After two years of Friday 13th rationing we are inundated with Friday 13ths in 2012, three to be exact.
Of course Friday the 13th is not just the name of one good movie and 47 terrible ones, for the superstitious amongst us it is filled with perils.
And no, I didn’t fall asleep on my keyboard, friggatriskaidekaphobia, is the fear of Friday the 13th which of course arrives tomorrow.
The number 13 has long been regarded as an unlucky number; hotels omit a 13th floor, airlines may leave out the 13th row, and parents regret not using contraception as their offspring become teenagers.
I was eagerly looking forward to a gig on Friday the 13th (the April instalment) but had second thoughts after noticing they had sold out of ground floor tickets and all that remained were balcony seats and balcony standing options. The gig is sponsored by Jaegermeister so am sure there would have been plenty on offer and the gig was at the bargain price of £6. All sounds like the ingredients of a fantastic night out, or would have been had it not befallen on Friday the 13th when after one too many Jaegermeisters you ended up careering off the balcony.
Do any of you heed the calendar when these dates crop up? What about other superstitions?
You're just asking for trouble
What of workers at umbrella factories or mirror manufacturers? Does the Chief umbrella tester have a segregated section outdoors in order to test the opening mechanism of the new batch off the production line? Or is he confined to perform his role indoors and be condemned to a life of tragedy.
On the flip side it is considered good luck to have an itchy palm. Personally I’d view this as a warning sign for arthritis. Believers though should not scratch the itch or it is rumoured to reverse the effect, wearing oven mitts should help conquer this urge, try also a jacket worn back to front with the arms crossed and tied at the back, commonly referred to as a straight jacket which is just the next logical step for you anyway.
Another good luck charm to counter the effects of your bad luck include happening upon a horseshoe, I’m not sure if you have to find one by chance or if its ok to prise one off a stallions hoof. Either way you should use your right hand to pick it up, spit on it whilst making a wish before throwing it over your left shoulder and leaving it where it lands. Obviously if it lands on someone elses head it is not particularly good luck for them.
What will happen in the next 24 hours? Will the fateful date live up to its infamy? Will it pass by with barely a whimper? Please do let me know.
londonsurvival 
Ruby
/ January 12, 2012Also, hospitals do not have Operating Rooms numbered 13.
Sincerely,
The girl currently sitting in OR19, which if people weren’t irrational, should really be OR18.
joehoover
/ January 13, 2012Amazing even in the world of medicine/science that superstition is upheld
gingerfightback
/ January 13, 2012I’ve locked myself in the toilet for the day.
joehoover
/ January 13, 2012Good idea, as long as it’s not the trains toilets from one of your journey’s
sara
/ January 13, 2012Speaking of horse shoes..did you know if you hang them upside down all the luck falls out?
If you are Osage Native American you can’t donate organs. You have to go intact so you can get into the happy hunting grounds when you pass.
That’s all I can think of this early in the morning. 🙂
joehoover
/ January 13, 2012That’s pretty good at any time of the day!
To be honest I had to google the reasons behind the superstitions, if you know those facts anyway it’s quite impressive.
She's a Maineiac
/ January 13, 2012Well it’s only 9 am and I woke up to find we are completely out of coffee. So far today is living up to it’s reputation as the worst day of my life.
joehoover
/ January 13, 2012Go back to bed quick!
I’ve only been drinking coffee a few years but I’ll never forget one flatmate before I KNEW. I had put her coffee on a shelf when tidying the kitchen and she woke the house up throwing things everywhere and screaming, “Where’s my coffee, I can’t function without my coffee” She was a woman possessed.
Of course now I am converted/addicted I fully understand where she was coming from
She's a Maineiac
/ January 17, 2012It is not a pretty sight. I did ransack the entire kitchen searching for ANYthing with the tiniest hint of caffeine. Instant coffee even. We had nothing but Oolong tea. So I had about 4 cups of tea and spent the rest of the morning biting everyone’s head off.
joehoover
/ January 17, 2012When I move house I make sure I live within a minute of a corner shop for such emergencies, luckily in London that’s pretty easy, but if you venture too far out it becomes trickier, you may have to walk for 10 minutes! (Someone’s gonna reply that they live at least half an hour’s drive from any convenience store now!)
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/ March 14, 2015That’s a subtle way of thinking about it.
life is a bowl of kibble
/ January 14, 2012I have no problems with Friday the 13th. It is Saturday the 14th that always kicks my butt. My dog escaped this morning causing me to be late leaving for work which did not matter since my car would not START. I waited on Mr. M to return home and used his truck only to run out of gas on the way in to work. A friend brought gas to me. I get to work only to find out we have no HEAT. I sat down to work on payroll only to find out all my information was dumped somewhere other than where it should be. All of this has happened with in the last 4 hours. I dare not say what else could happe?….you know the rest. Happy Saturday the 14th to you.
joehoover
/ January 15, 2012I hope it got better!
life is a bowl of kibble
/ January 17, 2012It did Sunday morning. I had breakfast in bed. No better way to start the day.
joehoover
/ January 17, 2012I’m not allowed as I get crumbs everywhere, glad you recovered though!
WordsFallFromMyEyes
/ January 17, 2012OMG you have 12 responses, and I’M THE 13TH!!!!! So meaningful!!
🙂 I totally loved this piece. I had no idea that fear had a name – and THAT’S the name!! Of course it would start with ‘frig’.
I totally forgot opening an umbrella indoors is ‘bad luck’ until you wrote it. You know, I have no phobia like that but I DO HESITATE to walk under a ladder. GOD KNOWS WHY!! Yet, I have also purposely walked under ladders, & all’s still pretty much as-was.
Re mirrors though and seven years bad luck for breaking one indoors I CAN’T HELP IT! that one has some impact on me. I just don’t ever want to break a mirror indoors – not that I believe it or anything.
Loved your pics 🙂
joehoover
/ January 17, 2012That is spooky! I am not particularly superstitious, but I had no sleep last night from a mental neighbour doing DIY at 4am for 3 hours then as I got to work a solitary magpie landed in front of me. I have a tax audit at work too so that wasn’t a good omen – and it’s my birthday so I should have just taken the day off.
I just discovered your blog doing the scavenger hunt on HE Ellis and Edward Hotspurs blogs, so I have a lot to catch up on this weekend, I found the answer for the Hotspur question in your video post, and that post blew me away, it was incredible!
appletonavenue
/ April 27, 2012It’s well past the 13th, but I just read this post. I love your sense of humor.
joehoover
/ April 29, 2012There’s still two more to come this year[, we’re not out of the woods just yet!
appletonavenue
/ April 29, 2012I’ll be reading.