Bologna and Cream Soda

Isn’t it funny how a certain food sparks a memory? In this case, a bologna sandwich.

I see myself at age 6 or 7, standing in our kitchen, impish grin on my face, about to eat lunch which consisted of a bologna and mayo sandwich and a cream soda to drink. I can picture my young self in shorts and a red and white halter top that my mom made for me, chin-length light brown hair all a mess from playing outside with friends. Red light/Green light? Mother May I? Or maybe making mud pies and “selling” them?

The day took a turn for the worse after lunch. Bologna, mayonnaise, and cream soda (as well as a hot summer day) do not mix well. I will leave it at that. Almost 40 years later, I still won’t drink cream soda! And only in the last couple of years have I begun to eat bologna again, with caution.

This post was inspired by the topic "food" at Sunday Scribblings.

Bologna sandwich image credit.

Subscribe in a reader

Thursday 13

Since I call myself Forgetfulone, over the years, I figured out ways to help me remember things. I actually have a pretty good memory. I just tend to forget what I had in mind when I opened the refrigerator door or whether or not I shampooed my hair when I first got in the shower. What works, and what doesn't?

What works:

1. If I have to remember a large chunk of information, I write it down and rewrite it, and maybe even write it again. Rewriting my notes is how I made it through college biology.

2. Mnemonic devices. For example My Dear Aunt Sally (for MDAS - order of operations, multiply, divide, add, subtract.)

3. Sending an email to myself.

4. Leaving a voice mail for myself.

5. I'm a list maker, and I use them.

6. Using a planner or calendar, especially my yahoo calendar that send me reminders of upcoming events via email.

7. If I have to remember a speech or presentation, I learn it in small pieces rather than trying to memorize it all at once.

8. Outlines help me remember critical information. I'm a left-brained, structured person, so this method works for me.

9.And having other people in the house to remind me of things helps, too!

What doesn't work for me:

10. The number/rhyme method. Basically, this is listing numbers and something that rhymes with each number that will help you remember an item on a list.

11. The alphabet method. This is listing the things you have to remember in alphabetical order as the name suggests.

12. Drawing a mind map or concept map. I'm much too literal, left-brained, and structured to make any sense of these.

13. Relying on my memory not to fail me!

But I still don't see how this is going to help me figure out what I'm looking for when I walk into a room and inevitably can't remember!

Check out other Thursday 13 posts here.

Subscribe in a reader

Autumn Memory

Barb (Skittle’s Place) asks us to share our favorite Autumn memory for Heads or Tails this week.

I remember the crisp chill in the air, the smell of a wood-burning stove in the distance, and the quiet sound of the wind swaying the oak branches softly back and forth. I remember the dimples of a cute boy with sandy, curly, brown hair, a plain white tee shirt, and faded jeans. I don’t remember his name, but I remember the goosebumps I felt in anticipation of my first kiss. It was a cool Halloween evening, and I wanted so badly for him to put his arm around me and keep me warm. All the “little” kids were already inside, probably drinking milk and waiting impatiently for their parents to inspect their candy. We were in my driveway leaning against my dad’s Ford pickup truck trying to act grown up. I was only in middle school. We were so dorky, yet so sweet. I can picture his face vividly, and I remember the pounding of my heart. I remember the night air and the energy in my blood, but I can’t, for the life of me, remember that boy’s name! He did put his arm around me, but my Autumn kiss didn’t happen that night.

I am NOT Forgetful! (Well...)

My blog name is misleading. I actually have a very good memory! I remember names, birth dates, people. I'm great at memorizing verses or passages. I'm a champ at Concentration/Memory games. I'm a whiz at spelling - which is mostly memorization. Not surprisingly, I remember every bad thing my husband ever did! tee hee! And I am always the one who remembers where other people put their things. "Mom, where's my....?" I hear that several times a day!

So, why Forgetfulone? Well, as I grow older, I do tend to be forgetful about some things. The first thing was the basis for my very first blog post.

1. When I take a shower, if I don't wash my hair before I do anything else, I forget whether or not I've washed it by the time I get out. I've actually had to get back in the shower to wash my hair because I forgot. Pathetic.

2. I know most of you who are at least my age (over 40) will relate to this. I walk into a room and forget why I went in there. I'm often heard saying, "Why did I come in here?" Unfortunately for me, I say it out loud to which my kids respond, "I don't know. I'm not your brain."

3. Not only do I sometimes forget why I went in to a certain room, I've often been known to utter, "What was I looking for?" Again, I get, "I don't know. I'm not your brain." My kids are such comedians!

4. If I don't put my keys in the front pocket of my purse, I cannot remember where they are. And, God forbid that I use a purse that doesn't have a front pocket! I have to be methodical about this. The results are never good if I don't put the keys in the front of my purse right away.

5. I have to email myself reminders about doctor's appointments, music lessons, sports, and other activities, as well as writing them down in my planner and putting them in my yahoo calendar.

6. Have you ever forgotten what you were going to say? Of course. Have you ever done that while you were in mid-sentence? I'm guilty.

7. I forget to when television shows are on, so I usually miss them. It'd be okay if I'd remember to set the DVR. But this might explain why I'm one of the only people in the universe who has never seen American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance.

Why can't I forget to eat?

Want to subscribe to my blog? Just click the orange button at the top left of the page.

If you liked this blog post, you may want to check these out:

Eccentric, or Just Different

My Very First Blog Post, Dec. 2005

The Date