Update: The Number 33

Yes, my fascination with constantly encountering the number 33 is no doubt deeply fascinating to you as well -- so much so, I'm certain you've been anxiously awaiting an update to my original post "The Number 33." So here it is. No thanks are needed -- your just having shown up is thanks enough.

I still have no idea what it really means, this cropping up of numbers, and it may mean nothing at all (correction: it definitely means nothing at all) but I can't deny that it's there. Well, I could if I wanted to. But that'd be so much less fun for me.

Anyhoo, some places that the number 33 (and 333, because we're expanding! New and improved!) have cropped up recently:

~ Time. I'm always looking at the clock at 33 past some hour -- 5:33, 11:33, 3:33 . . . well, you get the idea. I also look at the clock at 4:08, 6:23, and 10:19, but those don't count.

~ Timestamps. Well, I'm not sure what they're called, but I've paused the DVR on more than one occasion at 33 minutes. Mysterious! Oh, and I frequently get e-mails at 33 past the hour or 33 seconds past the minute. And it's sad that I'm even looking at stuff like that, isn't it? Er, forget I said that . . .

~ Money. My last check for substitute teaching this school year? $333. Oh, and my pizza order at Little Caeser's totaled $13.33. But I'm not sure if that counts. The pizza was delicious, however.

~ Viruses and Other Annoying Computer Crap. My laptop contracted a virus recently, and upon scanning found it had a combination of viruses and spyware totalling -- ready for it? -- 333.

~ Drivers Seriously Trying to Piss Me Off. Got cut off the other day by a guy with a license plate that had the number 333 on it. Didn't catch the letter part of the plate, which is why I would never be a good accident witness. Not terribly observant on the whole.

~ Travel Time. Apparently, according to that oracle that is MapQuest, I will be driving 33 minutes to take my daughter to see Avril Lavigne and the Jonas Brothers next week. The 33 minutes is the highpoint of the experience for me, I'm thinking, but I'll let you know how that all pans out.

Okay, I'm sure I have more examples to offer but must head out to venture across the river to Missouri, to pick up a Powerball ticket. The jackpot? $33 million. Ohhhhhhhh yeah.

Oh, and that image up there? Apparently there are 310 ways to arrive at the number 33 in the puzzle shown. Sweet.

The Number 33

Okay, I'm certain this is coincidence. Well, relatively certain. Though I am someone who has a tendency to want to attach meaning to things where there may be none. I am working on that.

Anyway, lately I seem to be hyper-aware of the number 33. This has been happening for the last few months, increasingly so, though some would argue that I am now looking for it. And this may well be true. I am a reasonable person, so I can concede that point. Done.

However, it still strikes me -- especially since it's been happening only since I've been attempting to navigate some serious personal issues. And while I find it exceedingly weird to talk about favorite numbers (because, really, what's the point?) I must admit that I've always had an affinity for the number 3. Something about the balanced nature of it, I suppose.

Did a quick Google search on 33 and found this: the chemical element Arsenic has the atomic number 33 (that's encouraging); there are 33 vertebrae in the human body (Is this about my posture? Because it could use some improvement); the number 33 has long appeared on the Rolling Rock label (Should I drink more beer? I'm on it!); and it's purported to be the number most revered by Masonists (oh crap). Umm, that didn't help.

Yes, I have seen that Jim Carrey movie about the number 23, and no, I don't believe it's a conspiracy. Yes, as you may know, I also watch Lost, a show in which recurring numbers hold a great deal of meaning (What do they mean though? Don't know yet.). So perhaps I am unduly influenced by the pop culture experiences I surround myself with. Noted.

But even if it's in my head (it is) I can't discount the fact that it keeps cropping up, even if it's just a mechanism of my own subconscious. Okay, hold up -- this is going horribly horribly wrong. I am now wondering about messages I am sending to myself in numerical code. Good lord.

I am curious however, if anyone has had a similar experience. Or has anything to say about the number 33. Or would like to direct me to the nearest mental health facility. There, you have 3 choices -- how's that for symmetry? Nice.

image courtesy of Flickr.com