Somehow the distractions of the week prevented me from auto rolling a red carpet while loudly playing a trumpet to announce that I had arrived at 5000 blogs. Today I remembered and my blog counter says I am at 5005.  I am a tad disappointed. It is a quiet sunny Saturday in which the reality of the world problem has really hit home.

In Spanish and in particular in Argentine Spanish we use words that are almost alien to other languages  or in Spanish speaking countries. Every country has its local lingo. In Argentina it is called Lunfardo.  Women, when we mean broads, becomes minas and their beautiful legs are gambas. 

There are many of these words so when I am chatting with someone in Spanish I have to be aware of what country they may be from so I will use words they will understand.

In Argentina, as in most of the world, people try their luck with lottery tickets. It is particularly desirable, when possible, to buy a ticket that has a capicúa number. This is a number that reads the same from left to right and from right to left. The word is of Catalán origin in which the first part is head and the second part tail.

I will rise to the occasion and just point out that my 5005^th blog, this one, is indeed a capicúa. Will it bring me good luck?

At first I found it difficult to think of what photograph of mine I could use to illustrate this. It is plain that capicúa is not related to palindrome as it only applies to numbers. I am dyslexic so I am acutely aware of palindromes. After some reflection I found the perfect photograph. This is of my friend and former model Pam McCartney. She was born with a missing arm and a leg that was shorter (or longer) than the other. For most of her life she has experienced excruciating pain. When she was a late teenager her leg was shortened to match the other. But it was too late to modify one of her wonders (my wonder) which are her lovely asymmetrical hips. I believe that symmetry is an innate low-brow consideration that we as humans are saddled from birth. Even now most cars are symmetrical without having to be so. Civilizations that may have championed asymmetry in my opinion are the ones that dazzle.

Pam in her asymmetry dazzles and I can think of no better subject for this symmetrically numbered 5005^th blog.