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| Pam |
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 5005th
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 5005th blog.