Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for January 21, 2021

What small town is that near?

Easy there big fella! 8^ O

I remember having to learn the state capitals in grade school….why?

Memory works in strange ways.In early 1953, when I was six, my family travelled from Tilbury docks to Adelaide on the ship Otranto. I have memories of being on the ship, and memories of some of the places the ship stopped and we went ashore. I have no memory of seeing the whole ship from a distance, though I must have.

Fast forward 55 years or so. I went to the Brisbane Maritime Museum, and stopped dead as soon as I walked in. There was a large model of a ship, and I recognised it instantly as the Otranto. (I did not see the name on the ship.) Somewhere in my mind I have a memory of what the ship looked like, though I cannot consciously recall it.

What did we have for dinner yesterday?

The Capital of Maine is M

“The angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees”

That’s flat-earther thinking for you.

Don’t bet Janis, he is right.

I just spent 45 minutes trying to remember the name of the Ohio Governor in the 60’s and 70’s..(By the way, it was James Rhodes)

Bangor? I never even met her!

Is Arlo trying out for Jepardy?

Good thing i never needed to know the state capitals. I thought Bangor was the capital of Maine, and the only Augusta I’ve ever heard of was a city in Georgia. My Canadian education does not make me an expert on everything.

And some 50 odd years later, I still know them all.

As I speed toward decrepitude, I find myself substituting words more and more frequently.

This is not a memory problem, but it seems to be age related, at least for me.

It’s not a problem if you forget a word. It’s a problem if someone gives you the correct word and you don’t recognize it. We all forget words sometimes.

Bangor? I barely know her…

My memory isn’t as good as it used to be, but I am still doing pretty well with the Jeopardy answers…

Bet ya can’t name the tallest mountain in Europe (without looking)

The capital of Maine is “M”

Portland – you’re both wrong!

It’s funny how small(er) towns are so often the capital of states. Augusta, ME has a population of just under 20,000 (10th most populated in Maine.) But then again, even the most populated city in Maine is Portland with only about 66,000.

I’m happy when I remember to wear pants.

When I was a freshman, we had to write out the Constitution by hand in Civics. Is Civics even taught anymore?

Careful, Arlo! Janice also could have caught you with a short explanation of non-Euclidean geometry.

I miss the Shrimp, her chickens and parents.

gduncan 58: It’s “principal’s office,” not “principals’ office.” /s/ geoiskander

Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia.

My son was a top student in most subjects, but I’ll never forget the test he took in which he had to list all the states. He listed West Virginia, East Virginia….among other errors.

If you think you are losing it you haven’t. Agnosia the ordinary temporary forgetfulness.

It’s Augusta. Just came from there. Needed groceries. ;-)

“Cultural Literacy” – look it up – One of my favorite non-fiction books.

I’d be Arlo (if I had better hair).

Bangor she said, bang her I did and I can’t go there anymore.

Bangor is far too nice of a city to be dirtied up by state government

i was going to say “M”

An advantage of living in the smallest state… We get to challenge ourselves by remembering the 39 cities and towns (there are lots of “places” that aren’t cities or towns, so that confuses things a bit.

Augusta is Correct!

My father would get out the atlas after dinner and test us on the state capitals. It was fun.

When I run through the states and capitals in my head it is easy to remember Maine’s capital is Augusta – just remember it is the same name as one of the big golf tournaments.

(I am not a golfer, but it works.)

It’s Augusta.