42

I’m not exactly sure when I came to this realization, but 42 is my favorite number.

It might have been while reading Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in eighth grade, when the ‘answer to life, the universe, and everything’ was said to be the number 42.

It might have been while watching LOST. The numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and of course, 42 played a major role in the show.

It might have been when I realized that if you google ‘the answer to life, the universe, and everything,’ the top result is 42. Seriously, google it.

It might be because of this video.

It might be because Jackie Robinson wore that number, and it was retired throughout baseball in 1997.

It might be because it is also Mariano Rivera’s number.*

*When the number 42 was retired throughout baseball in 1997, current players wearing the number were allowed to keep it. Thus, Mariano Rivera will be the last player ever to wear the number 42. I suppose it is only fitting that he currently holds the record for postseason saves, which is (wait for it)…42.

It might be because the greatest Superbowl I have ever seen was in February 2008, which was, fittingly, Superbowl XLII. This was, of course, the year that the Giants beat the undefeated Patriots.

When I take the train into New York City, I am deposited onto 42nd Street. The angle a rainbow makes is, supposedly, 42 degrees. There are 42 dots on a pair of dice.

42 is the best.