What are the odds?

This week has a Friday the 13th, an unlucky day.

Some people would have no luck at all if it weren't for bad luck. Others just seem to land on their feet no matter what happens to them. Some of them deserve that; others I work with and wonder about.

A wagering web-site BetUS.com predicts some of the odds of having a truly awful Friday the 13th:

The World to End: 1,000,000/1
You lose your job: 100/1 (been there)
Your spouse leaves you: 500/1
You throw out your back: 250/1
You go bankrupt: 500/1
You get a flat tire: 50/1 (been there several times)
You break your leg: 100/1
A bird will poop on you: 100/1 (been there, blasted pigeon)
You will get sick: 50/1 (oh give me a break, been there, done that, got the T-shirt)
You will get locked out of your house/apt: 50/1 (hate to admit it, but been there)
Your car will get towed: 100/1 (ditto)
You will get a ticket (speeding, parking, etc.): 50/1 (oy vey!)
You will lose all your hair: 250/1
Your car will get stolen: 100/1 (twice in one weekend)
You will find money: 50/1 (found a penny this morning)
You will slip on banana peel: 100/1
You will win the lottery: 500/1 (seriously overestimating my luck)

For women of my generation, the M&M years (between menopause and Medicare) it was a matter of great luck that our birth control worked. For Anna Nicole Smith it didn't seem to matter. Three men fought for the privilege of admitting paternity to her child and now Larry Birkhead is jubilant about his fatherhood. And our mothers always said no man would respect us, and would deny paternity, if we gave in to temptation and then got pregnant. It worked for her. What are the odds?

Maybe the same odds as a ditzy former stripper has of marrying a rich old man about to buy the farm.

About the same as Don Imus getting invited to speak at an NAACP Convention.