(me and my dad in front of the giant sedan he never had trouble parking)
despite being an economist and a statistician with a super solid understanding of probability and odds, my dad was also a DREAMER. he really believed in luck (especially his own, which he called, “rhode luck”) so he regularly bought lotto tickets. several nights a week, on his way home from the city he would pull over at max’s liquors and get lottos with our birthday numbers. he DID have luck, at least for parking, because he always seemed to get a spot right out front in his BIG sedan, even though san pablo is one of the busiest streets in berkeley (like the way the lead character in a movie pulls up smack in front of the bar or restaurant in a crazy city without ever circling or even having to back in to the space.)
(max’s liquors… i couldn’t begin to figure out how many lottos my dad bought here!)
today would have been my father’s 86th birthday (until recently we thought it was the 84th, but he’d been hilariously slippery about his actual age for decades like a true diva) and we will be celebrating with lotto tickets reflecting his birthdays. of course, i will go to max’s… fingers crossed (and “rhode luck”) i get a good parking! HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY my darling dad. i love you higher than the sky is high and deeper than the ocean is deep! x0x0x