Good luck charms ... happy omens ... sings of positive change ...

Walking through Central Park this morning and saw this basketball floating in Harlem Meer. It is a good luck symbol for me, and a sign of totally crappy luck for whoever owns that basketball, but I'm staying positive.

Harlem Meer basketball float (via y5kmusic)

Other good omens/charms? 

I used to carry a plastic "$" sign in my wallet, but it did me no good.

The young woman that usually tries to beg money off me (while her baby sleeps in its stroller) was offered re-hab treatment this morning ... she declined. But I'll take that as a good turn for her. At least someone gave a hoot. (I usually politely turn her down and move along.)

Made a long car journey yesterday and avoided both traffic jams and two fires -- one roadside underbrush aflame and one Ford Explorer with flames leaping from its engine. Never saw that before. Guess that's again lucky for mw, not for the driver of that car ... or perhaps it's lucky they got out in time, if indeed they did. Whatever.