> I got a message notifying me that my application status had changed, but I did not get in. Then a day or two later, I got another one, to which I _did_ get in.

Back in the days before email was common, I applied for a postdoc position at <famous prof's lab @ MIT>.

I mailed my letter to <famous prof>, expressing interest in working in his lab.

A few days later, I asked 3 profs in my graduate program to write letters of recommendation on my behalf to be mailed to <famous prof>.

After ~10 days, I received a response letter from <famous prof>, to the effect of: "Sorry, my lab is full. Won't have any openings for several years. etc. etc. Thanks, but no thanks."

I figured "Oh well.... No big deal."

But I was too lazy to inform the profs who were writing my recommendations to stop.

About a week after my "rejection" letter, <famous prof> phones me and says, "I always send a standard rejection letter because I'm only interested in people who are _aggressive_. Thanks for sending your recommendation letters. I _definitely_ have openings in my lab."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that he only got those letters because of my laziness.