This is Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th.

If you're superstitious, that's a bad sign right there.

I suppose, if you want to compound the bad luck, you could walk under a ladder today or find a black cat to bring into your home or break a mirror. There are all sorts of things one can do to bring bad luck upon oneself.

But all you have to do to experience a Friday the 13th is simply to be breathing when that day arrives.

In 2008, this is the only Friday the 13th we'll have. But brace yourself. We have three of them scheduled in 2009 -- in February, March and November.

There are a few stories about why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky.

1. The number 13 is considered unlucky for several reasons, but I guess the most prominent one is the fact that, when you count Jesus and his 12 apostles, there were 13 people at the Last Supper. Superstition holds that, if 13 people sit down to a meal together, one of them will die.
   
   And, in modern times, the number 13 was considered extremely unlucky for the Apollo 13 space mission, which had an explosion that prevented it from completing its scheduled moon landing (see picture above). NASA was able to bring the crew safely back to earth.
   
   The number 12, on the other hand, is considered complete. There are 12 months in a year, 12 members on a jury. Jesus had 12 disciples.


2. Friday isn't viewed as completely bad luck the way the number 13 is. Friday was the day of the crucifixion, so I suppose that's what makes that a bad omen.
   
   But Friday is also the end of the workweek, the gateway to the weekend.
   
   I guess, if people wanted to designate a really unlucky day, we would have chosen Monday the 13th. Unless a holiday, like Labor Day or Memorial Day, happens to fall on a Monday, there isn't much to recommend that day of the week anyway.

I've heard it said that productivity drops dramatically on a Friday the 13th. Some people are so terrified of what might happen that they refuse to travel, refuse to go to the office, even refuse to get out of bed on Friday the 13th.

To me, it's just another day.

And my opinion is -- if you're going to die on Friday the 13th, it's going to happen whether you're at home or in the office. Why alter your routine and needlessly waste a sick day?

Have a good day, everyone!