"unlucky" thirteen and other superstitions

Thirteen months since our Log In Date. When we first started, counting up the months meant we were counting down to the adoption. Now, with the constant delays, I feel like we are just counting up.

Here are some fun facts I found at Wikipedia.

13 (number) is:

The atomic number aluminium
The number of dimensions in some theories of relativity

The point when a person officially becomes a teenager.
The number of guns in a gun salute to U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps Major Generals, and Navy and Coast Guard Rear Admirals Upper Half.
The number of steps, according to Egyptian lore, between life and death.
Unreasoned fear of the number 13 is termed triskaidekaphobia.
In Tarot decks, the #13th card of the Major Arcana is Death. While Death is rarely interpreted literally, it is possible that this furthered the perception of 13 as an unlucky number.

Hey, today is July 6 (7-6-07) ---> 7 + 6 = 13. I know, I am a dork.

In China, numbers definitely hold significance. Many chinese superstitions have been born from the fact that many words in chinese can hold multiple and sometimes contradictory meanings. Often, two words may sound alike, yet mean something different (a homonym). This has created a taboo among certain words and of course, numbers.

For instance, the number (8) in chinese means "prosperity," "fortune" or "wealth." Eight is considered the most auspicious number and the chinese try to include it in as many parts of their lives as possible including their address, their phone number, etc. In fact, the Beijing Olympics will begin next year on August 8, 2008 (08-08-08), at 8pm in the evening. The more times a lucky number can be strung together, the more potent the luck becomes.

The number six, "liù", is considered to be a very auspicious number because it is a homonym of the word for "flowing" or "smooth." In western culture, 666, is considered the "devil's number". However, it is a particularly lucky one in the Chinese language, as it sounds close to the words meaning "things are going smoothly."

WOO HOO! Our LID is 06-06-06 - "things are going smoothly". That will be my mantra.

It is *SLIGHTLY* possible, however a long shot, that we could possibly travel next summer. [Don't worry, I am not holding my breath]. How lucky would we be if we ended up traveling on 08-08-08 with our 06-06-06 LID?

OK - time to go to bed, I am getting slap happy.