Shopping Lists and Wednesday

There are so many. Which of the mnemonic devices should we try?

I'm planning to start with the Animacy Alphabet (visual alphabet) and then focus on the ones that are most attractive.

The Bestiary for names seems too immense to tackle, especially as the name issue I face is with Chinese names and I don't think the structure will work. I should find something that integrates name characters. Surnames are much more limited than English.

The winter count looks really fun as I could embroider it. I haven't read that chapter so I don't know how you chose just one symbol nor how you use it, but the spirals and the rolling up and the incomplete-until-you-die are really attractive.

A page of Kelly's
Visual Alphabet

The memory palace is the one I want the most. The description of Medieval monks going off to collect various cathedrals to add to their memory palaces is a great idea. One thing I DO have in my area are historical buildings from before colonial times in the New Territories and they won't be knocked into malls too soon. I also have the tremendous gift of a friend who is one of the foremost historians of this area and beside writing books, he leads field trips stuffed with little details like "this wood stove with would never have been hot enough for frying, only steaming, and for special occasions someone would have brought in coals and set up another wok to deep fry". Things I find really fascinating and anchored in space. A walk with Pat Hase is a memory-palace half done.

With the Alphabet, I'm going to use Kelly's version. Janet is creating her own version, including characters from Narnia and Sam said he'll also start with Lynne Kelly's version. I've downloaded the PDF supplement to the audiobook from here: http://www.lynnekelly.com.au/memory-craft/ and printed out my favourite parts.

I'm hassling the kids to start blogging their versions of how this is going.

Tanya's notes while Janet thought of characters
and events to begin her own Animate Alphabet. 

I just explained to Sam how Janet has started her visual alphabet. This may not be the wisest start, but it's the most motivating, to start off the characters already with their first task, to remember the Wednesday timetable. I had no trouble telling Sam the letters A to I that Janet came up with on Sunday (It's Wednesday), along with the classes and breaks that they represent. [Edit: Actually, no. On my first pass through, I couldn't remember what Dwarf and the Eagle were doing].

Aslan is drawing breath and breathing colour onto the Bird of paradise in the first two periods of drawing class. Then Cat is leaping around at recess, trying to make a snack of the bird. Then Dwarf starts waxing philosophical and Eagle picks him up to take him to Greece (the 3rd & 4th lessons are philosophy), then Frog leaps along to the pond to get flies for lunch and a big stupid Giant sits starting at himself in the water, the 5th lesson is self-study. Hippo's bum knocks Giant into the water and written on the bum in big letters is 12-11, the date of the next guest lecture in lesson 6. The lecturer is riding on Hippo's back. Other Wednesdays are regular lectures. (I couldn't think of a visual way to represent 'Second Wednesday of the month', so we painted on the date of the next special and can remember all the others are not special). The Hippo frightens an Impala who starts leaping. She leaps into a big room full of shouting students and despite leaping, can't get out until the day ends. Lesson 7 is the 'Student Voice' session with a lot of voices opining on what's wrong with the school. The moment the time is up, the Impala leaps out and runs home even if the voices are still going.

I hope Janet remembers her Wednesday as well as I do.

I used the Alphabet last week for a shopping list and I still remember the items but I haven't tried reusing it. It's fun the way they play. I wish I weren't so tired. Christmas holidays are coming.