Cecil’s Column. Fear of the number 13 is very old and real.
I don’t like the number 13. I wouldn’t live on the thirteenth floor of a building. I wouldn’t visit a doctor or dentist that had offices on the thirteenth floor. I do go to work on Friday the 13th. But, don’t like traveling any great distance on Friday the 13th. If possible, I’d reschedule a trip for another day.
I’m not pathological about it. If my boss sends me on a plane for a computer conference, then I’ll go on the 13th. But, will buy travel insurance and say a few prayers.
How about you? Fess up.
WTF are we going to do about 2013? Me? I will always refer to it as 2013. Never as the year 13. Anyway 2013 isn’t evenly divided by 13. That’s a relief.
Doesn’t bother me a bit. Give me room 13 on the 13th floor on the 13th of any month and pay me $113K to throw a 13th birthday party for 13 kids and I’ll be there.
You guys should have booked seats on Apollo 13. NASA was laughing at the superstition too. Right up until that astronaut flipped the switch to stir up the cryo tanks.
At least I don’t worry about cracks on the sidewalk or ladders. Most superstitions I totally ignore.
It doesn’t bother me at all, but when I worked in surgery in the hospital, we had 13 surgical suites–and they were numbered 1-12, and 31. The “31” was a paper sign taped over the orignal “13.” No one would admit to being superstitious; everyone blamed another group of medical people for it.
I won’t fly on the 13th (willingly), nor on the 13th row of a plane/bus/train. I wouldn’t live on the 13th floor, buy a house numbered 13, or rent apartment number 13, if I had any other option.
I am especially wary of scheduling anything important (medical procedures, dental procedures, airplane flights, etc.) on a Friday the 13th.
If Walt Kelley were still with us, he would not fail to remind us that Friday the 13th falls on a Monday this month! If I may take in vain the name of another Straight Dope contributor: Rowrrbazzle!
For every American who considers it lucky, there are 99 who consider it unlucky.
I wouldn’t, say, buy a condo on the 13th floor because I would be worried about superstition affecting resale. Otherwise I don’t care. I don’t have a bad luck wind blowin’ on my back.
I greet every Friday 13th with: “Bwuh? That’s today?”