SYNAESTHESIA -- HUH?

How someone with synesthesia might perceive certain letters and numbers.

Hey, I am here in full and living color.  I have to start by saying that I don't remember ever promising that I would delve only in 65 year old thoughts.  The interesting thing about this word is that about seven or eight years ago I read an interesting study about the phenomenon that it names.  The name of it, synaesthesia never appeared in the article I read.  In fact, in the article that I read today it is stated that the majority of people who experience this condition do not know how to name it.  Of course, with a spelling like it has, can you blame them?  Another interesting aspect of this condition is that it is estimated that there is a probability of its occurring at some degree in about 1 out of every 23 people.  If you, dear reader know where this is coming from or where it is going, you no doubt fall within the parameters of probability that I just mentioned.  That means that there could be 4 or 5 of you who know what I am talking about.
I know, you're thinking, so tell us the definition, air head.  OK, here goes:
SYNAESTHESIA: "...condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway."  People who have this condition are called "synaesthetes."  
Now, the curious part of this condition is that it affects people in different ways.
The first time I read about it was in an article saying that certain people see colors when they listen to music.  They have sound:color synaesthesia.  Others have the species of synaesthesia which causes something similar to the picture at the top of this page, called, oddly enough, numerical:color synaesthesia.  There are more, but the one among the rest that intrigues me is lexical:gustatory synaesthesia.  Words that are heard or read result is causing food tastes to occur in the mouth of the synaesthete.


I am offering you this because of the underlying reason why I did not pay much heed to the information I received some years ago.  Yep, I got it on the Internet.  It was there as an interest piece and as interested as I was, I did not give it credence.  It just did not seem possible.  There were no references in the article and it was a Saturday.  I didn't forget it, but I didn't much believe it.  Then today I fell upon a blog that had the word in its title.  A Catholic blog.  That's what got me going.  
I followed the nudging of my curiosity and I found references and some scientific writing.  It has been quite an experience.  The fact that I have an underlying distrust of the Internet makes me leery of what I find.  Every now and then, I find some satisfaction.  This has been one of those moments.  I hope that you've had some fun with this.  
By the way, here's something else I found:  What is it that occurs once every minute, twice in every moment and never in a thousand years?
I may see you tomorrow.  I promise I will make an effort.  France beckons.