Sunday, October 1, 2017

Mnemonic Possession

Dear Friends,


The Hard Taco Song for this particular October is called, "Not Illegal, But Frowned Upon." I had a tough time deciding whether I wanted this song to be dissonant or boring, so I recorded it twice.

First, I offer you the Sloppy Garage Band version. This was actually recorded in my friend Jon's sloppy garage.

Even if you removed all of the instruments and cables from this garage, it would still be full. 

Also, most of what you hear was recorded in one take, which adds to both the sloppiness and garageness.

Second, I offer you the Lightly Plugged version. The guitar is acoustic, so it is tempting to call this Unplugged, but that would be a misnomer. The microphone is plugged into the recording gear, which is plugged into the computer, which is plugged into the wall. Nonetheless,  I wanted to create an experience with as little plugging as possible, so I loosened all of those cables a little without disconnecting them.

For the writing part of this month's digest, I have created a series of helpful mnemonics to aid in the memorization of the nine most difficult concepts.

Which months have 31 days? (January, March, May, July, August, October, December)
Join My Marvelous Journey And/Or Die

Once Earth has been destroyed, how will I remember the order of the planets?
My Venison-Meat Jewelry Shouldn't Upset Nearby Poachers
(Note that once Earth is gone, there will be no one left to object to Pluto's planet status.)

What are the Great Lakes?
First, remember that GREAT LAKES stands for:

God's
Rather
Effective
Agent of
Thunderstorms,
Locusts,
And
Killing
Egyptian
Sons

And who does that describe? Moses.
And how do you say Moses in Hebrew? MOSHE.
Michigan, Ontario, Superior, Huron, Eerie

Which notes in the treble clef are on the lines?
Economically,  George Bush Deliberately Failed

Which notes are on the spaces?
Film Actor Clint Eastwood

What are the strings on a guitar? Assume that I'm a sarcastic teenager learning guitar for the first time. 
Elephants Aren't Dirty, Gray, or Big Enough

What year was America discovered?
In 1491, Columbus had not yet begun... to develop a compelling value proposition for venture capital, and demonstrate market traction to investors.

What are the colors of a rainbow, to a blind person?
B

How will I remember all the mnemonics discussed here?
Months with 31 days
Notes in the treble clef that are on lines
Earthless planets
Mnemonics using the word mnemonic (This one)
Ontario and other Great Lakes
Notes in the treble clef that are on spaces
In what year did Columbus make final preparations to sail the ocean blue?
Colors that Stevie Wonder sees in a rainbow
Strings on a guitar

With warmest regards,
Zach