Friggatriskaidekaphobics

According to Discovery News, friggatriskaidekaphobics are people who are afraid of Friday the 13th….try saying that 5 times very fast.

The superstition of Friday the 13th is a fairly new superstition said to date back to the late 18oo’s.  Discovery News stated that Christians have long considered Fridays to be unlucky, as Jesus died on a Friday, and the number 13 has had a long-standing history of being considered an unlucky number.

And for those of you that thought you got out of today unscathed with no “unlucky” things happening to you, I regret to inform you that today was just one of 3, yes 3 occurrances of Friday the 13th for this year.  So you might not be so “lucky” next time 😉

Just for fun, here are the top 13 superstitions as referrenced on Discovery News:

13) Beginners Luck

12) Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck

11) Don’t walk under a ladder

10) black cats crossing your path

9) lucky rabbits foot

8) bad luck happens in 3’s

7) Break a mirror, have 7 years bad luck

6) 666 = mark of the beast/Satan

5) knock on wood to not tempt fate

4) make a wish on a wishbone

3) cross your fingers

2) don’t open umbrella’s inside

1) Friday the 13th

 

 

Did you experience anything unlucky today?  Do you believe in superstitions?

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Music History in the Making

The daily post topic from Word Press was:

For each year you have been alive, write a single sentence about the most important thing that happened to you that year.

If you don’t want to get too personal, write a sentence about the most important historic event, or event most interesting to you, that happened in the world that year.

I thought it would be more fun (for me) to see what was the top song for every year, on my birthday (which is coming up in a couple weeks).  So here they are, according to vinylsurrender.com:

1978 Sultans of Swing , by Dire Straights

1979 Another Brick in the Wall, by Pink Floyd

1980 Boys Don’t Cry, by the Cure

1981 Golden Brown, by the Stranglers

1982 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), by the Eurythmics

1983 True, by Spandau Ballet

1984 Pride, by U2

1985 Brothers in Arms, by Dire Straits

1086 Sledgehammer, by Peter Gabriel

1987 With or Without You, by U2

1988 Handle With Care, by Traveling Wilburys

1989 I Won’t Back Down, by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

1990 Enjoy the Silence, by Depeche Mode

1991 Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Nirvana

1992 Everybody Hurts, by R.E.M

1993 Creep, by Radiohead

1994 Seven Seconds, by Youssou N’Dour

1995 Champagne Supernova, by Oasis

1996 Wannabe, by the Spice Girls

1997 Bittersweet Symphony, by The Verve

1998 All I Need, by Air

1999 …Baby One More Time, by Britney Spears

2000 Yellow, by Coldplay

2001 Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, by Kylie Minogue

2002 Clocks, by Coldplay

2003 Seven Nation Army, by The White Stripes

2004 Wake Me Up When September Ends, by Green Day

2005 DARE, by Gorillaz

2006 Supermassive Black Hole, by Muse

2007 Phantom Limb, by the Shins

2008 Viva La Vida, by Coldplay

2009 This Is Our Lot, by Wild Beasts

2010 Runaway, by Kanye West

2011…..ask me on September 20th  🙂

So how many do YOU remember?

Happy July 4th!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.  ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.  ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.  ~Elmer Davis

Happy Memorial Day

Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone
bear record of their deeds, yet will their remembrance be as lasting as the land
they honored.  ~Daniel Webster

 

For love of country they accepted death…  ~James A. Garfield

 

And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Today, as we celebrate Memorial Day, let us remember all of those that fought, and even died, for our freedoms.  HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Soldier Statue of Liberty

This picture was taken back in 1918, using 18,000 men who were preparing for war in a training camp in Camp Dodge, in Iowa (obviously I did not take it, but I thought it was pretty amazing and wanted to share).

FACTS?
Base to  Shoulder: 150 feet
Right Arm: 340  feet
Widest part of arm holding torch: 12 1/2  feet
Right thumb: 35 feet
Thickest  part of body: 29 feet
Left hand length: 30  feet
Face: 60 feet
Nose: 21  feet
Longest spike of head piece: 70  feet
Torch and flame combined: 980  feet
Number of men in flame of torch:  12,000
Number of men in torch:  2,800
Number of men in right arm:  1,200?
Number of  men in body, head and balance of figure only:  2,000

TOTAL MEN: 18,000

Salmon & Spinach pockets

This is a simple and easy recipe that I found through Pampered Chef.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
• salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• 8 sheets phyllo dough (thawed)
• nonstick cooking spray
• 2 skinless salmon fillets (4-6 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoons garlic and herb cream cheese spread

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425*F.
2. Heat oil in an 8-inch sautee pan until hot.  Add spinach; season with salt and black pepper to taste.  Cook and stir until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.  Remove spinach to a paper towel-lined plate.  Squeeze out all excess moisture; set aside.
3. Lay one sheet of phyllo on large work surface and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place second sheet of phyloo over first, pressing sheets together to seal.  Continue laying down and spraying phyllo sheets to create a stack of four sheets.  Repeat with the remaining phyllo and additional cooking spray to create another phyllo stack.
4. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper.  Spread each salmon fillet with half of the cream cheese spread and then top with half of the spinach.  For each phyllo bundle, place salmon, spinach side down, on phyllo stack 2 inches from bottom edge of short side.  Fold long sides of phyllo in towards center.  Gently roll up phyllo from bottom to top.
5. Place both bundles on baking sheet, seam side down.  Using a knife, make three diagonal slits across top of each bundle.  Spray bundles with nonstick cooking spray.
6. Bake 11-13 minutes or until centers of salmon register 130*F and phyllo is golden brown.
7. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

yield: 2 servings

    

For more recipe ideas, check out my

Savory Stuff page.

Enjoy!