Oh, bee-tea-dubs, if you hadn't realized it, today's date (2/2/11) is a fun little combination of numbers: the former two (22) are double the latter two (11). I like finding little patterns like this. In early/mid-January we had a fun series of dates: TEN DAYS OF PALINDROMIC DATES, in fact! It went from January 10 through the 19th, or 11011 through 11911. Crazy, right? I must mention here that I'm being a little loose with the rules... yes, technically there is a zero in front of the 1 for January, but the next official Palindrome Day (like the one last January, see picture above) isn't until November 2 of this year: 11 02 2011. Needless to say, I'm pretty psyched for it. I intend to play a little loose with the rules again (regarding zeros) in November for my birthday - 11/7/11 - 'cause usually turning 24 isn't that big of a deal, but with a palindromic birthday, it'll be a party for sure.
In case you don't know what a palindrome is, it's, "a word, phrase, number or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction (the adjustment of punctuation and spaces between words is generally permitted). Composing literature in palindromes is an example of constrained writing. The word "palindrome" was coined from Greek roots palin (πάλιν; "again") and dromos (δρóμος; "way, direction") by English writer Ben Jonson in the 17th century. The actual Greek phrase to describe the phenomenon is karkinikê epigrafê (καρκινική επιγραφή; crab inscription), or simply karkiniêoi (καρκινιήοι; crabs), alluding to the backward movement of crabs, like an inscription that can be read backwards." Thank you, Wikipedia.
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| [I like this one... mostly because Otis is my uncle's name, but I'm also a fan of potatoes.] |
I first learned about palindromes in Mrs. VanPelt's second grade class way back in 1995. I think we were reading a book with characters named Hannah and Otto, and it went from there. I became fascinated with both the verbal kind and that of the numerical variety, and it's stuck with me. I once lent my car to a friend when the odometer was about to turn through to another palindrome, and I love seeing that happen so much I almost didn't let her use it. I relented though and made sure to point it out to her so she could appreciate it. (That kind of thing is much more common in newer cars with lower mileage, not with my 1988 Volvo with 184,000+ miles on it.) Anyhow, it's a little something I like to celebrate and revel in from time to time -- not just on my odometer, but in life. Don't be surprised if I end up naming my future children Eve or Ramar.
So tell me, what are your favorite palindromes?
