I got into a mild panic the other day, thinking about this diary coming up. I thought, ugh, I don't want to write about April 1st--I HATE April Fool's Day! Then, duh, I realized that there was a March 31st. Which I knew, kinda. I had to use a whatchamacallit memory aid, though, to remember that there is a March 31st.
Join me below the orange brain synapses, after a check with the IAN user manual.
Tuesday! A day to. . . to. . .um, I forget.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group gives Kossacks a safe place to check in, a daily diary where we can let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, earthquakes, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It also allows us to find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, earthquakes etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a Kosmail and ask to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
We do have a diary schedule. But, when you are ready to write that diary, either post in thread or send FloridaSNMOM a Kosmail with the date. If you need someone to fill in, ditto. FloridaSNMOM is here on and off through the day usually from around 9:30 or 10 am eastern to around 11 pm eastern.
Monday:
BadKitties
Tuesday:
ejoanna
Wednesday:
Caedy
Thursday:
art ah zen
Friday:
FloridaSNMOM
Saturday:
Most Awesome Nana
Sunday:
loggersbrat
A cooler word for memory aids* is the Greek word mnemonic , which derives from words for memory. I think we're all familiar with the mnemonic for how many days are in each month:
"Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. All the rest have 31, except for February, which has 28."
(Well, 3 out of 4 years!)
If you asked me (please ask) what the most useful mnemonic has been for me, it has to be
"Spring Forward, Fall Back."
Honestly, I'd never remember which way to change the clock without it! (I know, I could look online or in the newspaper, but. . . I seem to need to recall it on my own--with my trusty mnemonic.)
The Wikipedia article linked above beautifully defines what a mnemonic does for us:
Mnemonic systems are special techniques or strategies consciously used to improve memory. They help employ information already stored in long-term memory to make memorisation an easier task.[4]
Sometimes, with the march of Time, History, Science, and Popular Culture, mnemonics have to change. Take the example of the planets. You may recall that Pluto was, uh,
demoted reassigned from a "planet" to a "dwarf planet" some years ago (August, 2006, to be exact.) The very recent book
"Would You Baptize an Extra-Terrestrial?" has a delightful explanation of the process.
Wikipedia, again:
When Pluto was demoted from full "planethood", mnemonics could no longer include the final "P". The first notable suggestion came from Kyle Sullivan of Lumberton, Mississippi, USA whose mnemonic was published in the Jan. 2007 issue of Astronomy magazine: "My Violent Evil Monster Just Scared Us Nuts".[2] The International Astronomical Union suggested a revised mnemonic, My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos, for the eight planets recognized under the new definition.[3] Others angry at the IAU's decision to "demote" Pluto composed sarcastic mnemonics in protest. Schott's Miscellany by Ben Schott included the mnemonic, Many Very Educated Men Justify Stealing Unique Ninth.[4] Mike Brown, who discovered Eris, mentioned hearing Many Very Educated Men Just Screwed Up Nature.[5]
I did have to jog my memory for a while to remember the fancier term for memory aids. Apparently there is a mnemonic for remembering the term mnemonic itself!
According to the same Wiki article:
"Memory Needs Every Method Of Nurturing Its Capacity" is a mnemonic for how to spell mnemonic."
What mnemonics help you? Can you recall?
PS The "m" at the start of mnemonic is silent. No, really! The Greeks probably included it as some sort of trick. Sheesh.