Number 7

The odd things that flit through my mind – like –

One of the ‘tests’ they give people when screening for Alzheimer's or dementia is counting backwards from 100 by 7s. I would fail this test because I could not quickly count backwards by 7. I could maybe count backwards quickly by 5’s but 7’s – No.

As much as I like the number 7, and I do, very much, it is not an easy number to count by going forward; going backward? I don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of doing that. I would be sitting there either writing in the air or saying out loud “100 minus 7 is 93; 93 minus 7 is, um, let’s see, 13-7 is 6 so that’s 86”

I’m just not sure why counting backwards by 7 proves anything.

Another simple Alzheimer/dementia test is having the person draw a clock and it just occurred to me (while expanding on this mental conversation) that there is an entire generation, or two (or 3?) that probably does not know how to read an analog clock. Ooo – what about an analog clock with Roman numerals? Ooo – what about Roman numerals altogether?

So much of what my people would consider basic knowledge is already lost, or on it’s way to being confined and consigned to the backrooms of information emporiums.

Another observation of the number 7 but in relation to the number 9, another favorite number of mine, is that 9×7=63 is pretty. Of course 7×9 is also 63 but it it not pretty; it just is some numbers of no particular consequence.

Actually I just realized that writing it out makes it pretty – Nine time seven is sixty three. There, I like that. It’s pretty. The number 63/sixty-three is pretty.

And I fear you are thinking – “This woman is out of her goddamn mind!” And you may well be right.