Friday the 13th 6-13-1974

I respect the power of 13.

Back in 1974 my friend Andy Kornfeld and I were driving cross country in a drive-away station wagon. We left from Boston, stopping at Sterling, Colorado-Thompson Canyon, the Id Lounge in Roosevelt Utah before hitting the Stateline of Nevada. I had never gambled in a casino and stopped at a rundown bar. An older woman was dealing blackjack. I won $200 in an hour. A used car cost $200. My luck held out for Ely and Winnemucca. $800 was like $8000 in today's greenbacks. Andy had also been lucky. Up $400, but luck on Friday the 13th runs out of breath fast.

In Reno I accepted a leggy waitress offer of a drink.

"Jack Coke, please."

I don't remember much after the fifth drink and woke the next morning by the Truckee River. My hangover felt like the casino goons had beat me up for winning too much. A quick check of my pockets confirmed the opposite. I was busted. Not a dollar to my name.

Andy say by the river.

"Did I lose everything?"

"Yeah, it was pretty amazing. You gave me $500 and told me not to give it to you."

"And you did?"

"Never heard anyone beg like that. Not even a junkie."

"Shit." 2700 miles from Boston without a dime to my name. "At least we didn't sell the car."

"No, but you tried."

"Idiot." I washed my face in the mountain stream and we drove the Lodi, where we dropped off the station wagon to an elderly couple. They tipped us $20. The car didn't have a scratch on it and we had cleaned it. Andy took $10. I had hoped that he would have given me the full 20.

The couple gave us a ride to the highway.

Andy was hitching to San Diego. I was hitting the PCH to Big Sur. he smiled guiltily and handed me a paper bag. inside was $500.

"So I didn't blow it." This was the opposite line from Captain America's in EASY RIDER.

"No, but I didn't trust you with the 500 this morning because I thought you'd go back and really blow it."

"Yeah, you were probably right." The $500 lasted a month and I learned a valuable lesson. I'm no Cincinnati Kid and also that mixing liquor with gambling is more bad luck than Friday the 13th whatever day you're playing cards.

Friday the 13th Umphang

Ten years ago my ex-wife, daughter, and I set out from Chai-nat for Umphang, which is one of Thailand's most remote regions. I had calculated seven hours for the five-hubdred kilometer trip, which took almost eleven hours of white-knuckle driving through the jungled mountains. The road in Umphang had been known as Death Highway back in the last century and a pick-up truck nearly smashed into us on a blind curve. We were lucky to arrive at our destination in one piece, since I hadn't realized that that day was Friday the 13th.

While the number 12 symbolizes completeness for numerologists, 13 has a reputation of a prime number steeped with irregularity, further tarnished by Jesus and the Twelve Apostles numbering 13 at the Last Supper and now in the Christian world 13 people at a table is feared to doom one of the guests to death .

Other cultures also consider 13 bad luck. The Turks effectively banned the number from their language. Vikings feared that if 13 guests sat to dinner, all of them would die within a year under the curse of Loki, their god of mischief. Some humans reject this belief and Manhattan has both East and West 13th Streets, however many high-rises on that fabled borough are missing the 13th floor.

Many superstitions have their base in gambling and gamblers exhibit an extraordinary fear of the #13 aka triskaidekaphobia.

Unlike the West Thais regard the number 4 as unlucky, although you'll notice on Thai Air flights there is no row 13.

Personally I think 13's reputation comes from the age at which Jewish boys used to be circumcised and nothing is more unlucky for a man than losing a piece of your penis, unless you’re a ka-toey.

Black Sabbath also released their first album on Feb. 13, 1970.

The date had nothing to do with circumcision.

Although with Ozzie you can never be sure.

Other well-known numerical phobias

Never sit at seat #10 at a poker table.

Always wear red underwear when gambling.

In craps, always blow on the dice before you roll them. That apparently seals in the luck. However, should the dice leave the table, the next toss will be a loser.

Poker players should switch card protectors if luck is running bad.

For some dropping a card during a game is considered very bad luck. Others, however contend you should raise your next bet in that circumstance suggesting that it’s good luck.

Always enter and leave a casino through the same door.

Singing can be either good luck or bad luck while you gamble.

Don’t count your money during a poker session.

Stay away from sex the night before you play. (Not the most popular superstition).

Never let dogs near a gambling table. (Apparently they’re bad luck and no good at poker).

Never accept being paid with $50 bills. They’re called “Frogs” and are said to be unlucky.

Never touch someone’s shoulder while he is gambling.

Don’t enter a casino through its main entrance; it’s cursed.

Switch on all the lights at home before leaving to gamble.

Meanwhile nothing really bad happened this Friday the 13th in Umphang.

At least not yet.