Friday 13th

[Arthur Little]

OK, folks ... admit it! How many of you have your own peculiar superstitions about this date? And what steps [if any] do you take to overcome your fears?

[imagine]

although it gives me an eerie feeling about the day,
i cant say i realy believe its any different to any other day,
and so far nothing bad has ever happened to me on a friday the 13th

[joebloggs]

fridays are never bad, its the best working day of the week , now if it was monday the 13th

[Arthur Little]

"And what steps [if any] do you take to overcome your fears?"

... these particular words read like they'd come straight out of an examination paper, and might end up putting people off!

[Moy]

13TH and its my b--th d---------

[Arthur Little]

... these particular words read like they'd come straight out of an *examination paper, and might end up putting people off!

Talking of *which, the genesis of my own beliefs surrounding the number itself first took root when I was 15 years old. At the time, I happened to be in my 4th year at Secondary School, and remember sitting in the living room of our terraced council house, studying for a Term Exam in History while my mother watched Princess Margaret's Wedding on our recently~purchased black & white television set. How did I concentrate with the background noise? Fine ... the commentator's voice (might've been Richard Dimbleby) had a soothing effect without actually lulling me to

Anyway, I sat the examination a week later ... May 13! Yes ... it was a Friday! Weather was bloody awful but I didn't care two hoots because I knew instinctively, I'd performed well that day. And I HAD too!! Came 3rd~top in the class.

But pride comes before a fall! At the two subsequent exams - one of which was the Preliminary for the then Scottish Senior Leaving Certificate - I FAILED. Yes ... I failed what had long been my favourite - and hence one of my best scholastic subjects. Hence the Rector [Head Teacher] refused to allow me to sit it at SLC Lower Grade the following Spring ... and, at the age of sixteen-and-a-half, I decided to "chuck it" as far as school in general was concerned.

"Oh, but Arthur", some of you might say, "Thirteen must be your LUCKY number, surely ... after all, you did so well on that day in May 1960!" ... truth be told: I somehow got it into my head that I'd better not allow "good" things to happen to me on the thirteenth ... lest "bad" things happen all the rest of the time!

Maybe I just happened to be at an "awkward age" ... ... who knows? What I do know, however, is that that singular event remained uppermost in my mind, and - to a certain extent - influenced my outlook for years afterwards.

[Arthur Little]

Interestingly, though, many years later - when in my early 30s - I decided to go to night school ('Perth College' - as it was simply called in those days - happens to be less than a quarter of a mile from where I live) and study for a collection of [by then SCE] 'Highers' ... one of which remains my all-time favourite ... History. Having passed it on this occasion - AND at the HIGHER Grade to boot - I was sorely~tempted to approach my former School Rector (a rather pompous~looking old git - bearing a striking resemblance to Alfred Hitchcock - who was still alive at the time and then a member of the same church as me) to impart the glad tidings.

[Arthur Little]

13TH and its my b--th d---------

... MOY, moy! IS it really, Ross?

[Arthur Little]

SURELY ... not !

[mickcant]

Hi Arthur
I had not realised it was Friday the 13th until you put it here

I knew it was the 13th as I had written a letter earlier, but with retirement I tend not to notice what day it is
Happy days retirement are
Mick.

[Ame]

I agree with some of the comments above. Fridays can't be all that bad! They're my favourite day! But surprisingly... I've had the first migraine today that I've had in about 5 years. So I believe that's rather unlucky! It rendered me powerless for about 7 hours.