My Memory Theatre

Foolowing suit with my epitath, I used many references from the ghetto days. I was given a list of fifteen items to memorize from a friend. If you were to walk up to my house the first thing you would see is a Yuban coffee can used as an ashtray on the front porch. Enter the front door and next to the couch sits a mushroom footrest, not the most comfortable of seats. On the book shelf rests a set of steel dice and dominoes made by my cousin while incarcerated in L.A. county. Many of nights we would spend a considerable amount of time putting dents into the wooden fold out table my uncle left while having one too many Crazy Horses. if you continue to the kitchen, next to the spice rack lay a giant bottle of Lawry's seasoning salt, used for just about every meal in our household. It makes me laugh no because right next to that were three jars of grease; bacon, fish, and other. Turn down the hallway to see a large poster of the torch runner who came running through the neighborhood for the 1984 summer Olympics. Now we enter the room my brother and I share. A bunk bed with a bass amp for a stepping stool to the top bunk are straight ahead. A life size poster of Bo Jackson on the closet stare at you and on the other side of the room a tribute of Iron Maiden plastered into a colague. Also in our room sat a black and white t.v. with an Atari gaming system, with a miniature Donkey Kong and Pacman arcade system. Loads of hours were poured into each one of those systems.

Muses Memory Theatre

I was staring at my phone when thinking of a way to memorize the list of muses aka CCUTETEMP, when it hit me. Why not treat the muses as a list of contacts. Calliope was the first to and easiest since in order to contact somebody the first thing you would usually do is call them, and we all now epic it can be to try and get a hold of someone. Next comes Clio. I thought of the lady you once could call on the Psychic Network, Miss Cleo, but instead of your future she tells your past. Urania came to mind after noticing there is an astrology app on my phone. My friend Terry plays the harpsichord which brought Terpsicore to mind and the ways of dance. Erato, after hearing her name I instantly thought of where Rio works so that was a no brainer. I have a friend named Thalia and she is a jolly, comical person, making my life in memorization that much more of a breeze. Euterpe happened to be a little harder, but after some research on my phone i discovered there is a generic ring tone on my phone name eureka. It has a fluty type tone and so she was linked. I couldn't find anything in my phone for Mnempone n thought of how tragic it was and then, BAMN, i had a way to remember her. And last but not least Polyhymnia. Her name already states her purpose but I was determined to link her in some way. I thought of the game Hexic, a game that uses polygons and has hymnal type music in the background. All in all a weird system but it has been working for me. On occasion I do forget, but the memory system is helping to improve my grasp of the muses.

The Memories that stick.

Recently after reading a few chapters of "Moonwalking with Einstein," i realized that there are ways to train your memory, some born with amazing memory, but what about the random things your mind decides to keep? I'm talking about those nagging songs that you just cant shake, or the seemingly useless facts that stay lodged in your mind. for example, why is it that my mind found the fact that there have been studies to prove that plants can scream? Or the notion that before a person has an aneurysm they smell burnt toast? Ironic, unfortunate, but somewhat comical, these are examples of things I wish were replaced by other items i deem worthy. In the first chapter Foer states " If memory is our means of preserving that which we consider most valuable, it is obviously painfully linked to our own transience." now i understand that he is talking about fending off mortality, but the part about what our mind deems valuable? that really chaps my hide. in a sense it makes me want to have a little chat with my brain, but its not like i could because it seems to be controlling the outcome of what it wants to remember instead of me. Now after saying this i realize my brain is me but sure as heck isn't wanting to cooperate. I have no use for the facts that a cuddle fish can is not really a fish or how its camouflage operates. And I really don't see the reason my mind needs to retain the fact that during a red tide you can write your name in the sand and watch it glow. all of these facts may seem fun or cool for a moment but I would rather be able to remember my kids Social security numbers. Or why is it I can barely recall my own phone number, yet can recite my telephone number from high school, that I had for a lot less longer and was last used 17 years ago. So if memory is persevering the most valuable, why is my head full of useless, trivial junk? something to ponder as I try to retrain my brain.

the problem with my memory

Football is a violent sport. An obvious statement I know, but when you smack your head against things for a long time you tend to forget the most common things. The most common trait of a football player besides an intense attatchmenet to the ins and outs of the game is the notion of the dumb jock. Although I somewhat fit the description, i know of plenty who break the rules of stereotype. Im hoping that this class will help me to grasp things thast are easily lost due to constant headbanging and storming into others like a steam powered locomotive.