Unlucky for some?

I had to laugh when I read an article in this morning's news entitled No number for witches in Palmy. Until, that is, I realised they were being serious. Then, I laughed even harder!

What is it with the number 13? For Italians, 13 is quite a lucky number (I forget why). In fact, the number 17 is considered to be "a disgrace", so when my parents built their house at number 17, my grandmother was shocked! They're still there nearly 40 years later, so it can't have been too bad after all. However, the odd numbers in their street go straight from #11 to #15 because, apparently, no-one wanted #13. How many times have I stayed in a motel that has rooms number #11, #12, #12A, #14 ...? (Probably 13 times!) And what about the number 4, signalling "death" in Chinese culture? Our street numbers could end up incredibly creative if we could all pick and choose our addresses based on whatever superstition we decided to go with.

It appears that some people go to great lengths to avoid 'unlucky' numbers, and Palmerston North is one place where this is not only possible, but actually legal! When my cousin and his wife found a specialist hospital for the upcoming birth of their baby, the clinic they chose seems to have an even more unfortunate address: 666 High Street. Gulp!

So, as I sit here this morning at #13, I figure that my luck is probably neutral: unlucky in Palmerston North, but lucky in Italy. I know where I'd rather be. ;-)

Irrational fears ...

"... I've had a few,
But then again, too few to mention ..."

Apparently I have some irrational fears. Of course, to me they are entirely rational, but to others they are questionable or just ridiculous. I don't mind mice; spiders and bugs aren't my favourite, but they don't send me into a panic. We're not talking about full-blown phobias here - just things I don't like.

I was reading this post about the fear of biscuits, and realised I'd found a kindred soul. It would seem that, for several people, a fear of biscuits is quite rational, or at least more common than you would think. Personally, biscuits or the tins that dough comes in don't scare me at all (aren't I brave!); it's just the fact that others have equally ridiculous irrational fears that made me smile. My sweetie thinks I'm a total wuss and often laughs at me about these fears; he doesn't realise how big and scary things can be.

Here are a few I can think of at the moment - who knows, the list may grow. I'd post pictures here, but that would set me off. :-P

• Spiderman. It's just not natural to climb buildings like that. I know I'm not supposed to be afraid of superheroes, and that he could save my life one day, but I am. The shape of his face, and the fact he's covered with spider webs, doesn't help either.
  
• Dr Who. I don't know why. It's not the tardis - I didn't even remember what that was when I was a kid. My brother and I would watch it in black and white at our grandmother's house on Sunday nights (there was only a choice of two channels then). Tom Baker as Dr Who was incredibly freaky, and now even the music (yes, even from the new series) is enough to scare me.
  
• TV hospital dramas. ER, Grey's Anatomy, Chicago Hope - anything except Scrubs. I've missed out on being part of popular culture because I don't like body bits that are where they shouldn't be (ie insides on the outside - freaky). Even the beeps and suction noises from a fake operation ... gross. The one episode of Grey's Anatomy that I genuinely tried to watch to "appreciate the storyline" involved someone performing an impromptu operation on a fishing wharf and had to open up a guy's stomach. I couldn't watch. So, alas, I've missed out on these conversation starters.
  
• Body piercings anywhere other than earlobes, and even there, only one in each ear. The same goes for things that you put into bits of your skin/body parts to stretch or morph them. Yuck.
  
• Tattoos. I don't mind looking at them (some of them) once they are complete, but the thought of getting one totally grosses me out. Even the buzzing sound of the tattoo thingie freaks me out.
  

So, what are your irrational fears? And who hassles you about them?

Have your say about Wellington

A friend sent me this link this morning. You can have your say in the Capital Times Wellington 2008 Readers' Poll. You can have your say on as many (or as few) categories as you want, and the results get collated and published in Capital Times.

I couldn't find a finishing date for the survey, so got onto it straight away. Here's your chance to celebrate the best (and worst) of Wellington! Perfect for a Café Chick.