMUM.

( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:14, Reply)

yes! you're learning!

( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:16, Reply)

Whats that GHOSTMUM?
Yes, she is a bit of a prick.
( MEATSNAKE Richard Hammond, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:18, Reply)

DUH

( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:22, Reply)

How about this one then?
At the wedding I went to last weekend, one of the bride's cousin's phone went off during the service (on silent), when she got it out of her handbag outside it was showing a missed call from the number of her grandma who had died the year before - but it was also showing "no network coverage" as the reception in the village is dreadful at the best of times.
Weird, or coincidence?
(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:10, Reply)

it's like that episode of friends where phoebe calls joey, pretending to be his agent, not knowing she carked it
"call from out of area? boy, i'll say..."
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:12, Reply)

Haha yeah Friends is well LOL

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:22, Reply)

oh look at me, i'm all like alternative and shun mainstream culture, yeah

( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:23, Reply)

Oh man I feel shamed into watching Friends now

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Wed 18 Sep 2013, 10:30, Reply)