Improving your brain’s performance is a hot topic these days. And you probably have heard various recommendations to improve your memory from drinking a glass of red wine to watching your grandkids (as long as you don’t do it every day!)
But at the top of every list is the recommendation to give your brain a daily workout. Last week I shared some Brain Teasers to test your out-of-the-box thinking. But this week’s assignment will test your working memory: the ability to keep information stored for a short period while using the information. But they aren’t easy. And you may find them frustrating because you must really concentrate. So get that glass of wine, send the grandkids home, and see if you can master these mental tests.
1. Say the days of the week backwards, then in alphabetical order. 2. Say the months of the year in alphabetical order. Now backwards, in reverse alphabetical order. 3. Find the sum of your date of birth, mm/dd/yyyy. 4. Name two objects for every letter in your first name. Work up to five objects, trying to use different items each time. 5. Look around wherever you are and, within two minutes, try to find 5 red things that will fit in your pockets, and 5 blue objects that are too big to fit.
And as I promised, here are the answers to last week’s brain teasers.
1.) Which word in the dictionary is spelled incorrectly? Answer: Incorrectly. 2.) A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction, but didn’t break the law. How is that possible? Answer: She was walking. 3. Imagine you are in a dark room. How do you get out? Answer: Stop imagining. 3.) Mom and Dad have four daughters, and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the family? Answer: Seven. 4) While some months have just 30 days, others have 31 days. How many months have 28 days? Answer: All twelve months. 5) How many times can you subtract 5 from 25? Answer: Just once.
Have you wanted to learn more about the how, when and where of public transportation options in The Dalles? For the Center’s Wednesday 11:00 Lecture on September 20th, a representative from LINK will discuss public transportation options including the door-to-door service in The Dalles and the fixed route service to and from Portland.
If you enjoy the creative arts, the Center will be hosting two presentations provided by the Columbia Center for the Arts (CCA). The first is “Five Famous Female Artists” – a visual presentation covering the life and art of five famous female artists and will be held on September 27th at 1:00.
The second is a One-Act Plays Table Reading – a table read of several humorous one-act plays written specifically for older adults and will be held on October 11that 1:00. This one is limited to 6-8 people, so you will need to call the Center to reserve your place. Both presentations will be led by Kerry Cobb, Executive Director of CCA.
The Beach Boy album released in 1966 and ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the second greatest album of all time was Pet Sounds. (The winner of a free quilt raffle ticket is Sandy Haechrel.)
This last week, when I felt like I was sitting on the wrong side of a campfire, you may have been thinking of the song “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” – a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 musical Roberta. Since then it has been recorded by many artists including Paul Whiteman, Irene Dunn, and Nat King Cole. But the most remembered recording was released in 1958 when the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of the American vocal group that recorded “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” in 1958? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a 3M Cool Flow N95 respirator mask.
Well, it’s been another week, wishing and hoping. Until we meet again, “be the person your dog thinks you are”.
“If you hear of someone speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself, you should say, “He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned.” Epictetus, philosopher
