the law

So there’s Murphy’s Law right. (Named after a Capt. Edward A. Murphy, in case you wanna know who to blame when shit goes wrong), like when you’ve just got your car all waxed and shined for an all important girls weekend, and a thunderstorm the size of Napoleon’s ego, rains down on it and messes it up.

Murphy dictates that when you get your car washed, it’ll rain the next day.

Looked like a tornado was headed our way last night. The skies blackened, and Independence Day, the movie, suddenly wasn’t a movie anymore. Goodbye nicely shined car.

But whatever, that’s small fry. Murphy didn’t quite make it to the iPhone era, but modern technology means that about ten Murphy’s Laws happen a day now, not just one like the rain, or when you’re carrying 7 bags, your nose will itch.

Alanis and Murphy should’ve been lovers. What with her ten thousand spoons when all she needed was a knife.

Today, modern tech crises go down all the time, just because it will. Which means more fun time for the Captain D’el Shit Out Of Luck, and less fun time for you.

- The lady at Engen takes your card, she swipes, and then as she asks ‘Cheque or savings?’ or as you’re about to punch in your PIN, your mate from Australia phones, and you have to delve through keys, sunglasses, iPod, tissues, undeterminable papers and other arb flotsam to get to your ringing phone. Five seconds later it would’ve been fine, but as you’re in the middle of your transaction it happens.

- Same goes for ATMs.

- A shitstorm is raining down on your head at work, stress levels are soaring, amongst the chaotic furore around you, you’re briefly considering another Vitamin B shot even if it’s in the rear, phones are ringing, you have a deadline, your computer crashes, you lose all your work, people need a favour, people are pinging you left right and centre, your Skype message says ‘No Entry’ and yet people are wanting to chat. The bank is phoning you with their usual ‘buy another fucking credit card’ crap, and you don’t have a moment to eat.

- On the flipside, it’s a slow day, you’ve done your work, you’re pottering around, cleaning your desk, and the office is quiet, there are no paper jams, and no one is online, the phone is silent. Nothing big happening on sensational news sites either. So when I actually have time to talk, nothing’s going on.

- Then suddenly the work builds up to a crescendo again, leaving you sweating, and an old mate pings you. ‘Wwassup, are you busy? Have you seen this crazy website…’

- Your leg falls off, and you would be standing in Chad. Where, I believe, there are no aerials.

- You’ll buy the plasma screen the day before it goes on sale.

Maybe Murphy was a cranky old bastard, because he only seemed to dictate that stuff would go pear. And not the other way round. Like, imagine if it actually rained a day before you get the car washed. Imagine that actually happening.

So he didn’t seem to have much to say about something actually might go right.

He just didn’t have Wikipedia around to show him how to get it.
Turns out there’s this whole big philosophy around Luck and what it is, or even if it even is.

While gripped in concentration, and while reading this article explaining 'happenings beyond a person’s control,' (definition of Luck: (n)luk), I got pinged twice, and phoned twice. Not before or after, during.

Which begs the question: what is the real differentiator between luck, irony and coincidence?
(A free ride when you’ve already paid could be a coincidence if the person behind you also got a free ride and already paid. Ha!)