Thumbs up: Twenty-five years after breaking the gender barrier at York's fire department, the city's first -- and so far only -- female career firefighter is retiring.

Lori Hykes Brunner, who used to sneak along with her firefighting father on calls as a child, landed her dream job in 1987, after cutting short her honeymoon so she could take the city's firefighter test.

"It's no big deal anymore," she said of women firefighters. "When I first started 25 years ago? Yeah, it was a big deal."

Brunner said none of the firemen treated her badly, although some briefly took a hands-off approach.

"After a while, they saw I was there to do the job," she said. "Once they realized that, they accepted me. I didn't expect special treatment."

York City Fire Chief Steve Buffington, himself retiring this month, said Brunner held her own.

"She was a good firefighter," he said. "She never slacked off or backed away from anything."

Brunner, of Newberry Township, said she knows she was lucky York City officials took a chance on her.

"I'm very grateful for the opportunity I had," she said. "I've had a very satisfying career, and I feel that I made a bit of a statement for women -- that it was possible to do something no one thought you could."

Thumbs down: To fortune, which absolutely refused to smile on us during Friday night's historic Mega Millions drawing.

At stake was a world record $640 million jackpot, which would have gone a long way toward paying off some bills or buying an island.

The odds of winning were 1 in about 176 million (and we were more likely to be struck by lightning. Fifty times) -- but good enough for us.

We joined the frenzy in York and around the country, pooling our money and buying 16 of the $1 tickets.

Sixteen.

And not even a single million to show for them.