here's a true story for you.... last year i went skiing with a few guys, all great skiers. one guy, an internist, hit a tree and thought he just had the wind knocked out of him and some cracked ribs. now, this is a guy who is a super high achiever...a great athlete, an MD, etc. he never gets check-ups himself. after getting home from the ski trip he is still in quite a bit of pain, but shrugs it off as "cracked ribs that will just take time to heal". his wife pleads with him to go get checked-out, but he refuses. about 2 weeks later the pain gets suddenly worse and he discovers a lot of blood in his poop. his wife takes him to the ER and they discover he had a perforated pancreas (i think that's what it was, not sure) and they have to perform emergency surgery on him because the internal bleeding was quite bad. he probably would of died if it wasn't taken care of.
I've always been curious how a doctor is as a patient... good to know. Kinda like, how good of a customer is a hair cutter when he/she gets their hair cut
I'm pretty sure a car making a left turn AND once it is in the intersection it now has the right of way.
OP, I have sympathy for your father's close call. Ice, esp. black ice, is quite sinister and a lot people have inadequate winter driving experience. It helps to practice in an empty parking lot in snowy conditions to get a feel for how your car handles. Get a feel for how your anti-lock brakes feel when they kick in. When in doubt, just drive very very slowly and use 2nd gear. Most people are just going too fast and often have crappy no-grip tires.
Sounds like you are trying to justify the relative unimportance of your compulsive gambling habit to the health of your loved ones. They are in different spheres, but a proper perspective doesn't change the fact that you might be down a slippery slope. (The only reason I say this is because you are prompted to post here justifying the devaluation of your losses...)