Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: happy
  • Music: Little Shop, 'Suddenly Seymour.'

Triskaidekaphilia.

As a kid, I was totally fascinated by numbers. Especially odd numbers (a fascination that would later translate into an obsession with primes, but that's another story, and one that doesn't really factor today -- except to note that 'February 13,' or '2/13' is a pair of primes -- the next prime-numbered year isn't until 2011). And, as I began my lifelong obsession with horror movies, especially the number thirteen.

It's an interesting fact that most people will give their lucky number as two, three, or seven, all of which are primes (and all of which are odd). Nine is also a common lucky number, and while it isn't prime, it's the result of squaring a prime. And yes, I actually sit around thinking about this stuff, which is why I have several books on my 'get around to writing this someday' list that feature mathematicians to one degree or another. Math is hard, but it makes me happy. Anyway, after examining the concept of the lucky number, and the numbers of those around me, I settled on my own lucky number: thirteen. As my horror movie education continued, I decided that Friday the thirteenth was obviously the luckiest day of all for me, because everybody else was creating a good luck void as they sucked up the world's supply of bad luck.

I never claimed that my logic made sense.

I love Friday the thirteenth. I love the doom-crows flocking around crying that we're all going to walk under ladders, break our mothers' backs by stepping on cracks, and have our paths crossed by spontaneously-generated black cats. (I don't love that people with black cats need to keep them indoors or risk losing them -- much like on Halloween -- but that's another issue.) I love the Halloween air that falls over the day, no matter when it comes along. I love that I get Halloween and then Valentine's Day this year, bam-bam, like a double-scoop of awesome.

I love Friday the 13th: The Series, and Friday the 13th the film series, and Thirteen by Vixy and Tony, and writing rondeaus, and Scott Westerfield's Midnighters trilogy. I love Baker's Dozens, and bouquets with thirteen flowers, and watching hotels pretend that they don't have thirteen floors, and everything else about the number thirteen.

What's your position?
Tags: good things, math is awesome, so the marilyn, superstition
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autographedcat

February 13 2009, 16:56:21 UTC 8 years ago

Supine.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:54:44 UTC 8 years ago

Literalist.

jacylrin

8 years ago

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seanan_mcguire

8 years ago

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sdelmonte

February 13 2009, 16:59:12 UTC 8 years ago

13, as you probably know, is a number of positive significance to Jewish males (and to some Jewish females in the Reform branch of the religion) since it marks coming of age in the eyes of the law (aka Bar Mitzvah). Beyond that, God has 13 attributes than man is meant to emulate. So clearly, from my PoV, 13 is a very good number.

13 is also the number of the original American states. Dr. Thirteen is one of DC's weirdest cult-favorite characters. And we cannot forget who lives at 1313 Mockingbird Lane.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:55:06 UTC 8 years ago

So basically, you're down with the thirteen love.

beable

February 13 2009, 16:59:30 UTC 8 years ago


Thirteen is awesome! Friday the 13th doubly so.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:55:50 UTC 8 years ago

Sister!

Non-prime luck numbers

beable

February 13 2009, 17:02:20 UTC 8 years ago


4 is often a lucky number.
40 is often, not necessarily a lucky number, but a biblically significant one (40 nights of rain, 40 years in the dessert).

18 is a very lucky number in Judaism, and thus multiples of 18 are considered to be as well. The reason is linguistic rather than anything having to do with being a multiple of 9. Chai, meaning life, is spelt with a chet and a yod, which add up to 18.

Re: Non-prime luck numbers

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:56:39 UTC 8 years ago

Oh, very nice numerology.

keristor

February 13 2009, 17:06:10 UTC 8 years ago

My mother was born on a Friday the 13th (she says that the Friday and the 13 cancel each other out). When my parents moved house just before my sister was born, the house into which they were moving was numbered 15, that side of the road went 11, 15, 17, ... missing out 13 -- so they renumbered it back to 13, thus leaving another odd gap, and I grew up in number 13. Lucky for us...

I like the idea of black cats spontaneously generating...

Some superstitions make sense. Walking under ladders is best avoided at any time, especially when there is someone up the ladder with a paint pot. And if a cat of any colour (but especially black if it's dark) runs across my mother's path it it is quite likely that she could trip. And if a program I've just written does actually compile with no errors the first time I am very correct to be suspicious about how many logic errors there are in it...

(Sacrificing a chicken in order to get SCSI drives to work is, however, a myth. Except that everything seems better after a bowl of chicken soup...)

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:56:55 UTC 8 years ago

Chicken soup: the voodoo of the modern world.

trektone

February 13 2009, 17:07:46 UTC 8 years ago

Me like 13, too. Me born on a 13, but not a Friday.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:57:13 UTC 8 years ago

But occasionally, you'll get that Friday anyway.

I have weird feelings about numbers.

druidspell

February 13 2009, 17:11:16 UTC 8 years ago

I like the number 13, I've never had a problem with Friday the 13th.
My own lucky number is 5 (prime), and my favorite numbers are 5, 15 (5 times 3, another prime), 25 (5 squared), and 75 (15 times 5). I'm actively hostile toward 35 (5 times 7, because I HATE the number 7 and multiples thereof), and numbers ending in 35.

Re: I have weird feelings about numbers.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:57:38 UTC 8 years ago

Interesting! Your number oddities are as strong as mine.

netpositive

February 13 2009, 17:11:51 UTC 8 years ago

So this is a doubly lucky year for you, because when February has both 28 days AND a Friday the 13th, then March also... yeah, that would fit.


seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:58:24 UTC 8 years ago

Yup!

bardling

8 years ago

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songwind

February 13 2009, 17:11:56 UTC 8 years ago

I have always been fascinated by 13, and the schizophrenic attitude our society has toward it.

13 is bad! No cabin 13 on ships or 13th floors of buildings!

But bakers, who more or less embody the concepts of wholesomeness to a large degree, intentionally give you 13 things!

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:58:42 UTC 8 years ago

I know, right? It's weird. Unless bakers are wishing us all ill in secret...

Deleted comment

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:59:10 UTC 8 years ago

Oh, very nice! I like homebrew numerology.

serafina_zane

February 13 2009, 17:16:46 UTC 8 years ago

I love Friday the 13ths. They're for gathering together and watching incredibly bad 50s horror movies with friends. (As I plan to today!) But just in general, just yes. 13 is my favorite number. (I also love Midnighters so very much.)

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:59:38 UTC 8 years ago

Scott Westerfield rules. It's that simple.

marsdejahthoris

February 13 2009, 17:20:37 UTC 8 years ago

Heh. Thirteen gets a lot of it's "unlucky" status, I believe, from the fact that it's one more than twelve, and twelve is one of the "good" numbers. I have a whole system of not-quite-numerological magic worked out that I may work into a story, someday, if I can ever get the hang of writing characters rather than archetypes.

Btw, I know the artist of your Icon. Small, SMALL internet. *waves to Mimi*

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 01:59:51 UTC 8 years ago

Awesome! And also, hee. Mimi rules.

marsdejahthoris

8 years ago

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seanan_mcguire

8 years ago

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catnip13

February 13 2009, 17:31:13 UTC 8 years ago

Had you noticed we get two Friday the 13th's this year?

dornbeast

February 13 2009, 23:46:56 UTC 8 years ago

Two in a row, one later on.

seanan_mcguire

8 years ago

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tikiera

February 13 2009, 17:49:02 UTC 8 years ago

Today is my lucky day! I love Friday the 13th. :)

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:00:22 UTC 8 years ago

Right there with you.

snowcoma

February 13 2009, 18:05:13 UTC 8 years ago

I've always liked the day, myself. I never bought into the fear aspect, as I was raised Catholic, and Friday is Our Lady's day, and I think 13 is one of her numbers. Also, 13 is a traditional number for a coven.

That said, 4 is my lucky number, and I'm now greatly amused with 666, as the ATT guy decided the goth chick was the best one to give that number to (thank you, ATT guy).

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:01:26 UTC 8 years ago

The ATT guy wins.

linenoise

February 13 2009, 18:06:19 UTC 8 years ago

My parents were married on a Friday the 13th, with 13 people in the chapel. It's worked out for them, so far. They're going out for drinks and oysters tonight to celebrate. Their actual anniversary is in June, but they're more likely to celebrate it on whatever random Friday the 13th comes around, rather than 6/13.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:01:38 UTC 8 years ago

That's the best way to do an anniversary ever.

acetachyon

February 13 2009, 18:19:28 UTC 8 years ago

Tell me this feeling
Lasts till forever
Tell me the bad times
Are cleaned, washed away--!

Eh?

What was the question?

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:01:56 UTC 8 years ago

Don't worry, that was the right answer. :)

lostwind

February 13 2009, 18:23:41 UTC 8 years ago

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10163129-235.html

Apparently at 3:30-ish today the time will be 1234567890 in Unix-xpeak.
I think that's a little bit of awesome.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:02:09 UTC 8 years ago

Dude, COOL.

bardling

February 13 2009, 18:33:17 UTC 8 years ago

Though I wasn't born on a Friday, today is my birthday, thus 13s are positive numbers for me and I've never worried about Friday the 13hs either. And today is a particularly good one of both of those.
That said, I'm not all that greatly influenced by lucky or unlucky numbers. :)

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:02:30 UTC 8 years ago

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

<3 <3 <3

bardling

8 years ago

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liret

February 13 2009, 19:08:32 UTC 8 years ago

That was pretty much my chain of logic too! I figured all the other numbers were diluted because they had to be lucky for so many people. No one was expecting 13 to be lucky, therefore, it had extra luck for me.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:02:44 UTC 8 years ago

I approve of your logic. Largely because I share it.

kt_n_dd

February 13 2009, 19:12:09 UTC 8 years ago

Friday the 13th is a good luck day, most definitely. It has always been good luck for me and I've never understood the negative connotation that other people have had. One of my aunties and her daughter think so, too. We've always dressed nicely/done something special. I also go about cheerily wishing people a "Happy Friday the 13th!", which confuses them a bit. :)

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:02:53 UTC 8 years ago

That = awesome.

lysystratae

February 13 2009, 19:14:04 UTC 8 years ago

I'm with you - I've always been big on 13, especially friday the 13th, for pretty much the same reasons.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:03:01 UTC 8 years ago

It's a good, good day.

scholarinexile

February 13 2009, 20:15:51 UTC 8 years ago

Interestingly enough, when I was about seven I decided I was triskaidekaphobic, largely because I liked the word and had had a bad Friday the 13th the day I first heard it. I maintained this chosen fear for several years. My wife and I now consider it a fairly lucky day, inasmuch as it's the day she passed her English comps with flying colors, and her dad survived a potentially risky surgery.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:03:14 UTC 8 years ago

That's kind of awesome.

dr_zrfq

February 13 2009, 20:42:47 UTC 8 years ago Edited:  February 13 2009, 20:43:09 UTC

montuos's father was born on a Friday the 13th. His last birthday before he died was also a Friday the 13th. He always considered Friday the 13th to be his GOOD-luck day.

For me? The number 13 never held any serious good or bad vibes, other perhaps than the good ones associated with *Channel* 13, the public broadcasting station where I grew up.

seanan_mcguire

February 14 2009, 02:03:25 UTC 8 years ago

Huh. Neat!

rdmaughan

February 13 2009, 20:47:13 UTC 8 years ago


It's an interesting fact that most people will give their lucky number as two, three, or seven, all of which are primes (and all of which are odd).


I agree two is a prime, but odd?

tibicina

February 14 2009, 00:23:15 UTC 8 years ago

Oh, good. Someone else pointed that out so I didn't have to.

seanan_mcguire

8 years ago

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seanan_mcguire

8 years ago

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rdmaughan

8 years ago

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