Engraving in the door

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understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.

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It was 2007 in Christchurch, New Zealand and I had recently moved into a new share-house. I was in bed one night before I turned off the lights and noticed an engraving in the door, which had been covered with brown paint. I got out of bed and started towards the door. I ran my hands over the words "I HATE MY LIFE" in capital letters. After that night, I often imagined who did that, a child? What was their life like? I was 18 at the time and had met a girl at a party, a few weeks later she'd agreed to come over for drinks. I gave her my address and she immediately said, "WEIRD, THAT WAS MY FAMILY HOME". When she approached the house she asked if she could look around, and how strange it was years later to re-visit. She walked up the stairs and straight into my bed room, I followed after her. She closed the door and ran her hands over the engraving and said "Haha it's still here". I couldn't believe it, it was her. Same house, same room....
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Date submitted:Fri, 09 Aug 2019 06:13:59 +0000Coincidence ID:10317