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Graphic of Santa waving with a big pile of presents behind him to give out.
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Categories:

Friday the 13th

Olivia Kalb, A&E Editor • September 13, 2013

        I have friggatriskaidekaphobia. Or, in other words, Friday the 13th is the day I stay inside huddling on my couch as I quiver in fear and whimper at every bump.

        But being the day of horrible horrors, my safety plan will probably just end in The Attack of the 10 Foot Spider or Paranormal Activity 6.

        To make matters worse, I’ll be home alone. Hey, it’s the perfect setup for a Friday the 13th horror movie: a teenage girl, no one home, and a large, dark, creaking house! Yay!

But what makes this Friday the 13th truly special for me is that my family just had to have a black cat. Normally, I’m okay with Kitty (yes, my family is that original) since she has a few white hairs on her chest so she’s not “pure” black, but on Friday the 13th I’m not taking any chances of “falling” down the stairs or being kidnapped for some satanic ritual. It can happen… Anything can happen on Friday the 13th.

Did you know Friday the 13th only became popularly known as the unluckiest day ever in the 19th century? The number 13 is horrid because it comes after 12, which many civilizations have considered to be a “whole” or “complete” number. And Friday, in Chaucer’s story The Nun’s Priest’s Tale from the Canterbury Tales, was the day a whole bunch of terrible things happened. This 14th century tale helped lead to the whole unlucky number 13 thing and Friday being considered a super mega terrible day. However, the first time Friday the 13th was actually mentioned as unlucky was in 1869 in the biography of Gioachino Rossini (an Italian composer)… It was the day he died…

Common Things That Give Good Luck

            ·  A horseshoe

            ·  A four leaf clover

            ·  A rabbit’s foot

            ·  A daisy with an odd number of petals

            ·  A cricket finding its way into your house

            ·  A ladybug landing on you

            ·  Finding a penny heads up

Things to do to Bring Good Luck

            ·  Save the wishbone from your Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey.

            ·  Eat an apple on Christmas Day for good health in the new year.

            ·  Eat black eyed peas and cornbread on New Year’s Eve for luck all year.

 

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About the Contributor
Olivia Kalb
Olivia Kalb, A&E Editor

When Olivia Kalb ‘14 finds a spare moment, she cannot help but spend the time reading an enjoyable book. Although Kalb’s schedule has been booked tight lately college essays and the beginning of senior year, she still makes reading a priority in her life.

“I don’t really have a favorite [book] since I’m always finding new ones I adore, but my favorite genre is romance,” Kalb said. “I love falling into a story as I’m reading.”

However, in addition to adoring books, Kalb also enjoys writing short stories and creative nonfiction. She is very is cognizant of her surroundings, causing her to always be creating dialogues, characters, and stories in her head as she walks through the halls of Staples.

Kalb’s passion for writing was the reason she joined Inklings her junior year. However once part of the newspaper staff, she realized she was able to combine her love of reading and writing. Specifically, last May, after Kalb finished reading a novel, she in return wrote a review on it for Inklings.

Kalb will continue to read and write as she feels it is putting her on the path to success in life. “I have my whole life planned out,” Kalb said. “I want to be an editor for a New York Publisher.” While this may seem like a big dream, Kalb knows that Inklings is teaching her all the right skills for that lifestyle.