Dreaded Day

A dreaded day is here, I hesitate to write it... Friday the 13th. YAAAAAAA! There is a great name for the fear of Friday the 13th: paraskavedekatriaphobia.

I am a Triskaidekaphobic big time. I hate the number 13 and as I have written before (Haunted, Still Haunted) it haunts me on a daily basis. I can count on one hand the number of days in the last year I have not looked at a digital clock and saw it was 13 minutes past the hour. For today, I have a remedy for that... I covered the damn things up. In the corner of my computer screen is a little square of paper that is covering the computer clock. The clock in the office is covered by one of my hats. The coffee maker is covered with a towel. The clock on the digital cable box is turned around, the clock on the vanity unplugged. Maybe for a small space I have too many clocks?? Some just come with the appliance unfortunately.

I am not alone, according to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute, 17 to 21 million people in the US are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business (hello! I am not looking at my clock and not going anywhere today) taking flights or even getting out of bed. Some say the economy loses an estimated that $800 or $900in lost revenue or productivity on Friday the 13th.

Well, so far so good for the clock. But I reconciled the building petty cash this afternoon. Sure enough, after subtracting the receipts I had accumulated, I have $113.13 in cash.

I can't win.