I wouldn't have noticed that today was Friday the 13th hadn't I checked my site referrers. I saw a bunch of hits coming from people searching for triskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13, while the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia (say it 10 times fast!). Good news for the paraskevidekatriaphobic, today is the only Friday the 13th for this year. Not so good news for the triskaidekaphobic, there is always the 13th day every month.
The Singaporean Government marked this supposedly unlucky day by hanging a drug smuggler while some people choose not to step outside, fly on a plane, go to work or act on a hot stock tip. I wonder if there is a Friday the 13th discount on airline tickets. If not, there should be. Why? This is why:
"It's been estimated that [US] $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do," said Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina. (Source: National Geographic)
I'm sure the skeptics among us would jump at the opportunity to fly for cheap and it might be able to cut down the amount of money lost in business on Friday the 13th because less income is better than no income at all. No? But then again, what do I know about business. It's not really my area of expertise. Far from it. But I always have tonnes of silly ideas in store. :)
A certain group of Canadians (and some non-Canadians) have their own way of "celebrating" Friday the 13th. They gather together at Port Dover on their motorbikes. Troy and I and a couple of friends from Germany came to join them on the 13th of August last year, and it was the most people I've ever seen in one place during my stay in Canada. I like Port Dover, but I don't really like it when it's all that crowded. And there was no naked biker chicks like Troy swore he had seen before. ;) I did enjoy the part where we got to ride yellow school bus for free from and to the parking area. That was one of my dreams come true. Yes, I do have simple dreams.
Well, I've run out of things to say on Friday the 13th so I'll just wish all the triskaidekaphobic and the paraskevidekatriaphobic a safe and non-disastrous day and the rest of you a good Friday and a great weekend.
