FRIGGATRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA

  
      There's a new Bookworm in town.  For several years, this blog has been written by one of the staff members at the Moultrie Library.  In June, that staff member resigned and turned her many duties over to various staff members.  She was a most talented and creative person, making her shoes very hard to fill.  During the transition period, maintaining the blog has been put on the back burner, as evidenced by the absence of entries.  Having caught up on everything else, I now have time to concentrate on writing little tidbits of Library news and personal observations.  Just as the identity of the original blogger was a secret, I will not divulge my identity either.  That air of mystery will keep you guessing.  I know I won't be as creative either, but I hope to entertain and inform you with each blog.
     Friday the 13th is probably not a good day to begin a new adventure, but I'm the daring sort and decided not to let a little superstition deter me.  In European culture, Friday is considered to be an unlucky day.  This is thought to stem from the fact that Christ died on a Friday.  Many superstitions have arisen about the "unluckiness" of activities that are undertaken on a Friday...it is bad luck to be born, get married, take a new job, visit the sick, or cut your nails on a Friday.  Sailors are loathe to begin a voyage on a Friday.  Combine that with the notion that the number 13 is unlucky and you have a double whammy.  The fear of 13 also seems to have its roots in Christendom.  There were 13 people sitting at the table during the "Last Supper" and one of them betrayed Christ which lead to His eventual death. 
     So, have you figured out what all of this has to do with the title of today's blog?  The term "Friggatriskaidekaphobia" translates into "fear of Friday the 13th".  Frigga is the Norse goddess for which the day Friday was named.  Triskaidek comes from the Greek for thirteen.  Phobia means fear.  Apparently, I am not a superstitious person because I have begun this new job and I even cut my fingernails before I came to work today.  However, I have yet to explain why most of the computers at the library have been acting like they were possessed by evil spirits today.  Do you think the folks at Carver High School in Columbus, Georgia know about this?  I certainly hope so, because I'm pulling for the Pack tonight at Mack Tharpe Stadium.