Types of Loci

"A person with a relatively large experience can easily equip himself with as many suitable loci as he pleases, and eve a person who thinks that he does not possess enough sufficiently good loci can remedy this. 'For thought can embrace any region whatsoever and in it and at will construct the setting of some locus.' That is to say, mnemonics can use what were afterwards called 'fictitious places', in contrast to the 'real places' of the ordinary method"

                                                                                                              -Francis Yates pg. 8
I think I can safely say that I am not yet "experienced" enough to trust myself to store memories in a fictional palace.  However, I am intrigued by this possibility and hope to be able to use it in the future.  Being a Montanan that loves the outdoors, it would be enjoyable to use loci based on some outdoor areas I frequent:  the river I commonly raft, the trails I commonly hike and run.  Until then here is a running list of available places I know well enough to comfortably use them as my palaces.

• Childhood home
• Grandparent's house
• Boyfriends house
• My dorm room
• Best friend's dorm room
• Best friend's home
• Reid Hall
• Miller Dining Hall
• Band room at MSU
• Band room at high school
• Sentinel High School

It's a miracle we ever learn to speak or read English

The English language has many eccentricities.  Some are our own fault, some were built in to the language.  I'll discuss both.


The Stupid Things we Say
Cliches, slang, colloquial terms: our language is so riddled with these anomalies of speech that it's a wonder anyone learning the English language is ever able to do so.  Here is a short list of words and phrases used today that are somewhat ridiculous.  Some are text-speak, some are just plain stupid and the majority of us are guilty of using these at least on occasion.


1. Like:  This word can mean that you appreciate or enjoy something "I like that color."  Today this word is a common filler phrase "She was like whoa, and then I was like no way, and she was like OMG!"   I'm not even sure what the definition for this use would be in a dictionary.


2.  OMG: Oh, my god.


3. Sick:  Normally, this word means that someone is ill.  In colloquial terms "sick" has come to mean "awesome" or "sweet."  Discrepancy in meaning? I think so!


4. Epic: another word for awesome


5. Fail: a word now used for any slip-up or a mistake of any proportion.


Natural Ridiculousness
For this portion I'm going to just copy and paste my favorite example from the internet and a couple videos.  Please take a few minutes to enjoy these! You'll laugh in wonder, I promise.

Stupid Facts:
Reasons Why the English Language is Hard to Learn

• The bandage was wound around the wound.
• The farm was used to produce produce.
• The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
• He could lead if he would get the lead out.
• The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
• Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
• A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
• When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
• I did not object to the object.
• There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
• They were too close to the door to close it.
• The buck does funny things when the does are present.
• A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
• To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
• The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
• After a number of injections my jaw got number.
• Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
• I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
• How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, that you comb through annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible? And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it? English is a silly language — it doesn't know if it is coming or going



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDFQXxWIyvQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHhYLJMi7CE&feature=related

The love between siblings

I have one brother 3 years older than myself.  We're really very different people.  He's loud and outgoing, always a performer, and never really the "academic" type.  I, on the other hand, tend to be quiet and mild mannered and dedicated to my studies.  These differences definitely led to some clashes when we were younger.  Some fights were serious, some just for fun; however, I have to admit that several "play fights" often turned in to something more serious.  That being said, I can't remember any specific insults we used to throw at each other when we were little.  I do know that he knocked out 3 of my (baby) teeth over the years.  We still make fun of each other for various stupid things we each do.  Honestly though we haven't really fought since he started high school.  That was about the point that he started fighting with my parents instead and he and I became good friends.  This fall he moved to Oregon and I haven't seen him since August.  I must say I miss him, bickering and all.

Here's the floorplan/layout for my childhood home in Missoula, MT.  This is the setting I am most familiar with and therefore the number one memory palace I will be using while memorizing various lists.  I can use individual rooms or the house as a whole to do so!

The Muses deserve a Palace

Today Dr. Sexson assigned us to write about both our bedroom and our memory palace so I'm going to kill two birds with one stone as I tell you about my memory palace built for the muses.  Perhaps the elegant muses deserve a more majestic palace than my simple bedroom at home, but it suffices for my memory nonetheless.


C Calliope: As I enter my bedroom at the end of the hall I look to my right.  In the corner, perched daintily on my bookshelf, sits Clio--a copy of Homer's Odyssey in her hands.
C Clio: I look back straight ahead and there is Clio (a spitting image of Cleopatra)sitting at my desk checking my computer's history.
U Urania: I look up at my and there is Urania, laying among the glow-in-the-dark stars and planets that decorate my ceiling.
T Thalia: Immediately to my left is my closet.  Here I find the comedic Thalia trying on my clothes to make goofy outfits (two mismatched heels, paired with athletic  shorts and a fancy tank top layered over a sweatshirt with a hat perched crooked on her head).
E Euterpe: This one is easy for me--Euterpe is perched on my music stand next to my door, playing the piece Orpheus and Eurydice on my gleaming silver flute.
T Terpsichore:  This delightful muse is found on my CD player, dancing wildly along to Britney Spears (no she isn't my favorite artist but she was quite the dancer back in the day).
E Erato: Erato can be found in the chest of drawers next to my bed, wearing a slinky red dress and pawing through my underwear for something that wouldn't show under her tight-fitting clothing.  
M Melpomene: This muse is sprawled on my bed (the place I always went for comfort when sad) bawling her eyes out with her hair a mess and mascara smeared down her face.



P Polyhymnia: This final muse is kneeling primly at the end of my bed, dressed as a nun, and clearly praying 


So there you have it, my simple palace for the Muses.  Should be interesting to see if these are the images that come to mind next time I'm staying at home!

This may seem slightly off topic for the class but I have to post a little rant.  Today we briefly discussed the use of the word "like" in our language today and how this is such a pet peeve for teachers.  My father is a high school English teacher and, personally, I love the way he handles this issue.  Whenever students start overusing "like" while speaking he starts counting the number of times the word is used on his fingers--holding his hands up so all the students can see what he is doing.  He says his students often get so flustered trying to avoid saying "like" that they often lose their ability to speak.  I love this!! The excessive use of this four letter word drives me absolutely crazy! I am not too proud to admit that I too use this word on occasion, but I pride myself on the ability to turn off the use of the word in educational or public settings and only use it sparingly in casual social conversation.  Honestly, I wish we could completely eradicate this word from every day usage.

Now to connect this to class in some sense...I think "like" has become a word we use in an attempt to fill in blank spots in our memory or speaking.  "Like" has joined the ranks of "um" and "uh" as conversational fillers when we cannot think of the next thing to say.  Are these lulls in conversation due to blank spots in our memory or simply our ability to speak faster than we can speak?  Regardless of the answer I think we all need to strive to avoid using the word "like" to make up for mental lapses.  This is something we can work on together!

Euterpe

Learning about the muses in class Wednesday, I found there was one in particular that I identify with--Euterpe. Muse of flute playing.  I myself have been playing flute for 10 years and believe strongly in the power of music as a form of expression.  When words fail, music speaks.  Perhaps the memory work in this class will help me improve my ability to memorize music as well! I look forward to a wonderful semester with you all.