From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V16 #148 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Saturday, April 14 2007 Volume 16 : Number 148 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: 23 [kevin ] Re: Baseball songs [grutness@slingshot.co.nz] Re: 23 ["Stewart C. Russell" ] LA Gig (Pete Buck loves me) [Rex ] Oh, yeah... [Rex ] Re: 23 [Benjamin Lukoff ] re: measure twice, cut once [ken ostrander ] re: like you're dying to know what i just got... [ken ostrander ] re: like you're dying to know what i just got... [ken ostrander ] re: like you're dying to know what i just got... [ken ostrander ] re: i told you. i fuckin' *told* you. but you wouldn't listen [ken ostran] triskadecaphobia [ken ostrander ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 17:05:45 -0700 (GMT-07:00) From: kevin Subject: Re: 23 >My two favorite daily newspaper comics right now are "Get Fuzzy" and "Pearls >Before Swine." Predictable, perhaps - but they are good. Amen, brother. I've also gotten into a web strip called Shortpacked! that's pretty entertaining: http://www.shortpacked.com/ Actually the current story arc is a tad slow, but if you do what I did and spend most of two work days reading the whole strip from the beginning it will reward your attention. It's set in a toy store and it's stars a bunch of action-figure obsessives - and it's not as wack as that makes it sound, just densely saturated with pop culture. And some of the funniest Batman jokes ever. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 12:56:48 +1200 From: grutness@slingshot.co.nz Subject: Re: Baseball songs Has anyone mentioned Paul Simon's "Night game" yet? James - -- James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- =-.-=-.-=-.- You talk to me as if from a distance .-=-.-=-.-=-. -=-. And I reply with impressions chosen from another time .-=- .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- (Brian Eno - "By this River") -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:03:48 -0400 From: "Stewart C. Russell" Subject: Re: 23 Yeah, Zippy's still adequate. Shelf-Life and The Stupidity Patrol are still my favourites. Pretty much everything in the funny pages is shit. XKCD, Perry Bible Fellowship and Bob The Angry Flower still do the happy thing for me. Stewart ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 18:28:26 -0700 From: Rex Subject: LA Gig (Pete Buck loves me) Nice. Tom, I tried to be extra nice to Peter. Actually, I hugged him. For real. So maybe he doesn't love me, but he didn't rebuff my advances. Robyn did not appear after the show. Peter signed my ancient RECKONING poster, but my GLOBE OF FROGS promo poster remains unadulterated. Great show. Lots of energy. Sean Nelson did harmonies for the entire set. The set list was very similar to other recent shows-- "See Emily Play" and a tremendously intense "Balad of a Thin Man" and most of the career-spanning stuff that's been played elsewhere, very well sequenced... just went by too fast. First encore had Grant Lee Phillips come out and play lead (on Robyn's Tele) and sing harmony on "I Feel Beautiful". Scott's Rickenbacker bass seems to be a Venus 3-specific purchase as it matches Robyn's Tele in color. Buck played well over half the set on the 12-string. Having now seen Robyn do "Chinese Bones" with both Kimberly and Peter is pretty cool. "Brenda" is nice as well. Robyn switches from acoustic to electric in the middle of "Balloon Man", reentering with the solo in tandem with Scott and Peter, actually allowing a tasteful mini solo from Rieflin. Robyn's playing is great. Buck hardly does anything that could be called a "solo", just humbly enthusiastic jangle jangle jangle. My request for "She Said She Said" goes unheeded. "The Underneath" is a good one; fun to sing along with my own name in "Sophia", and "Creeped Out" comes of quite nicely. "Television" dedicated, unsurprisingly but appropriately, to Kilgore Trout. Robyn shirt: purple with some weird little floral folderol. Worst dressed: Scott. The place was packed, but I got up front pretty easily. Ran into some friends who'd won tickets on the radio so I wasn't Creepy Loner Guy after all. Odd detail: there was, surprisingly, a mic in front of Peter, which I found strange as he is not known to do backing vocals. And indeed, neither Peter nor anyone else used this mic. So what gives? On close inspection, it seems possible that Peter's guitar has had Mudflap Woman removed-- the affected area was scuffed up a bit, but that could be normal wear 'n' tear. Or it could be a newer guitar-- the roadies loaded it into a post-'80's plastic style Rick case. Of course it could be an old guitar, new case. I don't know why I care. I did walk to and from the gig, poster tube slung over my shoulder. Crossed paths with no fewer than three women jogging in the dark. I know it's Silverlake and all, but this still doesn't strike me as entirely... you know... safe. Maybe more later. Love on ya, Rex ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:17:05 -0700 From: Rex Subject: Oh, yeah... ...although I've heard it a few times, I hadn't registered until it was discussed here that that specific stacatto harmonica thing had become a permanent part of "Queen Elvis". And no, I don't much like it, either. Did anyone happen to hear/capture Robyn's appearance on the Steve Jones show (Jonesy's Jukebox) on Indie 103.1? My girlfriend heard it, and said there was much discussion of Joe Boyd, The Dolls, The Damned, Captain Sensible, and such things. Robyn dedicated "New York Doll" to Jonesy at the show. - -Rex ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 22:58:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Benjamin Lukoff Subject: Re: 23 On Fri, 13 Apr 2007, 2fs wrote: > That might be surreal...but you know, is a curduroy soap dish any less > bizarre than those carpets that some people surround their toilet with? > Perhaps in a house that never sees any male visitors or residents, that > might work...but inevitably, over time, there will be splashage when guys > use the toilet. Nice moppable floors are essential. Those carpets are machine-washable, though... > As for (and I've actually seen this: my aunt had one when I was a kid) > carpeted toilet-seat covers...I will say not a word. Now THOSE are gross. > My two favorite daily newspaper comics right now are "Get Fuzzy" and "Pearls > Before Swine." Predictable, perhaps - but they are good. > So who else here loves "Sherman's Lagoon"? "Liberty Meadows" was great, too, while it lasted. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:44:43 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: measure twice, cut once universal oneness the effect of american idol on music can be related to the big bang as the universe seems to be winding down a black hole into some bizarro anti matter existance only to spring back on the early side of creation to set things off again. whatever accelerates your particles is going to fall subject to entropy quicker and bring us all closer to the nephesh of dissipation or heaven or whatever gets you around. whether the universe is made of bees or based on sullen entropy is up to each of us. if music beats in your chest as much as it vibrates in your ears, then you need not worry about idolatry. if it signals the apocalypse then you cannot think and feel at the same time. your universe is getting very hot. bring it on is one approach. why wait for nirvana or oblivion? hit the reset button. what are we really expecting to see when we supercollide the protons to recreate the big bang? ken "man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. at that moment, man finds his character. and that is what keeps him out of the abyss." the kenster np 'all saints' david bowie - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:51:58 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: like you're dying to know what i just got... fifth element ringtones >...Got me thinking about precisely WHAT RH mini-slice I would most prefer to be alerted by...< i think it all depends on who's calling. > "Why don't you call me up 'n' go on & on & on & on about your drugs" for > me, thanks. that's a good one for when the pharmaceutical rep calls. >How about those opening seven heavy notes from "I got the hots"? very nice. for whomever gets you hot. >>> > Actually, jus about *any* part of Balloon Man would work as a ringtone...especially the guitar breaks... Certainly much better than "Television" which Cingular is proffering. <<< yes and no. 'balloon man' is cool; but i think 'television' would be even better: "binga bonga bing bong". amy says that she would rather enjoy having that one on her phone. she compared the tender cracking voice with which robyn sings it to mj's "she's out of my...life". i'm still leary of the whole ringtone purchase. is there a time limit on how long you can use them? are they transferrable? why can't we just record our favorite bits ourselves? - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:53:49 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: the smell of fear six degrees of separation smell of fear >> i think just mentioning uncle bobby should get you points. what towards is another question. if you're talking about him, then you're on topic. if you quote him, then you're trying. if you're thinking about him, well, you're on the right track. >what about dreaming about him? it's own reward. do they involve trains or trolley buses? http://www.dreammoods.com/ - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:47:27 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: like you're dying to know what i just got... the duality of nature: godly nature - human nature splits the soul lou lou lou i've always had a fondness for 'new york'. it's my favorite of his solo albums. it was the first new lou to come out after i discovered the velvets with the mid eighties reissues. i had heard enough from a friend to buy the rock and roll diary comp and when the needle went down on "i heard her call my name" my life was transformed. >>>I have neither ever heard NOR ever heard anything nice >>>about "The Raven" (or whatever that was called / whatever that was). >> >>Same here, but the live album from that tour (Animal Serenade) is gorgeous >>- band includes cello, >Fernando Saunders on bass, and when Lou's minion >>Mike Rathke fires up the string patch on guitar >synth they get some really >>interesting textures going. And there's only one actual track from The >> >Raven, which is easily skipped (I listened to it once. Never again). > >...Don't you mean "Nevermore"? ;-> > > >Michael "Poe excuse for a humorist" Sweeney lou live is always a trip. it takes a while to figure out that folks are not booing. i had a chance to see him for the 'new york' tour; but he twisted his ankle or something and cancelled our leg. it wasn't until 'set the twilight reeling' that i came on board. i hear that 'live in italy' is excellent; but i've yet to hear it. 'rock and roll animal' has swagger and chops. 'perfect night' is crisp and clean. 'animal serenade' is like jazz. the songs from 'the raven' hold up pretty well in this context. "vanishing act" goes into "ecstacy" seemlessly. >"Ghost Story"... awesome song. Yeah, she bought a new stomach, but on the >other hand, what good is seeing-eye chocolate? whatever it is; i want all of it, all of it, all of it. > I've (almost) always found Cale to be good for a laugh. I think the > difference between him and Lou as lyricists is that Cale's writing comes > from a fascination with language as a communication system, while Reed, > regardless of the heights of brilliance he's capable of, on some level > always feels like a guy with something to prove. they both have a dark sense of humor. cale is more whimsical and mysterious while lou plays the deadly serious straight man. lou is very funny, i think. you just need to get past the big idea. he bites off more than he can chew; but he's very ambitious in that way. his songs dwell in the dark places most people don't want to even think about. if you're willing to go there and not be put off by the drugs and the misogyny and the misery, then you might have a chance to get the joke. new york might seem really preachy; but it feels like you're seeing the real lou. and even the weaker tracks (like "xmas in february") have power. > I just learned about Lou's new meditation music CD (aka the anti-Metal Machine). Has anybody heard it?< there's the usual taste at allmusic; but you can listen to one of the shorter songs at: http://www.myspace.com/officialloureed hudson river wind meditations free from preconception - music for the "background of life" "i first composed this music for myself as an adjunct to meditation, t'ai chi, bodywork, and as music to play in the background of lifeto replace the everyday cacophony with new and ordered sounds of an unpredictable nature. new sounds freed from preconception i hope you find as much use for this music as i have in both writing and listening to it and exploring inner spaces." lou reed -nyc, october 2006 http://www.amazon.com/hudson-river-wind-meditations-reed/dp/B000LW9Q9I when the munchies kick in you can head out to the dirty boulevard for an egg cream. this should certainly sell better than 'metal machine music'. re: 2rm apt 1/2vu >>> I love the imagary of Delmor Schwartz's ghost living in the spare >>> bedroom of Lou's house, so I can't agree with you on "My House". I think >>> it's a beautiful song. >> >> I first heard it after reading the bio, and it struck me as very "look at >> me, I've matured and become domestic and woodsy and yet by pretending to >> have my wild-man's mentor ghost around, I can retain some street cred, >> right?" I wish I'd heard that record before reading so much about it. > >I can see that - but I still think it's a wonderful song. On that record, >Lou actually tries to sing - and really, does a pretty good job of it (some >tracks on NY as well). Reed can occasionally write an actually-pretty song: >this is one of them. I try to ignore some of the clumsier lyrical moments >("ghost of pure poetry" say). one of his most beautiful songs. i don't know if it's lou pretending so much as trying it on for size. the self titled third velvet underground album is still one of my favorites of all time. his best singing voice. >...And, while the "protest-too-much" vibe may be strong on "Women" (but it may also just be after "Rachel," actual women were such a positive change for Lou), the spare guitar intro is so gorgeous that the rest of the song could've been pro-KKK or something (or referring to your parents having sex, for that matter) and I still would've loved it...< it would be nice to have the instrumental track. > >btw, i always wonder about mr. reed. he seems like he was either bad > >at being a drug addict or good at recovery and i've never known which. aren't bad drug addicts the ones that overdose? ken "some people got no choice and they can never find a voice to talk with that they can even call their own; so the first thing that they see that allows them the right to be why they follow it. you know what it's called? bad luck." the kenster >>p.s. did anyone see "the squid and the whale"?<< "joan, let me ask you something. all that work i did at the end of our marriage, making dinners, cleaning up, being more attentive. it never was going to make a difference, was it? you were leaving no matter what... " "you never made a dinner." "i made burgers that time you had pneumonia. " - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:55:40 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: spiders and squids (was flesh and blood) seven and the ragged tiger Spiders and Squids (was Flesh and Blood) > Oh geez, I fucked that up big time. I handed him my business card > with the url to my Peter Buck Hates Me story and asked him to check > it out. I've since updated the story with the horrendous transgression: > http://denisvengeance.com/robyn/PeterBuckHatesMe.html it doesn't sound so bad to me. imagine a world full of weirdos. that would be wonderful.. - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:49:06 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: i often dream of trains in av club >>> http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/permanent_records_albums_from_4 >> >>Wow, look at the comments... people talking about Robyn albums, and >>bizarrely... they're NOT US! >> >>Surprisingly little love for "Globe of Frogs" amonst Onion readers. The >>omission of "Can of Bees" is understandable if incorrect, but "GOF"? > >FEG INVASION!!!!!!!!!!!!! christopher bahn's top ten list is pretty close to mine, although 'eye' needs to be moved way up there. 'globe' is great; but i think that 'respect' needs to get its props. i'd probably put the egyptians albums ahead of most of the solo rekkeds except 'trains' and 'eye'. 'tarantula' would go in there somewhere. - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:56:47 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: baseball eight men out baseball someone mentioned barbara manning's 'a perfect green blanket'; but she put out an ep with the san francisco seals called "baseball trilogy". there must be tons of songs that aren't necessarily about baseball; but can fit the bill: the rolling stones' "going home" will always remind me of a red sox game where they came back from behind and brought their whole lineup around the bases with two outs while i was playing 'aftermath'. eleven glorious minutes. bolan's "the slider" with the whole "ball of love" bit http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poems.shtml http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/baseballbib.html http://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Greatest-Hits-Various-Artists/dp/samples/B0000032LO/ref=dp_tracks_all_1/103-1729297-7378235#disc_1 - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:50:35 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: like you're dying to know what i just got... S was quite obsessed with all things equestrian in her youth and had several pony books. I'm told that many are variants of girl wants pony, girl gets seemingly rubbish pony, girl and pony win gymkhana. <<<< >>>also there's the variant where daughter asks father for a pony, father says "no, honey, ponies are awfully expensive" and then daughter asks and asks father for a pony, father says "no, honey, ponies are a lot of responsibility" and then daughter asks and asks and asks father for a pony, father says "no, honey, wherever would we keep a pony?" and then daughter... well, i don't want to give the whole story away, but it has a great ending where the father gets the daughter a pony. <<< >> The modern variant I'm seeing is that the little girl gets her pony through some kind of meditaitive self discovery-- drawing or dreaming or something-- so it's a little less materialistic. However, in the case of the one where the girl learns to draw ponies, she presumably is transformed by the process into a grown woman fully capable of drawing a book about a little girl who learns to draw ponies, and... well, it's pretty, is all. << getting stranded on a desert island or just in the desert seems like the perfect place for a boy or a girl to forge a bond with a wild stallion. much better than the fate that awaits them in this country: http://www.saplonline.org/horses.htm i love the pony remark bit from seinfeld. i never had a pony either. i do like the idea of having a ranch with horses, though. there's a horse sanctuary where we'll be taking shuggie to do some riding on miniatures. thanks everyone for the book suggestions. i'm still checking into the various recommendations, though i suspect they'll be a little ahead of her reading level. how about horse songs? ride like the wind two of us wildfire horses in my dreams wild horses goodbye horses dark horse a horse with no name chestnut mare run for the roses don't fence me in ken "sometimes i wish i were a horse: strong, free, my chestnut haunches glistening in the sun" the kenster - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:57:45 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: the recent spate of rh press nine inch nails the recent spate of RH press > Here's another interview (apologies if it's been mentioned already): > > > http://www.livedaily.com/interviews/LiveDaily_Interview_Robyn_Hitchcock-11872.html?t=1 > http://tinyurl.com/yp4vvo >>> I might have missed this - but does anyone have more info about the reissues he mentions? Who's putting them out? I should probably buy the damned things...nothing in particular wrong with my late-eighties CDs, but you know, bonus tracks, possible sonic upgrades, shoveling money into Robyn's pockets, that sort of thing. <<< it would be really nice to get all of the 'new' tracks apart from the same albums that most of us probably have multiple copies of already. it sounds like downloads will be an option. vinyl only? are there any other artists out there that would dare? >> Also, I really am rather amused at the again-voiced frequent assumption that "CDs are disappearing." Problem is, there's nothing really to replace them (online sales don't quite measure up, so far as I've been able to find out), and I just don't see the industry simply giving up on a medium that's far more archivable and, well, product-like. << not without a suitable replacement. >> "I just put the stuff that was reasonable. There's more of it than I thought. Some of it, I quite like. They were either demos or songs I lost patience with for some reason. I tidied a few of them up." << sounds like 'the unpleasant stain' will remain locked away. - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:59:28 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: cub gone wild! goes up to eleven Re: cub gone wild! >http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/05/knut_slideshow200705?slide=12 (knut is the cute one on the left.)< while i think it's great that vanity fair is doing a green issue, they probably don't need to brag that it's only the second. i just saw an episode of 'planet earth' about the great plains where they had elephants and lions competing for a water hole in the dry season. it culminated in the attack of a deperate pride of thirty lions on an elephant that had lost its way from the herd in the darkness. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070404-joan-arc.html Joan of Arc Relics Are Actually Egypt Mummy Remains, Research Reveals - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 00:02:20 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: re: i told you. i fuckin' *told* you. but you wouldn't listen twelve monkeys >> URL:http://tinyurl.com/2534rb. >p.s. i read an interview with him this past summer; i think it was in >rolling stone. he was very sad about the world. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/11123162/kurt_vonnegut_says_this_is_the_end_of_the_world http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/11122832/kurt_vonneguts_prebush_blueprint_for_the_american_dream new thinking on the death of sun-like stars http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2007-04-09-dying-stars_N.htm happy jazz appreciation month. - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 00:04:26 -0700 (PDT) From: ken ostrander Subject: triskadecaphobia Today is Friday the 13th SUPERSTITION sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them. Voltaire (1694-1778, French Historian, Writer ) Superstition: an irrational belief that future events are influenced by specific behaviors without having a clear causal relationship In the academic discipline of folkloristics the term "superstition" is used to denote any folk belief expressed in if/then (with an optional "unless" clause) format. Example: If you break a mirror, then you will have seven years of bad luck unless you throw all of the pieces into a body of running water. Hitler favored the number 7 (he planned major military battles on the 7th of the month) and had the Nazi swastika designed to resemble an ancient Buddhist symbol representing, among other things, the wheel of life. Cornelius Vanderbilt had the legs of his bed placed in dishes of salt--to ward off attacks from evil spirits. Somerset Maugham had the "evil eye" symbol carved into his fireplace mantel and had it stamped on his stationery and books. Napoleon Bonaparte feared cats (ailurophobia) and the number 13. Winston Churchill petted black cats to obtain good luck. Al Jolson always wore old clothes to open a new show. Mary Queen of Scots (according to some) had her fortune told by a deck of cards before her death and was dealt a hand full of spades. Admiral Lord Nelson tacked a horseshoe to the mainmast of his ship. Samuel Pepys, English diarist, wrote, "Now I am at a loss to know whether it be my hare's foot which is my preservative against wind, for I never had a fit of cholic since I wore it." Samuel Johnson, English author, never entered a house with his left foot 1st because it "brought down evil on the inmates." Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish Nationalist leader, never signed a legislative bill that contained 13 clauses. He would not sign until a 14th was added. President Harry S Truman displayed a horseshoe over the door of his office in the White House. Shakespeare wrote, "For many men that stumble at the threshold/Are well foretold that danger lurks therein." Common superstitions: Bad luck to... walk under a ladder have a black cat cross your path put a hat on the bed umbrella open inside rabbits foot horseshoe lightening strike you down if you say... 4 leaf clover breaking a mirror- 7 years bad luck ; need to bury the shards of glass under the moonlight finding a penny (heads up - good luck; heads down - bad luck) tetraphobia - fear of the number 4 Chinese word for "4" sounds nearly the same as the word for "death".Special care may be taken to avoid occurrences or reminders of the number 4 during festive holidays, or when a family member is sick, especially in Chinese culture. Similarly, "14", "24", etc. are also to be avoided due to the presence of the digit "4" in these numbers. In these countries, these floor numbers are often skipped in buildings, ranging from hotels to offices to apartments, as well as hospitals. Table number "4", "14", "24", etc. are also often left out in wedding dinners or other social gatherings in these countries. In many residential complexes, building block "4", "14", "24" etc. are usually replaced with block "3A", "13A", "23A", etc. Note that while many Western cultures consider "13" to be unlucky, it is a lucky number for the Japanese due to the pronunciation of "3" as "san" which is similar to that of "live" or "survive". Death comes in 3's Leave the room through the same door as you arrived Spilling salt may cause a fight or argument during this day. There are several options to "undo" this which seem to relate to various ways of acknowledging the fact that salt was spilled with others present at the scene. One way to revert this is tossing some salt over one's left shoulder. Once leaving a residence it is bad luck to return if something was forgotten. If so, to "undo" the superstition, look in a mirror. Some people also believe smiling at oneself or showing one's tongue to oneself through a mirror is necessary to improve your luck ... Saying "rabbit rabbit" as the first thing at the beginning of every month. Walking into your room backwards, wearing your pajamas inside out, and sleeping with a spoon under your pillow are supposed to ensure that school will be cancelled the next day due to snow or ice. Making a wish on an apple Seeing your watch at 11:11 allows the viewers wish to be granted (kissing time) 1. The Cooler William H Macy plays a gambler with the worst luck imaginable - he can never win, no matter how hard he tries. A casino has hired him as a cooler, a person with really bad luck who is said to be able to infect bad luck on other gamblers experiencing a winning streak. He either taps their table, touches their drink, or when his aura is strong he only has to walk past them. - --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V16 #148 ********************************