Ever had a strange co-incidence happen to you or around you?

Get this ... so this morning like around 3am (well now since it's officially the next day, i guess this would be yesterday morning), I was watching a "21 Jump Street" episode about a school held hostage by a gunman.  This was before the news broke about today's tragic indicent :o

Yes, I've had things like that happen to me before...that's totally freaky! :o

Sometime around 1980, we making one of our many trips from NYC to Montreal where my wife's (now my ex) family lived.  On this particular August night we were going to go through Montreal and then up to my in-laws summer house in the town of La Macaza, Quebec where we would spend a couple of weeks with my sister-in-law, her husband and their kids. 

Macaza was a tiny town...so small that many maps of Quebec don't even list the population...which couldn't have been more that a couple of hundred people. 

As per our normal routine, we left NY about an hour after I got home from work.  The plan was to arrive in Montreal early in the morning.

Our route was simple...NY State Thruway past Albany where we picked up the Adirondack Northway (IS 87) all the way to the Canadian Border, then continue on Quebec Route 15 to Montreal...though Montreal and then onto the Autoroute des Laurentides onto Quebec route 117 though St Agathe, Mont Tremblant, Labelle and finally onto the little side road that went into Macaza.

I mention all these route designations so you will understand the complexity of this coincidence.

In the late 70s and early 80s I always brought my CB radio in the car...for safety and to keep my self awake...though there were very few people on the radio in the wee small hours. 

It must have been around 3 am, and my wife and the kids were all sleeping.  We were heading north on the 87 and I made several "shout outs" for anyone heading north on 87...or south...or anyone!  As we passed exit 29 (North Hudson) I made a shout and some guy comes back to me.  His 20 (his location) was about 15 miles ahead of us.  I asked him what his final 20 was, and he replied a small town in the Laurentians.  I told him that we were going to the town of Macaza which must be near where he was headed.  Pause...Pregnant Pause...
Then he come back with the absolutely astounding news that he also was going to Macaza. 

Now...consider the odds...first, finding someone else heading north on 87 in the most desolate part of the Adirondacks who had a CB on at 3am in the morning.  Second, consider that their final destination was on the other side of the city of Montreal, 110 miles northwest of the city, in the same tiny village to which we were going.

The chap waited at the border until we arrived...so we could meet.  He and his three compatriots were bearded orthodox Hasidim who, every summer, would go from East NY Brooklyn up to the Hasidic "retreat", which just happened to be in the village of Macaza.

Consider the odds! http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/03/dance2.gif

so many things like this have happened to me that i am forced to believe that the entire universe revolves around me.

so many things like this have happened to me that i am forced to believe that the entire universe revolves around me.


Hate to break it to ya, but you've got competition from my brother.