Only Two Sevens Left

Whoop De-Doo

Although I'm not a numerologist we assign certain to numbers in our society. The number 13 is supposedly an unlucky one. There is even a term for the fear of anything 13, Triskaidekaphobia. Of course, anybody who lived through the 1960s and the drug culture had another meaning for the number 13. Since "M" is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, the term "13" was code for marijuana.

Twenty one is used as the age of majority and is often considered to be lucky. I'm not sure of the reason. Perhaps because of a blackjack hand that totals 21 is a winner. Eighty-six is a term often used to throw out or get rid of. In restaurant parlance, "86 the corned beef" means that the supply of corned beef has been exhausted. However if you are in a bar and become too rambunctious, you might get "86ed" or thrown out of the bar. Other numbers have sexual innuendos assigned to them.

Three can be lucky or unlucky, but it is often associated with ultimatums - three strikes and you're out. But the third time is often the charm. Four is lucky - not because of the number itself, but only if it is associated with a clover. Clovers usually have three leaves so to find one with four leaves is not only an anomaly, it is considered to be lucky - not for the clover, though because it gets picked and often dried and squished between the pages of a dictionary or other very large book.

Who hasn't heard of "Lucky 7?" A jackpot that aligns 777 is generally the winner. With that in mind, the year that will soon end should have been a lucky year but there are many who will disagree about the state of good fortune in terms of the war in Iraq, the economy, and certainly the housing market. But regardless there remain just two more days counting today in the old year, so I guess that would be 7-7. Not a winner.

Eight is the year to which we look forward. In Chinese cultures 8 is considered to be a lucky number. Since the shape signifies infinity, other cultures also consider it to be lucky.

Until tomorrow, New Year's eve. While waiting perhaps I could get a little blogging music.... Maestro, do you know Meatloaf's "2 out of 3 Ain't Bad?"

Dr. Forgot