Post the Thirteenth: Thiiiiirrrteeeeeen!!!!

Sometimes I get superstitious. This is my 13th post. I think that by acknowledging the number and the weight it carries I might be able to avoid any potential dire consequences from having a Post the Thirteenth. Wikipedia is helping me out a bit on this one.

So. Thirteen. THIRTEEN!!!

Fear of the number 13 is called Triskaidekaphobia. Fear of Friday the 13th is called Friggatriskaidekaphobia, or Paraskevidekatriaphobia. Did you know that Tupac was pronounced dead on a Friday the 13th? Or that on a Friday the 13th in 1939 71 people lost their lives to the worst brush fire in Australian history? Just this month 16 passengers were killed, with another 61 injured when the Costa Concordia cruise ship sank on Friday the 13th.Friday the 13th is considered to be the most feared date in Western culture.

It is the smallest number with eight letters in it's English name. Don't let that fool you. It is a big number. It is extreme. What it lacks in numerical value it makes up for in terror and black magic.

It takes a minimum of 13 turns to make a noose that is strong enough to snap a neck. There are also 13 steps to the gallows.

The number 13 is said to be representative of femininity as is corresponds with the number of lunar cycles in a year. It is said to be dedicated to evil because the lunar calendar was "repressed" when the solar calendar was adopted. This does not surprise me. When I am feeling repressed I too feel an urge to dedicate myself to evil. All the evil. JUST KIDDING! *wink

Your standard coven should consist of 13 witches. (If I have a coven, it will consist of 13 unicorns) Thirteen is also the age at which those who are magically inclined traditionally start learning witchcraft (Hogwarts starts them off young. Dumbledore was a keener.)

The only unsuccessful U.S. mission to land humans on the moon was Apollo 13.

13 is considered to be the age at which one becomes a teenager. (No wonder it is considered so unlucky!)

Taylor Swift was born on December 13th.

There are 13 cards in a suit.

There are 13 kinds of love triangles.

A baker's dozen is 13, not 12. Why? Because bakers are good people and are on a mission to fill the world with buttery carb goodness. Or maybe they are trying to give their customers bad luck so that they'll come buy more baked goods to eat while they wallow in their misfortune.

I kind of like the number 13 (Hear that, 13? I kind of like you! So don't hurt my blog!) I like it enough that I am going to end this post by drawing a picture... in Paint.

Mad Skills.