1) Help, please!
One of the uncompleted entries on my 101 Things list is #32, Memorize something and demonstrate it for someone as proof. (Just another example of choosing something random to fill my list, I suppose). I need to get this done, and I’d like to ask you guys for suggestions. I’d prefer to memorize something that’s not too long, but long enough to be mildly challenging — like a poem with at least a few stanzas, or something historical and important related to the U.S. and/or the recent Presidential inauguration. Any ideas?
As an added incentive (well, depending on who you ask), I promise to record and post another video of myself demonstrating that I’ve actually memorized whatever it is. (Since my first video attempt wasn’t the best, and Leah did most of the work getting it recorded, I figured it’s only fair.)
Speaking of that first video: I think the funniest part is when I tell Leah about my recent discovery of pancake batter in a can. Her shocked (and honest) reaction is: “Holy cow! Nooo!” It makes me laugh every time I hear it.
2) Money, money, money
In my cellular plan, I have unlimited calls and texts to fellow Verizon users (love that!) but only 500 incoming/outgoing texts per month to non-Verizoners. Since most of the people I used to text regularly were with the same company I am, I never had to worry about going over my limit…until this month.
Apparently I now have enough non-Verizon texting pals that 500 will no longer do it for me. I exchanged a fair amount of texts with an AT&T user last weekend and didn’t think anything of it until a few hours had passed — when I did, I checked my balance online and saw that I was waaaayyy over my texting limit. As of yesterday (the closing date of this statement period), the total stands at 674.
I changed my plan a few days ago — I’ll have 1,500 non-Verizon texts instead of 500 going forward — which should take care of the problem in the future. But I’m wondering what those 174 over-the-limit texts are going to cost me…I’m guessing, at a minimum, $0.25 per message (an extra $43.50). Yikes!
3) It’s not what you think it is!
When I bought my bicycle last summer, I bought a bike rack at the same time (both so I would have a way to bring it home, and also transport it elsewhere if I so desired). I keep my bike rack stored inside the trunk of my car when it’s not in use. A few months ago, my older sister saw it when I opened my trunk to get something out and she asked me if it was “one of those things that works your abs.” (She was referring to an Ab Roller.) I explained that it was not, and assured her I wouldn’t own such a gimmicky piece of equipment.
I must admit, I thought the question was a fluke. I was all, “Haha, funny sister, thinking that my bike rack is an ab roller.” Until it happened again last weekend. When I was dropping Leah off to meet up with her friend Abby, they went to my trunk to pull out Leah’s suitcase…and Abby caught sight of it and asked me if it was an Ab Roller.
I think I should tape a sign to my poor bike rack: I am not an Ab Roller.
Happy weekend, everyone!
22 Comments
On memorization: It’d be topical enough to memorize the preamble to the US Constitution (only 52 words), or the Bill of Rights, if you want something longer (about 480 words). Maybe — one of my faves — the Gettysburg Address (265 words). Or you could go whole hog and do the Declaration of Independence, a hefty 1327 words.
What’re you up for?
On the text messaging, you might be interested in my recent post about unreasonable charges for them: http://staringatemptypages.blogspot.com/2008/12/short-changing-with-short-messages.html
You might have tried to negotiate a waiver on the extra charges for this month, in exchange for your purchase of the more expensive plan. They’ll often do that sort of thing, but only if you push them.
P.S. on the memorization: I think that whatever you or I memorize, we have to bow to people like New York’s Governor Paterson, who memorized his entire hour-long State of the State speech. (Gov. Paterson is blind and does not read braille.)
haha, ab roller/bike rack, maybe you should try it out and see if it works!
Have a happy weekend!
~K
I think memorizing the preamble to the constitution is nice. Personally, I like poetry for memorizing, but I’m not sure how you feel about it. Doing the bill of rights would be nice, but that’s a lot of words to get perfect — I’m just happy if I know what most of the amendments are.
Now that I know it’s a bike rack, I can totally see it. And if I had stared at the thing for awhile, I could have figured that out. But the first initial glance? Totally looked like an ab roller. Plus, you do have some weird fitness stuff (bosu board, anyone?), so an ab roller isn’t completely outside the realm of possibility.
That amount sounds about right for the cell bill. I once had one for $102 because of my texting. It was embarrassing. I felt like a teenager.
In my cellular plan, I have unlimited calls and texts to fellow Verizon users (love that!) but only 500 incoming/outgoing texts per month to non-Verizoners.
You gotta go unlimited all the way, chica! (That’s what she said).
If it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty sure Verizon only charges 10 cents per text message.
Preamble to the Constitution is too short/easy for this challenge in my view. I vote for the first part of the Declaration of Independence – up until the part where they start listing all the things the King of England has done wrong: from “When, in the course of human events” through to “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.” — 273 words.
If you were old like me you’d already know the Preamble to the Constitution from Schoolhouse Rock. I now repeat from memory: “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, secure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, ensure the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty , for ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of Americca.”
sorry, that’s “ensure domestic tranquility” – typed it wrong.
This reminds me of high school, but I love Robert Frost poems, and his ‘The Road Not Taken’ reminds me of you. It’s not terribly long, but I’m in favor of your memorizing poetry idea. Is there one that has major significance to you? Here is the Robert Frost one mentioned above:
The Road Not Taken
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
I love it! You should make up a story about needing an ab roller in your trunk so you can have in case of an emergency workout.
In elementary school we had to remember and recite the preamble… ? That’d be an interesting thing to recite after a few bottles of booze!
I just put up my 101 in 1001, and I plan on memorizing (and reciting) the name of every country in the world. Fortunately I still have 2+ years to work on that
I agree with the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. We had to do it in school in 4th grade and to this day I still remember it. It’s a nice trick to pull out to impress people sometimes
And I too have to change my texting amount with Verizon… I’ve been $70 over before because all my college friends from Lynchburg don’t have Verizon. Ick. Hope it isn’t too much!
Maybe it IS an ab roller. Masquerading as a bike rack. You never know.
In the past I’ve memorized the poems “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (for school) and “The Highway Man” (just for kicks)- they are both really beautiful.
The ab roller thing…that’s so funny. I really did buy one over 10 years ago. I left it in the closet of the house I grew up in, but was visiting the other day and saw my grandma had pulled it out. It was sitting in the middle of the living room floor. I just sat there staring at it for a minute, thinking what a silly thing for me to have purchased. Apparently, my grandma is giving it a whirl though.
I went over my texts this month too:( Hubby was not pleased when we got that bill!
I would memorize a poem. Good luck!
Since the Gettysburg Address, the Preamble and the Declaration have all been suggested, I’ve got three:
The Bill of Rights – 500 or so words
The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson – 265 words(http://poetry.eserver.org/light-brigade.html)
Gunga Din by Rudyard Kipling – 1,342 words(http://www.bartleby.com/103/48.html)
Personally, as much as I like the BoR, I’d lean toward the Tennyson. It’s got a great rhythm.
When I was in school, I had to memorize John Donne’s famous “ask not for whom the bell tolls” meditation:
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/no-man-is-an-island/
I say you memorize the Inaugural poem, Praise Song for the Day. It is lovely.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-poem.html?_r=2&bl&ex=1232773200&en=4ae81f6f9f189d1c&ei=5087
I over-texted on verizon too when I was first starting a new relationship