Word of the Day: triskaidekaphobia

triskaidekaphobia (n)

Fear of the number 13.

"People who build hotels and office buildings know all about triskaidekaphobia, even if they do not know its name, since one almost never encounters an elevator that goes to the thirteenth floor!"
--Nancy C Andreasen, Brave New Brain

I was in a building in Manhattan yesterday, a very tony Upper East Side apartment building (where I accompanied someone on a doctor visit), complete with uniformed doormen, mahogany-paneled elevators, and art-deco chandeliers. No 13th floor, however. It's surprising to me (but maybe shouldn't be) that the sort of person (pecunious) who can afford to live in such a domicile would be superstitious about the number 13 -- or if they are, puerile enough not to realize that the 14th floor is actually....

Channel 13, maybe you'd get more donations from all those blue-haired dowagers if you moved to a different broadcast arroyo.

~~~

Meanwhile....

THE FOUR AGREEMENTS
by Miguel Ruiz

The four agreements are these:

Be impeccable with your word.
Don't take anything personally.
Don't make assumptions.
Always do your best.

Agree?