Don't Blame it On Mio!

Dear Reader(s):

I have been wanting to send you all a picture of my new car but didn't know how to do it gracefully. I wanted to avoid a "Look at MEEEEE" moment if possible but, what the heck, it is kind of fun to buy a car. So here she be!

My new Ford Fusion SEL AWD is actually a nice car, but it sat out in the 120º F lot for a while and some of the trim issues I've been dealing with are a real pain in the buttinski. So I have had to bring MyFusion in for 'trim work' several times. If you've ever visited a dealership you know that, when you check in at the Service Driveway at a car dealership, they stick a plastic number on top of your car so they know which white American car is mine and which one is yours? Well, if you haven't noticed, pay attention next time! At this point in time you can assume that I was NOT surprised at the number they chose for my car. Can you believe this? Oh, and as for the picture: nice door handle, side mirror and windshield, eh? You'll just have to trust me - the rest of the car is nice.

I just have one final thing to say to you today: please DO NOT blame me for the dramatic stock market crash this week! My middle name is not Lehman, Washington, Wachovia or even Chase. And I wouldn't be too quick to blame Brad either because you know that if he could have avoided your losing money on This Year's Black Monday he would have done so. And Brad is much closer to being the type of person who might be able to invoke divine providence to avoid such a catastrophe, so let's not bark up that tree, okay?

Now, as for me being the catalyst or cause of a 777 point drop in the New York Stock Exchange, ask yourself this question: could a person who can no longer tune his guitar without an electronic chromatic tuner be in possession of a sufficient percentage of his faculties to make something like this happen? The answer is of course not. So I didn't cause the drop. Now, as for the precise (777) severity of the crash, how can I say for certain that I had nothing to do with it? How can I deny that this is a possibility?


While I am certainly not aware of anything I have done that would have encouraged the market to crash so violently, I have to admit that it gave me pause when I read the headline for this article >>>>. When I read "Dow Dives blah blah blah, and the mathematical value assigned to 'blah' is 7..... well, you know, it isn't like I have a case of Market Crash Disassociative Disorder. So how can I say that a loss of 777 points has absolutely nothing to do with me? If only I could...

Oh, I hear you, and I am happy to listen to many, if not most of you, spout "tuh" when referring to my obsession with the Number 7. You have earned that right as loyal reader. But, twice again, I have documented certain coincidences that give me pause - I can't help it. And as long as I continue to be prodded by this number, I'm afraid I shall always ask that pressing question that all of us must come to grips with on a daily basis:

"Why MEEEE?"

At least that's what I tend to say. And you, are you sure you are not being numerically stalked and unaware of it simply because you are not paying attention? Well if you are so sure of yourself, Mr. or Mrs. Smartypants, I dare you to start paying more attention to numbers around you to see if there is one number that continually seeks you out. If you find this to be the case please let me know, as I am feeling quite picked-on these days.

I am often reminded in a moderately condescending tone that I am seeing these Number 7's simply because I am more observant...I'm looking for 7's. Others - though they haven't ever said this - wonder if I am going mad. Well, I am bemused and belittled, but not below saying that if I am going mad, how can the rest of the Human Race be far behind?

It's not like I just noticed the Number 7 for the first time a few months ago. Au contraire, digit-breather. I have been aware for over 20 years of the fact that my birth date, translated, equates to 7-7-7, yet I have never experienced anything like what has happened these past several months!

My quest is to discover exactly what has changed. I am human (as far as I know) but, just like all of the 90210 freaks on Heroes, I am searching for my Life Purpose. And when I approach The Last of Days, were I to discover that the Number 7 was the key to my quest, how will that make me look when I show up at the Pearly Gates? What, I'll tell them that I simply didn't care enough to try to discover my Life Purpose? No, no no, I cannot afford to simply ignore it.

That would be very bad for my reputation, such as it is.

Anyway, I suppose you can imagine how NOT surprised I was when I looked at the number on the plastic thing they put on the top of your car when you check in....