Today marks a trivial date on the calendar for the superstitious, slightly irrational and 13 year olds convinced they’re vampires. With such a haunting day bestowed on us (and nearly all of Chico covered in smoke due to the Humbolt Rd. fires), how about some fun facts about 13?

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia.

In numerology, the number 12 is considered completeness, whereas the number 13 is seen to be transgressing.

There is a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.

An estimated 17 to 21 people in the US have a fear of this day.

A British Medical Journal study has shown that there is a significant increase in traffic-related accidents on Fridays the 13th.

Black Sabbath’s debut album was released in the UK on Friday, February 13, 1970.

Fidel Castro and Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen were born on Friday the 13th.

One of my all-time favorite “bands” (it’s actually just one dude, James Dewees, but whatever…) Reggie & The Full Effect has a new record, Last Stop: Crappy Town, hitting stores in a couple of weeks. The record is a bit of a heavier, more serious change of pace from Reggie’s semi-humorous  crunch-pop style, drawing as much Dewees experience as drummer for seminal hardcore band Coalesce than from his days as keyboardist for The Get Up Kids.  You can check out a couple of tracks off the record, including “G” which was posted today, on the band’s Myspace ahead of the 6/17 release of the record. Take the jump to check out the obligatory press release, the tracklisting and to learn moar about some of the badass guests on this CD… (more…)