Unlucky 13? Nah.

I have never really gotten into the superstition of Friday the 13th.  Oh, sure, I tried to act like it was some magical day where black cats and bad luck rule all, but I never actually cared.  

Today, in fact, is my mom's birthday!  She was born on a Friday the 13th, so it's hard for me to think it's a bad day.  Strangely enough, my dad was also born on a Friday, so it happens than whatever day of the week Mom's birthday falls on, Dad's will, too (though, not until September).

Similarly, I grew up with a friend who was born on Mother's Day.  In case I haven't mentioned it here, I was born on Father's Day.  This year, since my birthday falls on Father's Day, I know that my friend's birthday will fall on Mother's Day.  Just one of those fun bits of trivia that no one cares about (except me, of course).  

Anywhoozles, I'm sure some of you are superstitious about this day, even if I'm not.  I'm not saying I'm never superstitious.  I am.  It's just certain things I'm superstitious about and I've gotten less superstitious as time has gone by; or maybe my medication works better and I'm just less obsessive...  I don't really see anything wrong about having superstitions as long as they don't interfere with your day to day life.  

There is a fine line between being superstitious and having OCD.  Superstitious is not wanting to step on cracks in the sidewalk and cringing when you do.  You later attribute some bit of "bad luck" to having stepped on said crack, but life goes on.  OCD is feeling like stepping on a crack might mean the end of the world as you know it, and if you should happen to step on one, you may feel the need to start from the beginning or even to go home and crawl back into bed because today clearly is just not happening.

Growing up, I thought some of my quirks were just superstitions.  And some of them probably were.  But some of them were definitely bordering on obsession, and even though they didn't necessarily interfere with daily activities, they sometimes came close.  Or, at minimum, they made me think I was pretty effing weird.

Whenever we drove somewhere, I would stare out the window from the back seat.  Any time there was a driveway or a cross street, I had to keep my teeth apart.  So, picture me riding along in a residential neighborhood.  It probably looked like I was chewing gum, since I was opening my jaw (but not my mouth) for each "interruption" in the road we were on.  Not life-changing, but odd.

For the longest time, I wouldn't set my alarm clock for anything that ended in a 0 or 5.  I woke up at strange times like 7:12 or 6:48.  I did the same thing on the microwave.  If something called for 30 seconds, I put the timer on for 29 or 31 seconds.  

There were others, but those are the two that stick out most in my mind.  I used to do the typical little kid superstitious things (holding my breath past a cemetery, for example), but beyond that, none of my superstitions were as... common.  A touch of OCD will do that, though.

I hope you all have a lovely Friday the 13th today!  I'm done working in about an hour and will be spending most of my day doing homework, but here's hoping y'all have better plans than I do!  And remember, superstition ain't the way.  ;-) 

EDIT: So, it turns out my mom wasn't actually born on Friday the 13th, she just happens to have a lot of birthdays on Fridays.  Oh well.  Still not an unlucky number for me!

  

Las Vegas to Milwaukee: Points of Interest

Hello, dear readers!  Hope you're all doing just peachy.  I don't have time for an extensive retelling of my recent road trip, but here are some points of interest in a brief recap!

Thursday night, 6/16: Though non-stop flights are less hassle, I was reminded that four hours on a plane next to people I don't know in a seat I can't possibly get comfortable in is not one of my favorite activities.  

Friday morning, 6/17: Spent my birthday morning in my pjs watching TV (huzzah for Degrassi reruns on The N and Family Guy on DVR!).  It may sound boring, but it was pretty glorious.

Friday afternoon/evening: Celebrated 'Chranksgiving' with K, S and some of their friends.  It's essentially a combo of the best foods of Christmas and Thanksgiving, but in the summer.  Who says turkey should be a winter food only?  My contribution was cutting up bread for the stuffing and picking my own birthday cake.

Friday night: Spent about $30 at Red Rock Casino.  God, I love penny slots.

Saturday, 6/18: Waited for K to get packed and headed out.  K drove the whole day, since I'm not as familiar with mountains.  We drove from Vegas to Denver.  Dinner that evening was a bag of M&Ms.

Sunday morning, 6/19: Headed to Rocky Mountain National Park!  My first trip there (and only my second nat'l park).  Seeing so much snow in June is a bit of a mindf*ck.  Loved it.  It even snowed on us in the park!

Sunday night: I drove from lunch in Loveland, CO to our hotel in North Platte, NE.  I drove in some epic rain.  I was just taking it slow, doing what I needed to do, and cars kept pulling over and throwing their flashers on.  It was crazy!  K decided we should stop for gas at the next exit and wait some of it out.  About 30 seconds after that suggestion, we started getting pelted with hailstones.  Ended up parked along the side of the interstate for 20 minutes, and spent another hour at a gas station in Brule.  I got us safely to North Platte after that, earning some major respect from K.

Monday, 6/20: Got to see the Kool-Aid exhibit at the Hastings Museum!  Drove part of the afternoon, and we got into West Des Moines around 6, the earliest we'd reached any of our destinations.  It was nice to have an evening to relax.

Tuesday, 6/21: West Des Moines, IA to Milwaukee, WI.  Stopped along the way to see a giant wooden nickel, the future birthplace of James Kirk, and the world's largest truck stop.  Sleeping in my own bed was like Heaven.  

Summary:  Had a freakin' great time!  But there really is no place like home. :-D

Next Stop: Vegas, Please!

Tomorrow night I hop on my flight to Las Vegas!  While I will miss my hubby and the puppers, I'm really excited to spend another birthday out west.  :-)

The first birthday I spent in Vegas was my 22nd birthday.  Now that I'll be turning 27, things are a little different.  For example, I'm married.  Last time I was "kind of dating" someone (my hubby's best friend, in fact).  Kind of a big difference.  Also, I (probably) won't be getting anything pierced this time (whereas at 22 I got my bellybutton pierced at a placed called Precious Slut).  And the biggest difference is that I get to bring my sister home with me!

Again, as previously mentioned, I'm technically an only child.  But, I grew up next door to my best friend and her siblings, who I have adopted as my own.  K and S, my closest sisters age-wise, both live in Vegas these days.  K is a teacher and S is a student.  While S will stay in lovely Nevada, K spends her summers back home in Wisconsin.  How does she get there?  ROAD TRIP!

Yes, while part of my trip is to celebrate my birthday (and my 5th anniversary of my first Vegas trip), the main reason is that I'll be driving back to WI with K.  Last year, for those who don't know, I did the opposite trip - I drove from WI out to NV with her and then flew back (it was sort of a bachelorette celebration).  I'm looking forward to another great road trip (as, strangely, all of my major road trips in the past few years have been with K), and seriously happy to have my best friend back in the state for a few months.  :-)

So here's hoping everyone has a great weekend!  I know I will!