It doesn't bother me that it's Friday The 13th, but I won't be going to see the movie today. I'm just saying. Actually I only watch scary movies at home while also reading or something. But I digress. Do you know the story behind the superstition? Here's what I found out:
FRIDAY THE 13TH - how did Friday the thirteenth become such an unlucky day?
Fear of Friday the 13th is rooted in ancient, separate bad-luck associations with the number 13 and the day Friday. The two unlucky entities combine to make one super unlucky day.
There is a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked the uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous Loki. Once there, Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died and the Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned.
There is a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.
A particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the occasion as a day of evil. In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil. Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.
It is traditionally believed that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday.
Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.
FRIDAY THE 13TH - how is fear of the number thirteen demonstarted?
More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor. Many airports skip the 13th gate. Airplanes have no 13th aisle. Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13. Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery. On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half. Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue. In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate. Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck . Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.
We finally watched W. I really liked it, and was surprised by it too. I expected a lot of head-shaking laughs and some rage, which did pan out. What I didn't expect was to feel so much empathy for Bushy. I think he was seriously in way over his head. My favorite part: the horribly awkward press conference. The most enraging part: the strategy meeting about invading Iraq. All in all, it was pretty sad.
I've been working on ATCs for a Dr. Seuss swap at SIStv, tons of fun! Yesterday I painted all the cards and left them out to dry on the kitchen counter. Shane said, "they look kinda Miami Vice. I think I had some pants like that." Which in fact he did. They looked rad with that hypercolor t-shirt.
I've been baking up a storm lately, must be the cool weather (and my relentless sweet tooth.) This is my favorite butt cake ever. Remember my Big Fat Greek Wedding? I love that scene with the bundt cake confusion. Was looking for a clip but can't find one. Youtube has failed me.
Fresh Apple Bundt Cake
Cake: 3 cups flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup vegetable oil 2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs 3 cups diced raw cooking apples 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup chopped nuts
Topping: 1/2 cup melted butter 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 Tbs light corn syrup 1 tsp vanilla
Sift dry ingredients together, add the rest of the cake ingredients and mix well. Spread into a greased and floured bundt cake pan. (batter will be thick) Bake for 1 hour and 15 min. at 350.
Mix the topping ingredients together until blended. Then pour over the hot cake in pan, letting it drizzle down the sides. Let cake cool about 30 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a plate. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Great served warm.
I love Saturdays. Slept in late, woke up slowly, then did a little housecleaning. Everyone pitched in so it wasn't too bad. We're having friends over for dinner so it had to be done. Now we can all chill for a while until I have to start dinner. We're having glazed pork loin, friend rice, and garlic green beans. mmmm. We'll probably drink a few beers, play a little pool, nothing too wild.
Want to see the little backpack I made for Hannah's friend yesterday? It's a quickie project, maybe 2.5 hours.
Oh, and if you want to make a super duper easy, yummy dessert - take a chocolate cake mix and stir in (with a spoon, not a mixer) 3 eggs, 1 can of cherry pie filling, and 1 tsp almond extract. Bake in a 9X13 as directed on the pkg. Frost with chocolate frosting of your choice. I call it Disappearing Cake.
Hannah requested this for her friend's birthday gift. The dress gave me fits, and I cannot find "safety eyes" to save my life! I hit two stores yesterday, then sent Shane out to try two more. He's such a good sport. Sending a guy into a craft/fabric store is sort of like asking them to buy tampons for you. Which, by the way, he would totally do. Anyway, I think she turned out pretty cute regardless, reinforced by Hannah's squeal of delight when she saw it this morning. The pattern came from here, thank you ever so much. No freakin' way I could do one of these things without a good pattern, and this one was really easy to follow.
I'm whipping up a little backpack to put her in for the b-day girl. The party is tonight so probably I should get on that.
What's up next, you ask? A rainbow blanket for Hannah. Haven't done an afghan in a long time, so it should be kind of fun. I love how you can snuggle up in it as it grows.
Last night Evan asked me to cut his hair - 'bout time! For a while he was saying that he wanted his hair long, "cuz I'm a kayaker and I need it to keep my head warm." Guess he had a change of heart. Oh, he also wants to dye it black and pierce his lip. Yeah.
Meanwhile, Hannah also wants a cut, but it's a bit out of my range of talent. She wants an a-line bob, which I think would be super cute. She has trouble keeping her long hair brushed, kind of has a permanent dread in the back.
Speaking of dreads, that's what Jordan wants. We (I) decided that we should probably wait until summer, after graduation. So he's just a mop head for now. I did try and section it out and back-comb it, but he has soooooooo much hair, it's going to be a major effort.
Shane's got quite a mane going too. Hasn't had a haircut in over a year, like some kind of monk or something. Always looking for new ways to keep it out of his face, this time a stylin' (if Flashdance-ish) headband crocheted by moi.
Maybe he's going for this look, ala Jerry-
however, the beard will never happen.
As for me, I have resisted the urge to chop off my mop. It's a cycle: grow it long, get tired of it, chop it off, love it for about a month, then grow it out again. It has reached the point where I can wrap it up and tie it in a knot with no hair paraphernalia, I dig that.
As I was working on the tail of Evan's dog last night, I swore I would never make another amigurumi again. (I also just swore.) Those little parts are hard to work, make my hands cramp up and frustrate me. But, once I sewed it all together...I kinda love him. Makes me smile. I see more critters in my future.
I'm trying to make/collect hats and other winter gear for the homeless. I read that there are between 3,000-5,000 homeless in our county, which blows my mind. Actually it's all Shane's idea - he is downtown at the whitewater park quite a bit and sees a lot of folks that can use help. Times are tough for everyone right now, we sure don't have extra money to donate - but I do have a bin full of yarn and some crochet hooks. If you want to help, here's a link to save me some typing.
Thoroughly enjoyed TV last night -
Big Love: OMG Lois in the basement was spooky! At least she gave him KFC. Barb's sister is evil. And the look on Nicki's face when she realized the witness was in her own house: priceless.
The Office: Totally LOL last night. Stanley's stress meter, Michael's roast...classic!
I think it's about kick-off time, best get to those deviled eggs and settle in to watch the game. Rooting for Arizona, Go Cards!
Shane and Evan went kayaking yesterday with John and Trevor and Scott - it was another gorgeous Northern Nevada day. Looks like the water might be up just a little.
