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EVA crazy...
May. 29th, 2007 10:02 pmIf yesterday I was watching preparations for the real McCoy, then today, I was the space-to-ground interpreter in a sim in which preparations were under way for a (simulated) EVA (with all concomitant problems, natch). It was a gas!
Today was by far my best performance in the simultaneous mode for some time, so I didn't mind so much that the lion's share of the interpretation during the sim fell to me.
My next gig is on Thursday, supporting real-time ops from the MSR.
* * * There are moments during which memorization becomes not so much easy as automatic. Yesterday, for example, I was leafing through my copy of the 270th edition (1937) of the Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré, in the section devoted to Latin and foreign expressions, when I flipped too far to the left and ended up staring at a diagram of the zodiac.
Now, a long time ago, I tried to memorize the signs of the zodiac, not for any astrological purpose, but simply to do so, and never could "find my groove," so to speak. Yesterday, after a minute or two spent examining the diagram (hypothesis: for some reason, the (American) English-speaking world refers to the signs by names other than what they represent, e.g., Aries, instead of "The Ram"), I closed the book and got up to go to sleep. In retrospect, there was something about the way I was examining the diagram - not so much concentrating on it as focusing on separate components, their orientation, juxtaposition, shape (font), and so on - that felt like a time well spent.
It came as a surprise to me that, while asleep, I was able to largely visualize the diagram, and I recall I was so impressed with the visualization that I conjured up a suite of rooms at the National Gallery in London, the arrangement of which I made an effort to try to commit to memory while I was there, and placed the diagram of the zodiac in the location that, in reality, is currently occupied by a large, full-length portrait of a British colonel who served in the Revolutionary War. Obviously, all of this was imaginary, but I'm pretty sure a hint of a metallic gleam was beginning to develop in my visualization (which is highly unusual - unheard of, actually - as I've never really thought too highly of my powers of visualization).
In any event, I can now visualize the signs of the zodiac, as well as the corresponding symbols. (What's strange, though, is that I don't recall any of the French names for the signs.) As far as I can tell, the information is not very useful, but the funny thing about things like this is that, in general, most information is not very useful at the time it is learned. At the very least, the signs can be used as pegs for short lists of other items to be remembered.
* * * Galina and I are going to have to give some serious thought to what we're going to do after the closing (which is still up in the air as I type this). I have a gig in California starting on the 10th, and somewhere in between all the excitement, I really should visit the old man up in New York (I had mentally "committed" to doing so in April, which didn't happen).
And that, of course, only applies a thin masking veneer to the more general question of: What to do about the pater? Perhaps I should give some serious thought to having a serious conversation?
Perhaps I should sit down and think about what I would do in my life if I knew I could not fail in whatever I undertook? That might indicate a direction, at least.
Cheers...
Today was by far my best performance in the simultaneous mode for some time, so I didn't mind so much that the lion's share of the interpretation during the sim fell to me.
My next gig is on Thursday, supporting real-time ops from the MSR.
Now, a long time ago, I tried to memorize the signs of the zodiac, not for any astrological purpose, but simply to do so, and never could "find my groove," so to speak. Yesterday, after a minute or two spent examining the diagram (hypothesis: for some reason, the (American) English-speaking world refers to the signs by names other than what they represent, e.g., Aries, instead of "The Ram"), I closed the book and got up to go to sleep. In retrospect, there was something about the way I was examining the diagram - not so much concentrating on it as focusing on separate components, their orientation, juxtaposition, shape (font), and so on - that felt like a time well spent.
It came as a surprise to me that, while asleep, I was able to largely visualize the diagram, and I recall I was so impressed with the visualization that I conjured up a suite of rooms at the National Gallery in London, the arrangement of which I made an effort to try to commit to memory while I was there, and placed the diagram of the zodiac in the location that, in reality, is currently occupied by a large, full-length portrait of a British colonel who served in the Revolutionary War. Obviously, all of this was imaginary, but I'm pretty sure a hint of a metallic gleam was beginning to develop in my visualization (which is highly unusual - unheard of, actually - as I've never really thought too highly of my powers of visualization).
In any event, I can now visualize the signs of the zodiac, as well as the corresponding symbols. (What's strange, though, is that I don't recall any of the French names for the signs.) As far as I can tell, the information is not very useful, but the funny thing about things like this is that, in general, most information is not very useful at the time it is learned. At the very least, the signs can be used as pegs for short lists of other items to be remembered.
And that, of course, only applies a thin masking veneer to the more general question of: What to do about the pater? Perhaps I should give some serious thought to having a serious conversation?
Perhaps I should sit down and think about what I would do in my life if I knew I could not fail in whatever I undertook? That might indicate a direction, at least.
Cheers...
