Friday the 13th

I love Friday the 13th.

I love it because superstitious types have gotten it wrong for years.

I love it because 13 is actually, according to numerologists, a very positive number.

I love it because, who really puts stock in a number, anyway?

From Wikipedia:

Many popular stories exist about the origin of the concept:
The Last Supper, with stories that Judas was the thirteenth guest, and that the Crucifixion of Jesus occurred Friday.
That the biblical Eve offered the fruit to Adam on a Friday, and that the slaying of Abel happened on a Friday (though the Bible does not identify the days of the week when these events occurred).
Many modern stories (including The Da Vinci Code) claim that when King Philip IV had many Knights Templar simultaneously arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307, that started the legend of the unlucky Friday the 13th.
Neither these nor any other historical date have been verifiably identified as the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition. The first documented mention of a "Friday the 13th" is generally listed as occurring in the early 1900s.

But after last October, I'll always love it because Mr. Calvin H. was born on Friday the 13th.

He's six months now! And 20 pounds. I kid you not. He is the chubbiest chubb I have ever seen. And he is precious!

I tend to like the myths and legends we create for ourselves. My novels always contain as much of that as I can muster. Maybe too much, as not everyone wants to hear about how Halloween started and how various myths came about. But I like that stuff, cause, like all stories, myths and legends develop out of our need to understand ourselves. And that's a noble cause.

In the modern day, I'm afraid our stories have all become sensational and overblown. Very few write anymore; why create fictional characters when we have reality shows and real people as our urban legends?

I'm the type that likes to stay safely in my own little world, as you may know, so I avoid the news on a regular basis. Well, I read the paper every day, or nearly every day, so I get the gist of it. But when I try to watch MSNBC at night, I can't even stay on the channel for a second, my Anti-Anna ADD kicking in. If I see her name one more time on the screen, I may put a sledgehammer through it. haha You know I could never hurt my boyfriend! (Mr. HA. I love him to death. All 65 inches. haha)

But before that, it was Jon Benet, and Elizabeth Smart, and the guy who killed his pregnant wife whose name escapes me (I try to block these things out), and yada and yada. Family Guy, or it may have been The Simpsons, had a scene where a family comes out and their child is missing. But they're Latino, so no one gives a damn. The news anchor says, "Find us a white girl who's missing. Now THAT's a story!"

My dad said, and how true: What makes any of these people newsworthy? I mean, we're sorry for their painful stories, but why are they national news? I think national news has sold out to the Ratings Gods.

And network shows aren't much more interesting. I hate most reality shows, just on principle, because they signaled the death of the TV writer. But okay, I've always watched and enjoyed 'American Idol.' Until this season, which has the most dull, un-talented kids I have ever seen. They're trying hard to make it 'hip,' with guests such as Gwen Stefani and J. Lo. Nice try....still bored. And I like Dancing With the Stars, but I have missed much of it due to my work schedule being later.

Otherwise, Grey's Anatomy is the only show on TV that I see that has great writing. They've been absent for weeks, and Marty is not happy about it. ha ha At least they follow some classic themes: the near-death experience, the doomed romances, and the parental influence nightmares.

I'm hard to please, I suppose. My tastes call for more highbrow than lowbrow. I like classic literature and like to read Shakespeare for fun. So that makes me way, way out of the norm.

On this Friday the 13th, maybe we'll get lucky! Maybe there'll be actual news to watch, and actual entertainment for us somewhere in Prime Time. Maybe there's a modern legend out there worth knowing.

Or, maybe I'll go read a good book.

Have a great day!