This is actually true, I personally have seen it.

The only time I have ever seen Lizzy on widescan was immediately after a server maintenance cycle. I have also claimed VE on two different occassions this way (still only one drop, however).

The really nice thing about server maintenance is that it also clears the areas of gil sellers :-)

I also think this is more of a safe guard in the code that holds true for other things as well. Basically, when all other tests fail, reset whatever was failing. For example, for the mog quest involving the Noble's Bed (I forget the number) the prerequisites seem entirely too strange and exotic to ever actually occur. Thus, every single time I have seen someone actually get the quest was when they checked Sunday morning during the National Rank tally.

Programatically, this makes sense of course.... but you don't always think of these things when you are immersed in the virtual world :-)

Vis Maior's Journeys
http://maior.samhart.net/