Friday the 13th

Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?

Howstuffworks.com suggests there is no logical reason for this superstition but gives a lot of historical anecdotes about foul fortune on Fridays and surrounding the number thirteen. Basically, it’s a superstition.

Until it happened to me!

Friday was a pretty uneventful itself during the day. Asside from a little being a bit tired from staying up for some reason to watch an old episode of South Park that started at midnight on Friday (cue “Psycho” music), I was there to face the day.

There were good things that happened on Friday. Michael brought in doughnuts for the team, and Jason emailed me reminding me that we had talked about beer and dinner this week. So that was good too!

However I guess between the doughnuts, the nachos and SkyLine Chilly that I had for lunch the fat content in my diet wasn’t all that great.

But those are just details, not the real part of this story.

As I was driving over to New Albany to spend the evening with Jason and Kelly, I found myself not paying attention and got in the wrong lane off the freeway. I figured I’d just follow this road around and catch up with where I’m supposed to be going. No big deal… but one wrong turn, turned into another and I’m sure I missed my road several times.

That’s when I tried to pull into a driveway and turn back around. It was dark, rainy, and the way the headlights reflected off the grass, it was hard to tell where the lawn began and the gravel driveway ended, so I ended up overshooting the driveway. Normally this isn’t more of a foul than leaving some tire marks in a stranger’s lawn. However tonight was Friday the 13th so nothing is going to be simple here.

Cl-cunk!

I’m stuck on something. I try reverse.

Cl-cunk!

The car won’t budge.

So I do the natural thing, I give it more gas in both directions.

Cl-cunk! Cl-cunk!
I’m not going anywhere.

I get out and look under the car, not having a flashlight; I feel around and find some metal obstacle stuck under the front end of the car. I call Jason and tell him I’m not sure where I am but the last road I was on was Central College.

He finds me and in the mean time I had the idea that maybe I can jack up the car enough to get the front end over he obstacle and push it out of harm’s way.

Did I mention it was raining? So the ground was soggy, and the front tires are in the grass. This particular street happens to have a rather wide shoulder for a two-lane road. So my jack is sitting in the mushy grass and doesn’t do much for raising the car. When Jason gets there his headlights provide insight into a SECOND OBSTICLE. This one isn’t just caught on the front end, it’s wedged in the frame of frame of the… okay I’m not a car guy, but it was wedged into something on my car.

So we call a tow truck… well he calls for a tow truck, because his insurance company will answer the phone at 9:00 on a Friday night.

After a quick jaunt over to the gas station for his car to get some fuel we’re back at my immobile automobile and the tow truck arrives about twenty minutes later.

At this point the owner of the house I’m parked in front of comes out and explains that we can’t drive the wrecker through his yard, I think he was looking for an altercation so I did my best to explain that we won’t do anything to his lawn and that everything will take place on the other side of the driveway.

He goes back in the house slightly calmer for not having to enter an argument.

We explain the situation to the tow truck guy. Who looks at the obstacle closest to the wheel. This is the strangest stuck car he’s ever seen.

Well about 35 minutes and $58 later I’m free.

I walk back up to the house and apologize for a small mark in his yard, I give the man of the house my business card to which he says “Your card’s not worth anything to me.” I told him, that it has my phone number on it if he needs to get a hold of me. And then I offered to bring him some topsoil to repair the damage.

Again I think he was geared up for an argument but I wasn’t going to give it to him.

Jason has some extra topsoil and gives it to me so I leave and go home.

The next day I made good on my promise and dropped off 2 bags of topsoil on his front porch but didn’t disturb him. Basically I think he expected me to do some yard work and re-seed the lawn. But on a 29 degree day in mid January It’s pretty pointless with more winter to come.

At least he’s ready for spring.

I think I used up all the bad luck on Friday, because the Steelers really pulled one out on Sunday!