My Very Enormous Mouse Just Sat Under Neville's Plate
Sometimes I have absolutely no idea what to write so I just give my pen free reign and let it take control. It is often fun just to see where that leads as my pen has a mind of its own. There is no guarantee that my muse will be stirred into action and take over, but it doesn't hurt to try.
The worst that can happen is a few pages of meaningless babble, or in my case, a page half full of doodles. This often happens if I lack inspiration but my hand still needs to be active. My doodles are random and often meaningless drawings of cartoon-like faces, characters, or other silly subjects.
One of the most common tips for finding inspiration or ideas to write about is to look at your life and childhood and find prompts from among your myriad of experiences. Even if you think you have lead a dull and boring life as soon as you pause to think back over it, certain memories and events will rise to the surface. Well, I am no exception.
My Very Enormous Mouse Just Sat Under Neville's Plate
— Grade 6 Class, 1967, Maleny State SchoolMy Very Enormous Mouse Just Sat Under Neville's Plate. This sentence does has a meaning. Can you tell what that is, and what purpose it serves? Well, I think it was in about 6th Grade of Primary School (Elementary School for my US readers) during a science lesson that our teacher asked if anyone knew the order of the planets from the sun in our solar system. If I remember correctly, no one did.
The teacher then said the best way to remember the order of the planets, or any other sequence of things for that matter, was to create a sentence of words beginning with the first letters of the things you want to remember. He asked the class if we could come up with a sentence to represent the order of the planets in our solar system. Hence, we brainstormed for a few minutes and came up with, "My (Mercury) Very (Venus) Enormous (Earth) Mouse (Mars) Just (Jupiter) Sat (Saturn) Under (Uranus) Neville's (Neptune) Plate (Pluto)."
To this day I have never forgotten that sentence so have always been able to recite on call the order of the planets. Many of you have probably been taught a different sentence to remember the same thing, but that's mine.
A Free Verse Acrostic Poem (of sorts)
My only reason for this
Verse is to attempt to
Ensure that I can
Mentally embed, not
Just the planetary order from the
Sun, but also to
Understand how memory works,
Newton's theory of gravitation, or
Perhaps just reach a word count.
Do you have special verses for remembering the order of the planets?
No Internet!
As I write this my wife and I are spending the night at the home of some friends who don't have an Internet connection. Maybe it will actually do me good to go one night and day without the World Wide Web's controlling influence. It will actually be enjoyable to have some real live interaction without the distraction of smartphones or the computer (they don't have phone reception yet either). I am glad I am not younger and caught up in the current "Pokemon Go" craze.
Anyway, it is because I have no Internet and can't access HubPages, my other writing projects, or research anything that I am using pen and notebook to write these random ramblings. The final outcome will be that you, my unfortunate readers, have been lured, hook, line, and sinker into spending your precious time in the hope that Jodah has some important hidden message to convey that may change the world and make it a better and safer place.
Well, up until this point I really didn't have a message, but I feel a little guilty, so here is my message:
Jodah's Very Important Message!
Love your family, appreciate your friends, don't unfairly judge your fellow man, and show kindness to everyone (including animals).
Oh, and remember the order of the planets from the Sun (you never know when that knowledge will be important): "My Very Enormous Mouse Just Sat Under Neville's Plate."
Happy Hubbing!
Comments
John, I love your cartoons and your poem, and the way you remember things.
Just as I was reading "that may change the world and make it a better and safer" the host on the TV station said the exact same thing "change the world and make it a better and safer"
Blessings my friend.
Actually, I remember the planets easily. Good verses for this though. I might start using it. And like Flourish, I think Pluto is a planet, so...
I think you did quite well for something off the cuff. After all everyone now knows the planets and their order from the sun.
John
I don't have an 'acronym' for the planets, I just remember them because I'm fascinated by 'all things space'.
Loved some of the advice here. it's so easy for some things to just 'take over' and family gets unintentionally pushed to the side. Keep the family and loved ones where they should be, close to you.
Blessings
Lawrence
You should seriously consider it, John. You've very talented!
How clever! I love your artwork, John. Have you thought of illustrating children's books for a living?
I don't remember being taught how to name off the planets. The only thing close to that is how my piano teacher taught me to know the piano keys. Treble clef: Every Good Boy Does Fine.
This is a very nice hub as always. You are a very talented individual John Hansen. I love that little mouse sketch. :)
Cutest mouse ever! And what a clever title. Who can resist reading this hub? I couldn't and from the looks of all the comments I'm not the only one. Is there no end to your talents John? Lucky for your readers, the answer is obviously no. Sharing.
Happy thoughts...
Audrey
This is a cute way to remember a subject. I have been out of the loop. I was in the process of downloading the new windows ten when my laptop crashed. I had to take it to the computer man and it took him all week to repair. I had no idea I would be so lost without it. Now I know, I'm hooked. Enjoyed reading about your school memory...
Hi Jodah you have put together an interesting and a worthwhile read here. I like the way you used the photos.
John, I have to tell you, I do not ever remember one science class in school. Of, course, I was an outstanding student. Probably the best student in the whole wide world. (I should stop watching political TV also, that is clear.)
Great sentence, one Dr. Suess, would be proud of. It looks like the basis of a children's book to me. One that has all the ingredients right there for the mixing.
Jodah, I have adopted your sentence as my reminder also. Look what a childhood memory can produce: an enjoyable read!
Just love it! So creative, informative and fun as well!
Your title should hit the list of Best Titled Articles of 2016. How creative you were in writing this interesting post on the planet line-up. I have a different way of remembering them -- but right now I can't think of it.
This is very clever way to remember the solar planets. My children would go nuts going without the internet,lol.
Having No Internet drives me nuts! That is like torture for new age kids. Thoughtful hub
Well, you certainly have a lot of comments considering this was just a random writing exercise based on a childhood memory. If anyone ever wants to glimpse the creative process, they need only to read this article. Great fun and of course, I love the message at the end.
Great subject, Jodah. I studied in the Netherlands, and I still remember the mnemonic for alkanes (parafins) in Dutch: "Met Het Propje Buiten Pendelen Heksen Hebben Ook Negen Dekens"
The completely free translations is something crazy like: "With The Wad Outside Commuting Witches Have Also Nine Blankets". But that's of course a useless mnemonic. I hope you enjoyed your WiFi free zone.
Ha ha - alrighty, my Sweet! I will. Have a happy Sunday :)
Aww - so cute! So, so adorable! I loved your sketches, Jodah. Your poem is cute too. Everything in this hub is charming. So sweet :)
Aha! Now you are making me to grab my sketch-book. Lol. It has been a long time and I haven't visited my 'Art world' (smile). Anyway, it was a joy going through your hub. Keep it up!
My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us New Potatoes.
I'm not sure "new potatoes" was the original ... maybe it was "nut pie"? "Nice pecans?"
Also, HOMES for the names of the Great Lakes - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.
"Just writing" when you don't know what to write is great writer's wisdom. I think Anne Lamott would approve.
There's another sentence to remember the other set of notes between Every Good Boy Does Fine ... but I can't remember it. Anyone?
Hey John, I really liked this. It was so unique that I have adopted it in case, I ever need it. :-)
Thanks Bro. The drawings struck me first. Not bad at all. We say Ride Your Green Bike in Coronary Care which helps us to make the ECG leads red, yellow, green and black. When I went to New Zealand things were a bit different in CCU.
The planets I use to say as The earth, mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, nepture and pluto. Don't remember why I learnt it that way. I simply started from where I live. (smile)
A great effort, although your acrostic poem is a little bit different. Don't they spell out a word? here's mines. You're seen this before although I did unpublish it:
H appy the sweet cave of your enchanter,
A pple of valour, surfing your desire.
P ain and joy torment your burning fire,
P ulsing out as innocence expire.
Y our sacred sanctum bared, forever missed,
V oicing a concern of lover’s anguish.
A ttempts to console ‘midst tinted red,
L ocked in embrace with tender kisses said.
E lysian is the flow on stain-filled sheets,
N o fear, a smile aglow, my virgin sweet.
T hus touched thy face, a shining bless´ed sight,
I n fullness now a heavenly delight.
N ow filled with love our bodies draped in white,
E loped into the silence of the night.
Manatita, theFlame-Weaver. ©Copyrighted 20th February, 2016.
How cute, Jodah, I thought this hub would be a cute little short-story and instead I received a history lesson, very tricky. I take the younger kids in the family and teach them their parent's telephone number by turning them into cute little rhyming songs. Their parent's weren't always happy about this but hey, you cannot rely on cell-phones. How many times have you lost or broke your cellphone and didn't have any of your important numbers.
Haha, I love this hub, John! It is delightfully fun and creative. Your title does draw one in, as far as being curious as to the meaning behind it! Seems you've always been creative since a child to have come up with that phrase.
I've always been a doodler too of just faces and then geometric designs. I never know how the doodle face will turn out, and I am always surprised LOL.
We did have to learn the planets in order from the Sun, and I still remember them, but I believe I just memorized them in order. I think Pluto is still a planet though, being that is what I grew up being taught LOL. I will say it enough times to where it wears a memory path into my brain. Memory is a funny thing. Thank you for sharing of those years.
Sometimes these non-planned hubs turn out to be the most creative in my mind.
I think it is a good idea for us to take at least a few days break from all Internet access and just enjoy real conversation and real people! One time, right after a hurricane came through our state, it knocked out the power for days, and that turned out to be the best time ever spent with my family. We played board games together and such, and enjoyed real conservation! One of our pastors from when we lived in the City, did an experiment where they turned off the tv for a whole month, and they really did not miss it and grew even closer and enjoyed each other so much more. So, there you go.
Peace and blessings
Wow, Mel. I don't think "salty" quite covers that. Anyway, here's mine from piano class, Jodah: Every good boy deserves a favor (for the lines of the treble clef, EGBDF).
I love your ramblings. I love your drawings too.
When I was taking electronics in High School, we had a mnemonic device for remembering the order of colors on resistors to determine their value. This was Bad (Black) Boys (Brown) Race (Red) Our (Orange) Young (Yellow) Girls (Green) Beyond (Blue) Victory (Violet) Garden (Gray) Walls (White).
When I got into the navy, being a bit more salty, this device was altered into Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly. It goes to show you what the rough company of men un-tempered by the civilizing influence of women can do.
Just thought I'd share. Great work.
What a fun acronym for remembering the order of the planets.
I love a good free write. Sometimes there's nothing better to get the creative juices going. Some of my best writing has started that way.
Very cool ramblings. Some people's ramblings are worthy of listening to. What is just in your mind makes my mind think. I was born and raised in Flagstaff -- the home of the discovery of Pluto.
Not mine but to this day I remember it; Every good boy does fine.
What a delightful, light-hearted hub, John! It's refreshing on a day when the news is still depressing, both here and abroad.
My mnemonic is 'Read Out Your Green Book In Verse'. The colours of the rainbow were taught to me in this way, at infant school! I think we had one for the planets but I obviously didn't find it memorable!
Thanks for a cheery diversion this afternoon.
Ann
I love your poem and the mnemonic device. I refuse to believe Pluto is not a planet. I learned it that way so that's the way Pluto will stay with me. Very cool!
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