remembrall

Mnemonic

When Neville Longbottom’s remembrall turned red, he couldn’t for the life of him remember what it was he was forgetting.  After extensive research in this matter (thank you, google and Harry Potter fans), apparently he wasn’t wearing his robes.  We all suffer with our memories and try to find ways to remember important matters in our lives.  People write notes in their planners, save voice notes in their smart phones, or ask someone to remind them.

Back in the old days, when we weren’t glued to our phones and weren’t able to access the internet all the time, school teachers needed to make things interesting for us to remember things so they introduced us to mnemonics.  One of the most memorable one for me is related to the order of planets: My very easy method just set up nine planets.  How applicable.

Along with some ridiculous song lyrics I can’t forget, the planet mnemonic was placed comfortably in the middle of my memory.  Whenever I hear about a planet, I remember my very easy method and feel so smart, thinking that I got my money’s worth of education.

Then someone decided Pluto isn’t a planet.  WHAT???  What do you mean Pluto isn’t a planet?  All of a sudden Pluto’s just not good enough to be part of the planets?  What is it, then, a tree?  I thought it was a joke, something I overheard and wasn’t certain of its source.  Then I thought it must be someone scientists were still debating about, that they will come around and consider it a planet again.  Lo and behold, they didn’t.  Poor Pluto.

A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet.

Well, I guess my very easy method just set up nine... nothings.

pluto