LETTITOR Luck be a lazy Cody Klyne Editor in Chief s we get closer to the holidays (I’m sorry, I know I’m early) I can feel my state of mind shifting. Or, perhaps it’s just unravelling; it’s hard to say for sure. I could just be going crazy. Anyway, it’s a tremor of emotion fuelled by sick feelings of thankfulness, goodwill, and “cheer.” As of this writing, it’s shaken me to my core. With unavoidable laser- * like precision, my care gland swells from two sizes too small, Grinch-style (the care gland, for those wondering, is of course the bulbous lump buried in our chests... commonly referred to as the heart). It happens every year. Perhaps it’s the looming break; the threat of snow; the jingle of bells; or the result of years of conditioning to feel this way at the drop of a “ho, ho, ho.” Any way you look at it, like clockwork, the start of November has me feeling needlessly sentimental and, one might even say, lucky. Which begs the question, which also happens to be the topic of my lettitor this week: what is luck and why do I so regularly find myself exclaiming “good luck,” “touch luck,” or “that was lucky” in response to the whirling dervish that is the world around me? To answer this, aided by the Internet and my Dictionary of Superstitions (David Pickering, Cassell Reference), let’s dissect and mercilessly chortle at some of the more obscure myths and legends associated with luck. Maybe, if we’re lucky—and yes, this is only the beginning— we may even stumble upon some real world food for thought. Doubtful. “Find a penny, pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck.” It’s a nice thought and a cute rhyme, but if that’s all it takes to effectively increase your luck I’m going to say that people would demonstrate a little more reservation in tossing these little guys away. Ina world hell-bent on kicking the penny to the curb—I’m looking at you as the trendsetter on this one, Australia—it makes you wonder how the penny was ever considered anything more than slingshot ammunition. Dennis the Menace is no example to lead your life by kids. NEXT! What’s the story, Wishbone? Okay, that’s misleading. What I mean to say is “what’s the story with the wishbone?” (Editor ’s note: Don’t even get me started on the ‘90s talking dog PBS smash hit. Focus.) As 1'm sure you’ re aware, I’m talking about the fork-like neck bone most commonly harvested.from everyone’s favourite poultry: turkey. As the “tradition” goes, two people grab the fragile remains at either end and *snap* the person with the larger shard of calcium is proclaimed the winner. Following this barbaric exercise, the aforementioned “winner” is then hoisted up onto the shoulders of their friends and family and is parade about as the champion of the evening, while the “loser’’is left to wallow alone in cold darkness for the remainder of the year. Okay, I’m lying, but my version is no less ridiculous than what my Cassell Reference book is telling me: “A man may find out how long he must wait to get married by taking a wishbone and drilling a small hole in it, then placing it on his nose and trying to draw a thread through the hole: the number of attempts he has to make before he is successful equals the number of years he has yet to spend as a bachelor.” First off, that has nothing to do with making a wish, wishbone superstition. Shame on you. Secondly, I have never seen a drill that small that wasn’t being operated by a dentist—I’m sorry I’m not successful enough for you. Lastly, this whole thing smells of some perverse and ancient dexterity test; it’s 2011 and I refuse to live alone just become it took me over 100 tries to thread a dead bird’s collarbone. It’s not me wishbone, it’s you. NEXT! The last faux-mystical item relating to luck I’m prepared to get all taboo.on this week also happens to be the most famous of the bunch: the four-leaf clover. What is essentially a freak of nature (given that your standard run-of-the-mill clover has but three leafs), tradition states that it’s this fourth leaf of the clover that brings our good friend lady luck into the equation. Representing faith, hope, love, and luck, four-leaf clovers, if the Leprechaun series has even an ounce of credibility to its name, also appear to have defensive qualities. Building on this, the highly entertaining Cassell Reference dictionary had this little gem to add to my speculation, “They also bestow protection. against witchcraft and will prevent any young man who finds one from being drafted into the armed forces.” You hear that! When the star nautical wars of 2634 begin (when we go to war with Space Atlantis, again) I'll be sitting pretty thanks to one of these puppies. So there you have it. I guess the moral of the story is that if you’re desperate enough, it’s possible to create your own mystical items out of ordinary everyday objects. Good thing I never leave the house without my lucky underwear on. Later days, Cody Klyne Editor in chief The Other Press DSU Photography Club: Photo of the week Will it ever turn red? by Tommy Chen The Other Press is online! __ .www.theotherpress.ca Twitter@The_Other_Press | & on Facebook Articles, updates, events and more! Notice: The FOCUS Club (Friends of Overseas College and University Students) is holding a fundraiser all week long in support of victims of the recent flooding in Visit the DSU building to make a donation to the Red Cross International Disaster Relief Fund to aid the victims of natural disasters around the world. For more information look for the FOCUS Club booth in the concourse. Thank you for your support!