Getting Lucky

Sometimes you come across some interesting novelty books. Some selected excerpts from Luck: The Essential Guide.

An empty hornet’s nest, hung high, is a good-luck charm for the whole family.

An occupied one, probably not so much.

The cardinal rule for the New Year’s meal in Sicily is this: good luck comes only to those who eat lasagna. Those who eat fettuccine, macaroni, fusilli, tagliatelle, or any other pasta do so at their own risk

This is a tradition I could get used to.

When in Rome: Stay away from nuns. If a nun can’t be avoided, touch iron (knocking on wood Italian-style) immediately after seeing one to preserve good fortune. You can also do as the Italians do and mutter “Your nun!” to the next person you see, passing the nun (and therefore the bad luck) to someone else.

When in Japan: Pay attention to the first person you meet each morning. If it’s a woman, you’ll have good luck, but if it’s a Buddhist priest, you’re in for a bad day.

I wonder what it is with religious figures…

Try selling  your health problem to a friend. Offer to give her a good deal – say, a buck fifty – on your tendonitis. Some believe that the evil spirits that control the illness will get confused as to who should actually have it and the problem will go away.

Those spirits are pretty gullible. T2 diabetes anyone? I can give you a great deal.