Friday the 13th. Why all the bad juju? Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13. How did all the superstition start surrounding this number? Some believe it was inspired by the Bible. At the Last Supper, Judas Iscariot, who went onto betray Jesus to the Romans, was the 13th person at the table. Jesus was also said to have died on a Friday, also known as Good Friday, why that would be called “Good” I don’t get. Christians may have carried the Friday the 13th mojo from that. I think the church has to balance out the ugliness of the Last Supper with say a First Breakfast where Jesus enjoyed some french toast and went about his day and nothing bad happened…..no, too soon? As much as people don’t claim to be affected by this number how many buildings have you been in where there is no 13th floor or restaurants that don’t have a thirteenth table. Italians consider 13 to be a lucky number and Friday the 17th unlucky. I am Italian and I consider the number to be lucky based on this rather thin experience. Several years ago I went in for hernia surgery and while in the prep room a burly Hispanic gentleman, a surgery assistant, came in to shave my nether regions. He was holding a small plastic bucket with a dry shaver. I’ll tell you what, he could not have been more gentle, did an amazing job, and the surgery went beautifully. And it all took place on a Friday the 13th. So now when I see a black cat or a crack in the sidewalk or no 13th floor button on an elevator I get a little warm feeling in my groinal area. Happy Friday the 13th/full moon.

Gunga, galunga
Garry