One time this happened...

The sound of my cat sneezing in syncopation still lingers as I recall the fated phone call from my aunt, informing me I'd won an art therapy competition I hadn't entered - all at exactly 3 AM while I was desperately trying to learn a clarinet solo by ear.

My fingers stumbled across the "play" button like a clumsy cat on ice, summoning my high school's morning announcement system at precisely 3:17 AM. The tinny speaker overhead croaked out our school's jaunty theme as I scrambled to silence it, but my panicked fingers only managed to turn the volume up to ear-bleeding levels.

As I frantically juggled two overflowing plates of food at the fancy dinner party, the host's Great Dane simultaneously leaped onto my feet and sneezed a giant glob of snot onto my aunt's favorite silk handkerchief.