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October 16, 2006

Those Darned 11s Won't Leave Me Alone

I've decided to come out of the closet about something that's probably pretty weird. I have an obsession with the number 11. It started very early in my life, actually. My Dad was born on 11/11/33, which I though was about the coolest thing ever. Shortly after my Dad passed last year, my brother found out he and his girlfriend were having a baby; his adorable daughter, who looks just like my Dad, was born on 11/22. Wow, I thought, that is just super-cool.

About that same time, I ran across all the conspiracy theories about the number of 11s associated with 9/11, and began noticing that 11s were often associated with other major events. It was absolutely fascinating to me.

Now, my dad was a fantastic statistician. He literally wrote the book on statistics for all the casino games during his years working in management at various casinos in Reno, Nevada. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit his grasp of statistical probability, so I cannot say whether the relationship between 11s (and multiples thereof) and noteworthy historical events is statistically significant or not. And I'm not certain I really care, as 11s fascinate me. Unfortunately, of late my fascination with 11s has begun to freak me out. Here's why.

I swear to God, every time I glance at a clock anymore, the time is a multiple of 11. It doesn't matter if it's the clock in my bedroom, on my stove, on my computer, in my car, or at my office, 11 times out of 12 it seems the time is a multiple of 11, and it happens dozens of times a day. Truly. Now, I'm not a real believer in "messages from beyond," as some are. And though I find it fascinating that others out there share my obsession, I think there has to be a rational explanation for this.

I have concluded that the human brain is capable of astonishing things. I believe that my brain is subconsciously tracking the time on all these clocks that I see regularly and prompting me to glance at them at the appropriate moment. Of course, that doesn't explain the fact that the other day when I went to fill up my tank at the gas station, the nozzle automatically shut off at $11.33. And then again at $11.66.

Maybe, this blog commenter has it right: "They say that noticing the number 11 in everyday circumstances is a sign that you are gifted with wisdom and extraordinary perception of things physic and/or spiritual." Yeah, I like that.

Posted by Becky at October 16, 2006 10:14 AM