ON WINNING

My dad likes to say "If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all." For proof of this, he cites his many losses in the "Powerball" lottery drawing. I would say that there is a certain amount of good fortune in his life (and mine), as he owns his own home, two cars, and has children who care about him (one of which is me, and really, that's pretty much a genetic jackpot).

For a while, I held my dad's dim view of our family luck. However, a few years ago, I was entered in a raffle at a housing conference. I won a prize and ended up with soy-based wickless candles. Yeah. I loudly lamented this win, as I really had no use for these things...until my friend Mario said "Shut up, Brad. At least you won something!" I had to admit, he was right. Oh, and I may have also cheated to win by giving myself extra entries, I really don't remember. But I know that I shouldn't complain too much, because I did get something for nothing.

This past Monday, there were prizes for correct Red Sox trivia questions during lunch. A friend went up for the first question, got it right, and won two Red Sox tickets to tonight's game. Sweet prize, right? The next question came - some friends missed it, then I decided to try my luck. And I got it right! Woohoo! Red Sox tickets for - what? No tickets? Okay, what did I win?

I'll tell you what I won: the ugliest T-shirt I have ever seen. It's somewhere between periwinkle and lavender, with splotches of bright yellow paint on it. The front reads something about activity, and the back has, right between the shoulder blades, the phrase: "clebr8 stayn actv!" [sic x 7]. It is awful. Oh, and it's an extra-large, so it fits me like a poncho.

I realize I have no right to complain, especially because I didn't pay anything for this shirt, and, at the very worst, I can wear it while working out this summer. But still, to go from Red Sox tickets to that...maybe my dad was right.