Happy Friday The Thirteenth Horror Lovers!
There is that little inner voice that is whispering things in your ear today, trying to goad you into being a responsible ‘adult‘. It says things like “Unlucky things happen every day” and “Superstition ain’t the way” and “If anything, you’re probably a bit safer today, because many people are hiding out and therefore unable to drop a safe on your head.”
LIES! ALL LIES!
Don’t listen to it.
Have we learned nothing from the multitude of horror movies we’ve watched over the years? At the very least, you should listen to the wisdom taught by Uncle Jason…
‘What does Shadow Girl do on Friday The 13th’, you ask?
I’ll tell you what I do! Besides posting these public service announcements to keep you safe, I do what I do best. I read. This year, I’m reading ASBO by Iain Rob Wright, and I’m going to be going back into recently finished books like THE SUMMER I DIED, STEPHEN KING, HOUSEMATES, and HIT, (among others) to sort my thoughts and tell you about them. I’ve been reading some amazing things, without stopping in between to review or discuss. ::finger of shame:: Bad Blogger! ::slaps hand::
What are you doing today?
You could be reading any number of Friday the Thirteenth themed books instead of rewatching the film franchise as it’s being looped on FX for 36 hours! [Or, you know, you could do that, too. Multi-tasking can be fun for horror hounds on days like today ::winks::]
CAMP BLOOD is the internet home of Jason Voorhees, and lists all the books and graphic novels that are attached to the movies in any way. The YA novels are written by multiple authors, and sound like so much fun… it’s a new quest of mine – to read them all. With lines like “I’ve got a little secret for you. The only time you’re safe―really safe―is when you’re dead.” [―Paul Sexton, Mother’s Day, P. 107], and so many crazy story lines (like in The Jason Strain by Christa Faust and Hate-Kill-Repeat by Jason Arnopp), I’m dying to get my hands on them all!
OK. We’ve covered READING for today. But, what other tips and tricks should you know to keep safe today? You should certainly avoid doing unlucky things!! I know you’re a rebel, but don’t purposely go stepping on sidewalk cracks today. Mothers around the world will thank you. Don’t try to be a bad ass, avoid walking under ladders, don’t run down the mirror isle of IKEA with a cart full of bowling balls, and stay away from umbrellas altogether. Here are 13 More Things You Should Definitely Avoid on Friday the 13th…
1. The internet.
The infamous Jerusalem virus of the ’80s (spread through floppy disks!) destroyed all executable files on infected computers every January 13. On January 13, 1989, the virus hit a bunch of IBM PCs in Britain. Keep the devices off.
2. The stock market.
Friday, the Thirteenth *[free download] was a weird and popular 1907 novel about an evil trader named Bob Brownley, who wreaks havoc on Wall Street. The novel’s helped cement the date’s evil portents in pop culture with inimitably purple prose:
“Wall Street has lived through many black Fridays. Some of them have been thirteenth-of-the-month Fridays, but no Friday yet marked from the calendar, no Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday yet garnered to the storehouse of the past was ever more jubilantly welcomed by his Satanic Majesty than yesterday.”
And wouldn’t you know, 81 years later, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 190.58 points, on Friday, October 13, 1989 — sure, that’s peanuts compared to the market of today, but why risk it?
3. Vegas.
Tupac Shakur died on Friday the 13th, 1996 after a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
4. The movies.
Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, was born on a Friday the 13th, and you don’t want to live his nightmares.
5. The streets.
A 1993 study published in the British Medical Journal found that hospital visits from vehicular accidents increased as much as 52% on Friday the 13th. Stay home.
6. Work
Triskaidekaphobia expert Dr. Thomas Fernsler of the University of Delaware, known as “Dr. 13”, estimates that absenteeism costs the nation billions each Friday the 13th. So why even bother going in?
7. School.
This school caught on fire on Friday the 13th of August, 2010. It could happen again.
8. The air.
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes on Friday, October 13, 1972. The event is the subject of the movie Alive.
9. The water.
On Friday, January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia hit a rock in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Italy, partially sinking the ship and killing 30.
10. The outside.
Hurricane Charley made landfall in Cuba on Friday, August 13, 1992. It is still the eighth most destructive Atlantic hurricane in history. On April 13, 2012, a terrible tornado cluster hit the Midwest. Nature is to be respected. Be safe. (I’m using a clip from the weather channel, because the tornado footage from that day makes me cry)
11. The inside.
Even your house is not safe from today’s curse, at least if you want to sell it: housing sales are 32 percent less on the 13th, reports ABC News.
12. Traveling.
On Friday, August 13, 1993, the Royal Plaza Hotel in Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand, caved in, killing 127 people. All six stories collapsed “swiftly and totally.”
13. Staying put.
According to NASA, an asteroid may SLAM into the Earth on a Friday the 13th in 2029. (Check out the freaky data & sciency stuff!) NASA says scientists are hoping it will not hit on April 13th, but ‘shave’ past us, being the brightest asteroid in recorded history. (Never fear! … There’s still a 3.9 in a million chance that 99942 Apophis will return to collide with us later this century.)
So, what’s left? What should you do this Friday the 13th?
~ Adopt a BLACK CAT from Black Cat Rescue
~ Download a Friday the 13th themed book
~ Play ESCAPE FROM CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE (fun & free!)
* or the original game – Escape from Elm Street
~ Do a Friday the 13th WORD SEARCH
~ Play Camp Blood TIC TAC TOE
~ Test your Friday the 13th movie knowledge HERE
~ Learn about Friday the 13th on Wikipedia
~ Play Friday The 13th online FREE
~ Load up your PINTREST boards with Friday The Thirteenth Flair!!
The Bloody Book Blogger 