An interesting quote

From a book I just finished:

"Here's another crazy game. Suppose the state of California made its citizens the following offer: Of all those those pay the dollar or two to enter, most will receive nothing, one person will receive a fortune, and one person will be put to death in a violent manner. Would anyone enroll in that game? People do, and with enthusiasm. It is called the state lottery. And although the state does not advertise it in the manner in which I have described it, that is the way it works in practice. For while one lucky person wins the grand prize in each game, many millions of other contestants drive to and from their local ticket vendors to purchase their tickets, and some die in highway accidents along the way. Applying statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and depending on such assumptions as how far each individual drives, how many tickets he or she buys, and how many people are involved in a typical accident, you find that a reasonable estimate of those fatalities is about one death per game."

Discovering things by accident

Often, when I'm in some sort of physical discomfort and don't know why, I discover the cause by accidentally repeating the movement that caused it in the first place.

Today's confusion involved my left calf. It's been hurting for most of the last few hours, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why.

Until I crossed my legs.

Then I realized that my right knee was digging into my left calf muscle.

So, at least that's one mystery solved. And at least I don't need to start worrying about more esoteric causes (like blot clots or something). I just need to remember not to cross my legs for a while.

Consider yourselves informed.