So it was just brought to my attention a few days ago that tomorrow is Friday the 13th. It's kind of a running joke in my family (as I'm sure it is in some of yours) that F13 is sort of like a second Christmas to me.
When I was a kid, like I'm sure many of you did, I used to revel in the Friday the 13th marathons that (at the time) were usually held on the USA channel. They were magical. Pizza, chips, soda, a pillow and a blanket, and hopefully some friends to share them with... that was all you needed. I have a very clear memory of one in particular when I was a child, deep in the heart of summer in which a friend and I almost made it all the way through to morning.
Of course, we never did (has anyone that's human?), but that didn't matter, it was just trying that mattered. We'd fall asleep during one film, wake up during the next and try to jump in all over again. It didn't matter that the films were cut, that some weren't shown at all, or that they were filled with commercials, it was just good old fashioned fun.
Now that I'm an adult (read: manchild), I usually don't do anything to celebrate the occasion. Occasionally I'll flip through the channels just to see if I'm lucky enough to catch one of those famous marathons, but it seems for the last few years that there hasn't really been anything.
My favorite marathons were always the "Mostervision" ones, hosted by columnist turned TV host Joe Bob Briggs. For those lucky enough to have been able to watch that show on Saturday nights on TNT (or in it's earlier years, on Showtime), you can understand how much I've mourned that show since it was taken off the air. Someone has actually posted all of the interstitials from his marathon on Youtube. Unfortunately, it was shot off of the dude's television so I couldn't bring myself to post them here. You may want to check it out though if you're jonesing really bad, but the buzz from his camera is enough to drive you insane.
Well, this year I've decided to bring the tradition back, at least in some form. My girlfriend and I, along with our friend Kristina (who has been on our Podcast a few times) are going to sit down with a few beers, some junkfood, and watch the original "Friday the 13th". My girlfriend has never seen it, and is a notorious scaredy cat, so that should be fun.
I'm not really sure what the point of this post is, other than some gratuitous nostlagia. I'd love to hear some of your own F13 memories in the comments though... so feel free to share away. And remember, if an old man stops you on the road and warns you of your impending doom tomorrow, you better listen!