Episode 602
Morning 6-Pack - Six Ways I’d Tempt Fate Around NWA
It's Friday the 13th — the third one this year — so I'm Haystack and we're servin' up a Morning 6-Pack: the top six things to be careful doing around northwest Arkansas today. We rag on the usual superstitions and local mayhem — stuff like walking under ladders or meeting a black cat while bombing down the greenway on an $8k bike. We also roast local landmarks (broken mirrors in the Walmart museum, and yes, don’t mistake Beaver Lake for Crystal Lake unless you like uninspected jet skis and dudes named Colton). It's quick, snappy, and packed with my usual nonsense and sarcasm — perfect for a Friday-morning brain scramble. I’m not gonna spoil the number-one pick here — you gotta listen for that final punchline.
Takeaways:
- We joked that 2026 gave us three Friday the 13ths — Feb, March, and November — so calendars hate us.
- I riffed on classic superstitions, like skipping the 13th floor and lying to elevators to fool ghosts.
- Our Morning 6-Pack counts down local Friday the 13th risks — ladders, black cats on greenways, and mirrors in museums.
- I warned not to confuse Beaver Lake with Crystal Lake — different scares; here it's teenage jet skis, not masked horror movie guys.
- We joked about Bud Walton arena umbrella etiquette — only acceptable if you're using it to deflect popcorn and flying cups.
- I saved the biggest punchline for last, so I'm not spoiling the number-one bit — you gotta listen.
Transcript
It's haystack.
Speaker A:And it is, of course, Friday the 13th, the day when otherwise perfectly rational adults become absolutely terrified of a number on the calendar.
Speaker A:And this is the third Friday the 13th of the year.
Speaker A:February, March, and now November.
Speaker A: So: Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But, you know, the number 13 has been considered unlucky for centuries.
Speaker A:Some people blame the last supper of 13 at the table, counting Judas.
Speaker A:Others point to ancient mythology.
Speaker A:And of course, some hotels will not even have a 13th floor.
Speaker A:You get in the elevator and it goes from 12 to 14, which is brilliant.
Speaker A:Apparently, you can fool the supernatural by lying to the elevator.
Speaker A:Oh, no.
Speaker A:Evil spirits.
Speaker A:There's no 13th floor here.
Speaker A:This is the 14th floor.
Speaker A:And the ghosts go, ow.
Speaker A:Damn it.
Speaker A:Fooled again.
Speaker A:But it does not stop with the numbers.
Speaker A:People refuse to walk under ladders.
Speaker A:Afraid of black cats.
Speaker A:Knock on wood that throw salt over their shoulders.
Speaker A:They won't open umbrellas and door.
Speaker A:And I find that it's fascinating.
Speaker A:These rules aren't consistent because in Italy, It's Friday the 17th.
Speaker A:That's considered unlucky.
Speaker A:In Spain, Tuesday the 13th.
Speaker A:So, apparently, bad luck has different office hours depending on where on the globe you are.
Speaker A:Now, I don't consider myself particularly superstitious.
Speaker A:Maybe a little stitious, but not superstitious.
Speaker A:I do believe, though, if you're gonna tempt fate on a Friday the 13th, there's no better place to do it than right here in northwest Arkansas.
Speaker B:Best way to start your day.
Speaker B:These six jokes he's about to say.
Speaker B:Listen up for old heads back.
Speaker B:Crack open the morning six pack.
Speaker A:We are doing a morning six pack of the top six things to be careful doing in northwest Arkansas on Friday the 13th.
Speaker A:And we start with number six.
Speaker A:Walk under an ordinary ladder.
Speaker A:I mean, why do that when you could walk under one of Bentonville's 400 active construction cranes and really test your luck.
Speaker A:Five, cross paths with a black cat while flying 30 mph downhill on an $8,000 bike on the greenway.
Speaker A:Number four, break a mirror inside the Walmart museum.
Speaker A:You would condemn yourself to seven years of discontinued continued rollbacks.
Speaker A:Number three, mistake Beaver Lake for Crystal Lake, Although Crystal Lake you could.
Speaker A:You only really have to worry about the one guy in the mask.
Speaker A:On Beaver Lake, you got to worry about the 600 uninspected jet skis driven by teenagers named Colton.
Speaker A:Number two, be careful if you're gonna open an umbrella inside Budwalt arena during a close game.
Speaker A:The only way that's okay.
Speaker A:Is if you're using it to deflect flying popcorn and souvenir plastic cups from the student section.
Speaker A:And the number one thing you need to be careful doing on this Friday the 13th in northwest Arkansas.
Speaker A:Of course, be careful if you're gonna try to conduct a serious seance in Eureka Springs, because you'll just get interrupted by a ghost who insists on reading your aura and selling you handmade lavender soap.
