It's been a busy week for the superstitious. Today is Friday the 13th. There was also a full moon on Wednesday.

　　I'm not a very superstitious person, but I've taken a few precautions to help prevent jinxing future events. For instance, many Jews, including myself, forgo having baby showers or buying baby gear before the infant is born. It's to help avoid bringing bad luck to the birth of the child not counting your chickens before they hatch.

　　Following this superstition wasn't exactly the most juggle-friendly thing to do; it meant more sleepy late-night trips to Babies-R-Us and Target to buy gear after our son was born. But on the plus side, our son was indeed born healthy and happy and we probably ended up with less useless gear since we could wait to see what we really needed.

　　The workplace is also full of superstitions designed to ensure good, productive days or keep away the bad times. Salespeople keep lucky talismans on their desks to help make their numbers. Doctors and nurses have a wide range of beliefs; some hospital professionals are fearful, for instance, of using the word 'quiet,' worrying that it will lead to the opposite result an outbreak of trauma. Many athletes and actors also folllow a wide range of superstitions, including listening to the same, signature song before each game or performance, or avoiding uttering the word 'Macbeth' in a theater, for fear of unleashing bad luck. Such superstitions are typically harmless, but they could slow down a juggle, if they became too time-consuming.

　　Readers, are you superstitious, at work or in general? Have your superstitions ever helped or hindered your juggle?

　　对迷信的人来说，三月份的第二周是个多事之秋。那周的周五正好是13号，周三还出现了满月。

　　电影《13号星期五》我不是一个非常迷信的人，但也会采取一些预防措施避免招来霉运。举个例子，包括我在内的很多犹太人都不会事先办宝宝庆祝会，也不会在婴儿出生之前购买婴儿用品。这是为了避免给婴儿出生带来晦气──不要在小鸡孵化之前清点鸡蛋数量。

　　遵循这种迷信并非是最有利于平衡工作与生活的事；对我来说，这意味着儿子出生后，有更多的时候，我得睡眼惺忪地半夜跑到Babies-R-Us和 Target商店去买婴儿用品。但从好的方面来说，我的儿子的确健康快乐地出生了，我们可能也减少了无用装备的添置，因为可以等到儿子生了以后看看到底需要什么。

　　工作场所也同样充满着迷信，人们希望这能保证日子好运高效或是远离坏时光。推销员会在桌子上摆护身符，帮助他们完成业绩。医生和护士会有各种各样的忌讳；例如，一些医院人员会避讳使用“安静”形容医院气氛一词，担心这会招来大量的急诊病情。很多运动员和演员也有着五花八门的迷信，包括在每次比赛或演出之前听着同一首成名曲，或是避免在剧院说到“麦克白”(Macbeth)，害怕这会令人倒霉。此类迷信通常都是无害的，但如果变得耗时太长，就可能会影响效率。