Showing posts with label Superstition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Superstition. Show all posts

Friday 13 September 2019

Friday


Yes it's the 13th and had an early night last night . The Feedburner feed seems to be dropping off but this time may be because I haven't posted for a couple of days through essentially laziness, apathy and tiredness.

Last night I watched at excellently subversive comedy  film called "The Brand New Testament" which relocates God to Brussels and he is nothing but a git , and his rebellious daughter is brilliant , there are some very funny scenes especially after she escapes through washing machine after Jesus advises her what to do is a very small cameo and God's wife follows the evolution of her personal copy of "The Last Supper" painting. Really enjoyed that.

According to the doctor I'm getting old but in very good condition so all is fine on that front.

I could go on about it being the 13th but I've written about that in the past here so today will be just working before the weekend and picking up my pre ordered copy of "Hypersonic Missiles" by Sam Fender on vinyl and signed by the lad himself from Beyond Vinyl.

After yesterday's rain it looks like another summery day though no doubt it will be cold, it is Autumn after all, not Summer any more.

So it's Friday , the weekend is nearly here so what do we go with. As it's the 13th we'll go with Beck, Bogert and Appice's cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" for no other reason than I 'm too lazy to think of anything else.

Today could be a lazy day.

Saturday 13 April 2019

#AprilSongs #13 The Saturday Boy


Well it's day 13 of the #AprilSongs sequence. It's funny that 13 is considered unlucky like seeing a single magpie or a lot of other thing. Things like this used to bother me, especially 13 , single magpies and a few other things, then I started thinking how silly it was , and if I'd been brought up to believe these were good things then that is how my mind would see it. After all 13 is a "baker's dozen" where they throw in an extra item in case one is not up to scratch, so it's a definite win for you. If I see a single magpie it's a good thing, no reason , apart from magpies can look impressive in flight with their black and white colouring, so now seeing a single magpie gives me a little lift and if I see more then that's a plus, although I am aware they can be annoying bullies, but I prefer to search for the positives.

So back to the #AprilSongs sequence on Record Store Day and I have gone for Billy Bragg's "The Saturday Boy". I loved Billy Bragg's minimal instrumental style although his voice grated a bit at first, but like Bob Dylan I loved the songs and grew to like the voice. He is not everyone's cup of tea, but is now an intelligent elder statement of music involved in so many musical areas it's very impressive.

Coincidentally I was watching a documentary about Skiffle on BBC4 last night which you can catch on iplayer here for the next month and he was pointing out the similarities between the skiffle movement and the punk movement, both a do-it-yourself reaction to the mainstream and the main Skiffle man was Lonnie Donegan. That was followed by a program on Chas and Dave (here for a month) who also played with Lonnie Donegan as well.

You can always find connections, but some times the connections jump out at you. Have a great Record Store Day and the weather is looking very good. I will take some photos while I am out today and probably nip to Snackwallah for one of their excellent curries.

Sunday 29 April 2018

Superstitions


It's weird how tradition and what you are told from childhood conditions you to accept superstitions. One Magpie for Sorrow, the number 13, walking under ladders are a few examples of this.

However I have just changed my perceptions in the last couple of months I love seeing Magpies and even a single one brings be joy, although there is no doubt they are bullies. A Bakers Dozen is thirteen and lets face it if you get thirteen items it's usually better than twelve if you want them. I still don't walk under ladders unless there's no other option and it's actually safe.

It looks like I'm going to make my steps for the month despite continually falling off the pace but am now in Yorkshire so should get some walking in

Anyway pleased that Preston are still in with a slight shout for the playoffs although that would relegate Burton who are on a run of three wins and fighting for their Championship lives.

Anyway we shall see what today brings, so I'll leave you with Beck,Bogert & Appices cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition".


Friday 13 January 2017

Friday 13th ... You Better Run, Rum, Run


 I really wanted to write something positive about the number thirteen. The thing is humans are conditions by society, parents , whatever to believe in superstitions. Single magpies, black cats , and lot's more.

I was thinking along the lines of a baker's dozen where an extra loaf was thrown in, in case one was not up to scratch.

There's a lot of reasons given why thirteen is bad, such as Judas being the thirteenth one at the Last Supper. But surely Jesus was the odd one out as he wasn't an apostle. We have twelve calendar months , but thirteen lunar months and the word lunatic is derived from Luna and the phases of the moon that brings out a change in certain people , not always for the better.

If you search the internet for "Lucky 13" you will come across albums by Bert Jansch and Neil Young although nothing about why 13 should be considered lucky.

Today is also Friday which is not deemed good for travel and combining it with 13 you have not a great omen for travel. Also it snowed today, so making it more likely that drivers would have an accident. Friday the 13th is also the name of a horror film series (here) and also it's the title of albums by The Damned, The Misfits and The Stranglers.

The song I will give you is "Run,Run,Run" , the opening track from "A Quick One" by The Whoabout all those reasonless supertitions, which I am sure you will identify with. Time for bed now, sleep well

Friday 13 November 2015

Lost In A Dream - Three - #47 - 2003 - Lemon Jelly - Nice Weather For Ducks


Just woke from a strange dream through half an hour of snooze alarms that were part of the dream though I kept snoozing the alarm. I can't remember any details but it was pleasant . We have hit Friday have the weekend to look forward to but I was woken up by the rain during the night.

It's Friday the 13th and I have posted before about superstitions and the Number 13 . Don't take it too seriously , but be careful

Nice Weather For Ducks
Anyway the musical trip hits year 47 , 2003 and the singles charts were again full of rubbish . My own mantra is that 95% is always rubbish and found that Nice Weather For Ducks by Lemon Jelly was in the charts then and it's pretty appropriate given todays weather

Keep dry and have a great day. The weekend is nearly here

Tuesday 13 October 2015

13th Post 13th Year and it the 13th Should I Worry? - #13 - 1969 - Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' Crazy Elephant


Well I forgot to set the alarm so that my be my "bad" luck. Let's face it it's like horoscopes you can always make things fit, that's the fun of astrology and the like. Like the prophesies of Nostradamus and horoscopes and other superstitions. Though I still have it ingrained into me that 13 is unlucky , but it's a baker's dozen which meant you got a free cake or loaf just in case something might be duff , so isn't that good luck.

Be Happy
I agree with the premise that your musical tastes are formed when you are 14-18 and certainly somemusic from then has stuck with me , but I think that 95% is always rubbish and it's just finding that 5% and it is usually easy to find. There are lots of great bands at this moment it time , just look.

So from 1969 , my 13th year comes Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' by Crazy Elephant , I'm sure an English band covered this , but that year was amazing for music and I could have chosen lots of classics , but this is the one I chose.




I have a wonderful day everyone ,  and don't walk under ladders !

Thursday 13 February 2014

Superstitiously Moving Through a Big Country Storm


I'm writing this somewhere between London and York using my USB Tethered Samsung Note. I'm not sure how long the connection will last, but it is actually fairly robust, but it's the first time I've done it like this. Having said that the train has just come to a halt, not always a good sign. I'm on my way back to Newcastle and given the storms and bad weather we have had recently, just a little apprehensive, is is the 13th after all and one of my friends was delayed by four hours on this line yesterday getting home at one am. Teres a lot of related stories on the BBC here.

The weather today has actually been very good and it makes you feel much better when you are going home. Some lovely skies but I can't photograph them as the windows are so dirty.

The seats I'm in are supposedly reserved to York so I may have to move when I get there, but I'm sure I can fine another seat. Two Japanese girls who gave me a bar of Kinder Surprise thought they had reserved seats but they were half an hour early on their train, the conductor let them off though which was nice. I've seen one of their seats is from London to Berwick so I'll nab that one.

So appropriately I'll include The Storm by Big Country from the first album, which should be in your collection and if it isn't , why isn't it?

Monday 13 January 2014

Superstition


It's the 13th day of the year and also the 13th day of the month and some people regard 13 as an unlucky number. It has been ingrained into me that it's unlucky , but there is no logical reason for it. Numerous reasons are given such as Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper (well they all made up the 13 so anyone could be designated as the 13th one) and bakers used to always add an extra loaf to batches of a dozen in case one wasn't up to scratch. Well given in most cases that all the loaves would be fine doesn't that make 13 actually lucky for the recipients?

I's like seeing magpies , one for sorrow and two for joy , but it's all about interpretation. Missing a bus could be the the "sorrowful" event and catching one could be the "joyful" event. It's just how you choose to look at it.

It's like horoscopes, those wonderfully ambiguous, snippets of promise, given to us by the snake oil merchants that call themselves astrologers. Here's one of mine for today, I'm Libran by the way and that supposedly makes me a balanced personality:

"Once again, your dual nature pops up -- but this time, it's making life sweet! You can see both sides of every issue, and you can also find new ways to bring your people together. Have fun!"

Hmm, well that's clear as a thing that is not very clear. We shall see how sweet life is today and I will post tomorrow and see how I can fit events to prove that this was true (that should be easy ).

I always encourage positivity in myself and others, but that doesn't cause things to happen , but it will drive you towards instigating thing that will be beneficial to yourself. If you can be happy , and positive you are more likely to be confident in your decision making then either reap the benefits of the correct decision or easily deal with the fall out from an incorrect one. Always look for the positives in a situation.

Anyway there can only be one song for today, can't there? Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street does it get any better than that?

An addendum to this post, nothing in my "dual nature" manifested itself, nothing I did made life sweet , though lot's of communications received did that, and I didn't get an opportunity to bring people together that I was aware. Monday was a day much like any other, but if I do notice any horoscopes that come true I will say.

Friday 3 February 2012

Superstition


This is my fourteenth post of the year , and as soon as I'd written my thirteenth I thought I best write another one quickly , then couldnt think of anything to write about . I still can't but obviously started thinking about how society conditions us to be superstitious even though usually there's no basis to do whatever you need to do to cure it.

Take the number thirteen , various reasons for this one being that there were thirteen people at the the last supper and the thirteenth person was either Jesus (who got crucified) or Judas (who betrayed Jesus) , but surely all the others could have been the thirteenth person , then what about the people serving etcetera.

Also you get thirteen loaves or cakes in a bakers dozen , in case one is not up to standard. Most of the time all thirteen will be up to standard so in this case thirteen is a very lucky number.

Then there's don't walk under ladders , well that's surely rooted in common sense as ladders aren't exactly stable and if someone's up there they could drop something on you , got that from an argument between Batman and Robin in the sixties TV series where Robin comes up with various superstitions and Batman explains how they may actually have some foundation.

Then there the magpie rhyme , lets face if you see a single magpie , anything that happens like missing a bus , or the lights changing to red could be interpreted as sorrow , similar to horoscopes. Incidentally , apparently astrolgy apps are very big on smart phones , although that's not surprising given the sort of people I've seen with smartphones. Anyway I've now done fourteen posts this year so it won't bother me til this time next year.