Observing life: synesthesia and the birth of Ellen’s Day



On July 27, 1984, I was at a 4-H summer camp at Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine. We were doing arts and crafts using found objects, and I had crafted a scene of a sailboat and crashing waves using rocks and shells. I wrote the date on the rock with Crayola crayons and suddenly noticed how much I loved the combination of letters and numbers.

It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered that I have synesthesia – in my mind’s eye I “see” letters and numbers in colour, and some with personalities. This neurological phenomenon was what helped me learn three foreign languages, and has also been useful in endless quirky ways, such as the ability to memorise the last four digits of the social security numbers – the way we were officially identified – of everyone in my army basic training platoon.

My short-term memory knew Private McKelvey as 2356 and Private Van Beck as 7014, just as I see July 27 in an ocean scene of sea green, cornflower and blue-violet.

But on that summer morning at age 12, while admiring both my artwork and the date, I knew that something special had to take place on that day and every July 27 from then on. So Ellen’s Day was born.

Initially I planned to count down to a July 27 when I would be of appropriate marrying age and could choose it as my anniversary date. I figured out that I would be 24 in 1996 – a date that seemed far enough in the future to nail down as a potential wedding date and possibly even find a willing husband.

I imagined myself casually suggesting July 27 to my betrothed, without him knowing I had been coveting the date since I was 12. He’d say: “Sure, Ellen, whatever makes you happy,” and then I would have July 27 to secretly adore for a lifetime, maybe even longer than my beloved. Until then, I decided, I would celebrate it as a day for myself.

“No, it’s not my birthday,” I soon found myself explaining to people, but a day for myself to do something that warranted being done on a beautiful day. I’d take the day off of work and eat lunch at a chic place I’d been meaning to try, or go to the movies and indulge in a chick flick – anything to celebrate this perfect summer day that deserved to fall on a Saturday every year.

On the 1989 edition of Ellen’s Day, as an exchange student in France, I stood on the Eiffel Tower and thought, it surely can’t get better than this until 1996.

But my potential fiance never showed up, the November Rain wedding dress was never purchased, and I spent July 27, 1996 – a Saturday, and surely saturated with happy wedding parties around the world not fully grasping the delightful nature of the date they chose – on my second day of army basic training.

Outfitted in dark camouflage in the hot South Carolina sun, I consoled myself by remembering that I’d have Ellen’s Day annually as long as I wanted to have it, husband or not, and maybe later in the day I could try out my newly acquired hand-to-hand combat skills on a platoon-mate. Maybe even on 2356 or 7014.

The years have rolled on and I did get married, though not on July 27. I am now content to keep the day for myself and not share it with anyone else, not even my husband, who accepts and supports Ellen’s Day and knows it’s one not to plan anything on.

This year, on the 33rd Ellen’s Day, I’m taking the day off work and have a list of exciting Abu Dhabi Summer Things planned. But now I am thinking I might scrap it all and sit by the sea and create a sculpture out of found objects, write the date in its perfect colours and simply treasure these unique gifts I’ll have for a lifetime – one I was born with and one I gifted myself.

efortini@thenational.ae

Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The figures behind the event

1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew

2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show

3) 1,000 social distancing stickers

4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue

Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.

88 Video's most popular rentals

Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.  

Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.

Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.

At Eternity’s Gate

Director: Julian Schnabel

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen

Three stars

Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
%3Cp%3E%E2%97%8F%20Estijaba%20helpline%3A%208001717%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Health%20and%20Prevention%20hotline%3A%20045192519%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Mental%20health%20support%20line%3A%20800%204673%20(Hope)%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20at%20hope.hw.gov.ae%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Brief scores:

QPR 0

Watford 1

Capoue 45' 1

How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

Price: Dh64,500

On sale: Now

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo

Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic

Power: 242bhp

Torque: 370Nm

Price: Dh136,814

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now