Lucky Numbers

So, Ryan at Rockstar's Ramblings has been having fun with an astrologer compairing his horoscopes to actual events and what not. Fun stuff. In any case, the astrologer responds by talking about random numbers...I mean lucky numbers and how you can use them. Here's the deal.

You can use your lucky numbers in any action that involves choosing a number - such as a date or time of day. For example, if you have an important appointment or phone call to make, you can use your lucky numbers to set the best time. So say that two of your lucky numbers are 1 and 15. You could make the call at 1:15, or set up an appointment on the 1st or 15th of the month. You can even "reverse" your lucky numbers. If 12 was one of your lucky numbers, you could also use 21. And of course you can combine your lucky numbers, using all or a few of them, as you wish.

This got me wondering, how many days a month are REALLY lucky based on this statement?


Step 1, I need lucky numbers. Lucky for me(!), we had chinese for lunch today. Fortune cookie to the rescue. My lucky numbers are 8, 15, 22, 23, 27, 35.


Step 2, figure out how many days using any combination of numbers in forward or reverse order are lucky.


Okay first off, the lucky numbers (except 35) themselves are lucky days. 5 down. I would reverse the numbers to get a few more, but no such luck, none of the work as valid days of the month backwards. On to the combining. As I see it, math is combining. Yup.


We'll start subtracting things. 23-22 = 1. 27-23 = 4. 27 - 22 = 5. 22-15 = 8. 22-8 = 14. 35-23 = 12. 35-22 = 13. 27-8 = 19. 35-15 = 20. That's 9 more. Now we need to get tricky and start flipping numbers over.. that's legal you know.


53-22 = 31. 53-23 = 30. 51-22 = 29. 51-23 = 28. 32-8 = 24. 32-15 = 17. 53-32 = 11. 32-22 = 10. 53-51 = 2. Alright, another 9. 9 must be significant.


That leaves me with 3, 6, 9, 16, 18, 21, 25, and 26. There's that 9 again. Let's get rid of it. 23-22+8 = 9. HA!


Well, I'm sure I could get more, but I'm hungry and want my dinner. Besides, what fun is life without a few unlucky days per month. 7 to be specific.


Or I could be wrong, I've been wrong before.

Small Beginnings

I had considered the idea of my first post being in some way profound or describing my "mission statement", but I've decided that's not going to be the case. First of all, I've found that anyone who sets out to be profound disturbs me. The mere idea is disturbing Second, mission statements sort of pigeonhole you into one particular vein. You've set a goal that you must now live up to. I've got enough things to live up to without living up to a place where I dump my musings.

Therefore, I present the following.

I'm fascinated with my hair. Not in general. I'm specifically fascinated with the hairs that are falling out of my eyebrows.

See, I'm starting to go grey. I'm okay with this, even though my wife isn't. The thing is, I always wondered how one goes gray. Generally, if you notice a grey hair, it's all grey when you notice it. And you say.. hmmm... how'd this get here? How didn't I notice it? Was it born grey or did it become grey? My eyebrow hairs are the key to the mystery of grey hair. They're dark on one end, light on the other end. I find myself putting them onto dark surfaces and staring at them. It's like counting rings on a tree trunk. The tale of my fading hair color.

Of course, now I find it very disturbing when I find a hair that isn't fading. The norms have changed, and what was once normal is now odd. Ain't life grand.