First post with the new template!

The FridayFive questions for this week are boring, so I'll translate those on Las Cinco del Viernes, which are much more fun:

1) Are you superstitious? Do you do things like throwing salt over your shoulder, or not walking under a ladder?

I don't really consider myself supersitious, but I confess I actually do some stuff like that. I wouldn't go out of my way to do it, but as long as it doesn't involve much effort, then what the hell! It can't hurt.

Some things I do:

- On the 29th of each month, we cook gnocchi at home, and we put money under the plate. This is supposed to guarantee that we won't be short of money the next month. This is more a tradition than a superstition (and most of the times I forget about the money), plus, I love gnocchi!
- I knock on wood to guard against bad luck.
- I used to have a routine whenever I had an exam at university. I'd drink a supposedly calming tea right before I left home, and I'd always wear the same clothes, a par of dark blue jeans and a red sweatshirt. I stopped with that when I gained a little weight and the jeans were too tight for comfort.

Most other things I just don't do... Tuesday the 13ths (It's Tuesday, not Friday, in my country)? I was born on a Tuesday the 13th, so I can't very well think it's bad luck, can I? Opening umbrellas indoors? No problem. Breaking mirrors? Doesn't bother me. Black cats? Love them. Walking under ladders? Only if there's someone using them, I've no wish to be splattered with paint.

2) Do you read horoscopes? Do you believe them? How do you feel about astrology?

I don't usually read horoscopes, and I definitely don't believe in them. As for astrology, I don't find it very convincing.

3) Have you ever paid someone to read your future? What system did that person use (tarot cards, palmistry, crystal balls, tea leaves...)?

Twice. Once when I was about 12, we were walking down the street with my mother and this gypsy lady (or rather, this lady dressed as a gypsy), hounded us until we "crossed her hand with silver". Oh, I was having trouble with my studies, wasn't I? Eh, nope. That's one area I've never had trouble with. What a fraud!

The second time was a couple of years ago at a nightclub. There were 4 or 5 fortune-tellers sitting around the room, each specializing in different systems. With my friends we had the guy with the tarot cards read our fortunes, just for fun. Every prediction was very vague, so it was pretty boring.

4) Do you have any amulets, or lucky charms? Do they work?

None that I can think of.

5) Any quirks or habits you can't help, superstitious or not?

Checking the doors at night to make sure they're locked. There are 5 doors leading outside from my apartment, and I can't go to sleep unless I check them all, even if I know they haven't been opened that day.