It's going to be a busy week, so I thought I should sneak in a quick blog post while I have a minute. Our drama team at church is putting on a play next Sunday, and I have been assigned with preparing some photos and a PowerPoint presentation to run along with the play. It's not difficult stuff, just time-consuming, so my evenings will be busy. There was something else I needed to do for the play...what was it again?
Oh, that's right. I need to LEARN. MY. LINES. The play is in six days, and I have no idea what my lines are, even though there are only five of them. Yep, five lines, and I can't learn them to save my life. Each time they come up in the script, it's like I'm hearing them for the very first time. What happened to my memory, anyway?
When I was young, I had a near-photographic memory. I was actually accused of cheating on a history test once because my answer was phrased exactly the same as the text in the book. The teacher didn't believe me at first when I told him that I remembered things based on how they look, and I could "see" the text printed on the page in my memory. (He eventually let it go, although I don't think he ever trusted me after that.) It was great--I didn't have to write myself notes, make lists, etc., I just remembered. Everything.
Unfortunately, I kind of went a little nuts in my 20s, and killed a ton of my brain cells. I didn't notice the effect right away; everything still seemed to be working okay, until the past couple of years. Now, in my late 30s, some parts of my memory are still fine: song lyrics, birthdays of people I haven't seen since the 80s, those types of things are all still there. Important things, however, are gone. I have to write myself notes for everything, and I can't even remember five stinkin' lines for a play.
Luckily, lots of the other folks on the drama team have memory problems, too, so they are pros in the art of cheat-sheet-concealment. After discussing my problem with them at practice on Saturday, I think I have a plan. Since I can't trust my faulty memory (especially in a high-pressure situation), I'm going to copy all of my pages really small and tuck them in the sleeve of my costume. Ta-da! No more worries about embarrassing myself in front of a couple hundred people by forgetting what I am supposed to say! I just have to remember to write myself a note so I won't forget to put on the costume.
Monday, November 10, 2008
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4 comments:
What are you going to do if you write the lines so small you can't read them? That is so what I would do.
ames: We have practice on Saturday, so I can give my shrunken cheat-sheet a run-through then. Seriously, just about everyone cheats. Our joke is that, if we spent as much time actually learning the lines as we do trying to come up with creative cheats, we wouldn't need the cheats at all.
Ah, yes. The effect of college shenanigans on brain cells, specifically memory. I could write a book. And like you, I can remember some totally useless things, but when it comes to remembering how old I am or when I got married, forget it.
I think it's pretty cool you had a near-photographic memory. That must've come in handy.
JD at I Do Things
JD: I didn't even have college shenanigans as an excuse! I was just a bit of an idiot (of course, there was a boy involved). It was pretty cool to have such a good memory, but now I really miss it. I get so frustrated when I forget important things.
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