Friday the 13th

[DCJenn]

Anyone get wigged out about Friday the 13th? or any other superstitions for that matter?

I don't, even though I was in a car accident on Friday the 13th when I was in college that my former colleagues swear caused me to have PTSD while a passenger in cars. (possible, I'm the worlds worst passenger- I basically assume crash position for the duration...)

But in a funny(ish) story, my room-mate from college, (the nice Jewish Girl) was accused by several of our more narrow-minded compatriots in college, of being a witch. Yes, it's not Salem in the 1700s, it's Westminster, Maryland in the mid-1980s... So, what's a nice Jewish girl to do but run with it- so she became "The Witch of Western Maryland College" and I became "The Witch's Room-mate" (and that is exactly how we sign in on our nametags when we go to home-coming to laugh at the losers)

Anyway, one of the fraternities had a brother who was hyper superstitious, so thay convinced Carin to come over and they snuck in a black cat, spilled salt all over, broke a bunch of mirrors and did it all on a Friday the 13th. Poor guy nearly dropped dead from fright...

and of course, because she's allergic to cats, her eyes turned bright red and she had a horrible cough...

Jenn

[Vishenka69]

Alison, can't say the same about my DH, he's on overnight tonight. We're totally not supersticious at all. We got married on 13th (Sunday) and have a black cat.

No way! Friday the 13th is our lucky day! At least that's what my mom always said because my dad left on Friday the 13th (22 years ago today, actually -- 3 days after my 11th birthday -- can you believe it!).

My older son was born on Friday the 13th (Good Friday, to boot!). So we're pretty fond of it. I intentionally scheduled Quinn's hernia surgery on a Friday the 13th as well, b/c we knew it would turn out fine on that day.

I'm not particularly superstitious, but I do kind of freak out about jinxing things. It just seems that I always say something "too soon". For example, the 1st time I was stung by a bee (at 7), I was running along singing "I've never been stung by a beeee. I've never been stung by a beeee."

[Sheherezade]

DH went in to do a surgery on a patient today because "it's Friday the 13th and she's prone to bleeding....I can't let anyone else do it." He's supposed to be on vacation this Friday-Monday. Of course we aren't going anywhere after all.....so I guess it isn't a disaster that the woman needed surgery today.

I get a little wigged out by totally black cats crossing my path. I used to joke about it until one crossed our path (and I joked) right before our oldest started getting sick - and ended up with a nasty antibiotic resistant pneumonia that nobody could tame. He was only 16 mos old and ended up in the hospital for a month on various IV antibiotics before recovering. Scary, scary times. Now, I twig a little when the black cat runs across the street. Sometimes I even change my direction.

Jenn - You went to Western Maryland? My mother and grandmother went there!

[Gwendolyn]

Being in the theatre, we have a lot of superstitions, but mine tend to stick to that arena. I will never say the full name of the Scottish Play written by Shakespeare...McB, but I'm not too worried about black cats. Unless of course I am forced to sit through CATS

I don't believe that Friday 13 holds any particular power, but a full moon certainly does!!

Ah, the Scottish Play...we roomed with a theater guy while waiting for DH to finish his BA.

He also lived on like peas or something while doing Uncle Vanya.

Really sweet guy.

[spotty_dog]

I get a little wigged out by totally black cats crossing my path.

Don't come to my house. Hektor's favorite trick is being underfoot no matter where you go. He's a very solid 15 lbs. and lies in doorways at night, where his jet black coat blends into the dark and when you kick him/stagger over him he doesn't even budge...

[Sheherezade]

Funny thing is we have two *almost* black cats. Both have white patches somewhere and white on their bellies. If I saw them on the street, they'd be suspect. It's totally silly, I know. My husband throws salt over his shoulder when he spills it. That's great at a nice restaurant. His mother is a bundle of superstitions. We have to go out the same door we enter. When we all leave the house together, different groups have to head to different doors!

[Vishenka69]

I step on or run into our black cat at least once a night. DH has a habit of sitting on her. I have no idea why she still likes us.

My mom is hugely supersticious. She freaked out about our cat, but has grown to love her since. She freaked out about our wedding date, but our only other option was May and to her getting married in May is worse than getting married on the 13th (old Russian suppersticion that those who get married in May will have a misrable marriage). She even has a physic she consults (and believes).

We used to have a black cat, and no one ever gave me a hard time about her. I've never heard about the in/out same door thing. I've been known to toss the salt, though.

I totally believe in a good psychic, though. I've had 2 in my life who NAILED stuff w/spooky, accurate, DETAILED things that could not have been generalized or guessed, or known before hand.

[DCJenn]

Vishenka-

Really? May, huh....Guess that explains why I married a doctor in May...

Jenn

Oh, no! Have I been screwing up my luck for years? Why would I toss salt anywhere?

if you spill salt you're supposed to throw some over your shoulder.

[SueC]

I do the salt thing sometimes just for the hell of it. I don't think I'm very superstitious, though. One time I did have a black cat cross my path twice in one day.

[Vishenka69]

Vishenka-

Really? May, huh....Guess that explains why I married a doctor in May...

Jenn

Don't know why my mom is attached to this one though, her parents got married in May and lived happily for over 45 years (until my grandfather's death). I wouldn't worry too much over it.