Originally posted on October 13, 2006 @ 9:49 am
The sixth day of the week and the number 13 both have foreboding reputations said to date from ancient times and their inevitable conjunction from one to three times a year portends more misfortune than some credulous minds can bear.
Some sources say it may be the most widespread superstition in the United States. Some people won’t go to work on Friday the 13th; some won’t eat in restaurants; many wouldn’t think of setting a wedding on the date.
Just how many Americans at the turn of the millennium still suffer from this condition?
According to Dr. Donald Dossey, a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of phobias, the figure may be as high as 21 million. If he’s right, eight percent of Americans are still in the grips of a very old superstition.
Exactly how old is difficult to say, because determining the origins of superstitions is an imprecise science, at best. In fact, it’s mostly guesswork.
I have a good friend who is a MIT graduate that’s really good with math. I’ll run it by him today and see what he can come up with. If he can figure out why Highway 1 slows down by Home Depot for no real reason, he can surely figure this one out :)
So, what are your plans for today, Friday the 13th? Dun Dun DUN!!!
[Insert lightening and thunder sounds here.]
As for what I’ll be doing today, I’m going to be working on my super secret project that has a working delivery date of Monday October 16, 2006.
I’ll also be avoiding the random Zombies walking around town.