I am Egon. Well, right now I’m not, as I’ve just gotten a much-needed haircut. But, when my hair is full (it doesn’t just get long, it gets full and big), I look so much like Egon (Harold Ramis) that it became my high school nickname when Ghostbusters hit the big screen forty years ago. Even to this day, people say I look like Ramis (may he rest in peace). But even beyond this personal connection, I possess a deep admiration for the philosophical and political themes of the movie. The way it mocks the false authority of power, while never undermining the true authority of the transcendent makes the film a perfect libertarian fable.
At the time it came out, in the summer of 1984, I was sixteen, and Ghostbusters became the highest-grossing comedy up to that point. Few had intentionally mixed the genres of comedy and horror (Young Frankenstein being a critical exception), and critics did not quite know what to make of it. “But, however good an idea it may have been to unleash Mr. Murray in an ‘Exorcist’-like setting,” The New York Timesclaimed, “this film hasn’t gotten very far past the idea stage. Its jokes, characters and story line are as wispy as the ghosts themselves, and a good deal less substantial.” The Wall Street Journal, though, was much more taken with the film. “‘Ghostbusters’ is the most sophisticated and sweetest of this group’s particular brand of schtick-em-up movies,” the paper noted, comparing it to Animal House and Caddyshack.
Time, however, has been quite kind to Ghostbusters—certainly more than the film’s original critics were—and it became a beloved classic immediately after its release. One might be tempted to call it a “cult classic,” but its popularity has gone well beyond “cult.” Indeed, it dominated the screen throughout the summer of its release. Additionally, it spawned (no pun intended) two animated TV series (The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters) as well as three movie sequels (Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) of varying quality. Then, of course, there were also comic books and video games based on the film. While the special effects and sets of the original movie looked great in 1984, they come across a bit cheesier forty years later, but this only adds to the overall charm of the movie. . . .
IT IS PART OF THE HUMAN CONDITION THAT WE HAVE TO LEARN AND REMEMBER THINGS. Active rehearsal is a way of attending to information to move it from short-term to long-term memory. During active rehearsal, you repeat (practice) the information to be remembered. If you repeat it enough, it may be moved into long-term memory though the old adage USE IT OR LOSE IT is quite true. There is an old Gaelic saying that goes like this BEAG IS BEAG IS FHEARR AN CEUM MOR which means in learning a language many small steps (daily steady work) is better than one big step (cramming before the exam once a week).
For example, this type of active rehearsal is the way many children learn their ABCs by singing the alphabet song or the way we learn the Our Father in church. In psychology, active rehearsal refers to a cognitive process of actively and consciously repeating information in order to commit it to memory.
This type of rehearsal is often contrasted with passive rehearsal, which involves simply exposing oneself to the information repeatedly without active engagement such as merely reading or skimming.
When I first started studying languages, I studied regularly but very inefficiently. I did poorly on vocabulary quizzes because I only reviewed the words as listed in the textbooks. I usually got the first words and last words but did poorly with verbs or idioms or unusual words in the middle.
I realized later that COPYING THE WORDS and REPEATING THEM ORALLY helped me remember them. It is also helpful to correct errors large and small and write them down. It is helpful to break up the lists and shuffle the words. Later I kept notebooks of new words and idioms. To study for comprehensive exams I made study cards (English on one side and the target languages -Spanish in my case on the other). It is good to go from Spanish to English (the easiest) to English to Spanish (more difficult). I used COLOR CODING for verb endings and practiced questions and answers in different tenses.
Active rehearsal has been found to be a more effective memory strategy because it requires more cognitive effort and engagement. In language learning engagement and having a positive motivation are very important. Most learners give up before really gaining much proficiency. Learning a foreign language is really like conquering Munros in Scotland (not a clan but MOUNTAINS). It takes YEARS to bag dozens of MUNROS and great endurance and dedication. There is no such thing, really, as INSTANT FRENCH or INSTANT SPANISH.
Here are some common examples of active rehearsal:
1)Repeating a phone number or address to oneself in order to remember it. I find I know very few phone numbers now since I rely on my smart phone but it is still important to memorize some numbers such as your SSN, home address and some key phone numbers.
2)Writing out important information multiple times in order to commit it to memory.
3)Rehearsing a speech or presentation by practicing it aloud several times. Recording a speech.
4) Creating flashcards with key information and actively testing oneself on the information. I color-coded my flashcards with categories like CONVERSATION, VERB TENSES, IDIOMS, FALSE COGNATES, PARTS OF SPEECH, AGREEMENT OF GENDER AND NUMBER, TRANSLATION PROBLEMS.
5) Mentally repeating key concepts or terms in a class lecture in order to commit them to memory. I often created my own MNEMONIC devices to remember faster such as subjunctive triggers: WIDE (wish, impersonal expressions, doubt or denial, emotion. ) Some like ROY G BIV are part of education lore but it is useful to create one’s own for specific purposes. ORG a MEAN FAM AR EFFORT is one I always taught my students. The Keys to memory:
ORG (ORGANIZATION) have a notebook with some organization by subject material and topic
MEAN (MEANINGFULNESS) what you are learning has to seem useful, amusing, practical or important to you, to society or your community.
FAM (FAMILIARITY) If you have some familiarity with a subject it is an advantage. If you know Spanish then Italian is easier. I igrew up in New York so I heard a lot of Yiddish and Spanish. My parents and their friends often spoke Scottish dialect so I found German and Gaelic were not completely foreign to me.
AR (ACTIVE REHEARSAL) different forms of study and practice.
EFFORT Steady effort is essential for learning or achievement in any human endeavor.
Overall, active rehearsal involves a conscious and intentional effort to repeat information, terms, vocabulary and facts in order to commit them to memory. By actively engaging with the information, individuals can better engrave it into their long-term memory and improve their ability to recall it later.
One last note. I have studied many languages over the years and in my retirement continue to study new languages. But every day I can I review OLD LANGUAGES, LANGUAGES THAT I KNOW WELL for at least 10 minutes. I no longer take notes for these languages but practice speaking, reciting , reading, and reciting. Of course, my reading contemporary books and articles I learn new vocabulary such as DRONE. I knew what a drone was traditionally but now DRONE has a completely new meaning. One should never stop learning and improving one’s memory and mind. And use it or lose it.
To live between a rock and a hard place In between time Cruising in primetime Soaking up the cathode rays To live between the wars in our time Living in real time Holding the good time Holding on to yesterdays
You know how that rabbit feels Going under your speeding wheels Bright images flashing by Like windshields towards a fly Frozen in the fatal climb But the wheels of time Just pass you by
Wheels can take you around Wheels can cut you down We can go from boom to bust From dreams to a bowl of dust We can fall from rockets’ red glare Down to “Brother, can you spare…” Another war, another wasteland And another lost generation
It slips between your hands like water This living in real time A dizzying lifetime Reeling by on celluloid Struck between the eyes by the big-time world Walking uneasy street Hiding beneath the sheets, got to try and fill the void
You know how that rabbit feels Going under your speeding wheels Bright images flashing by Like windshields towards a fly Frozen in that fatal climb But the wheels of time Just pass you by
We can go from boom to bust From dreams to a bowl of dust We can fall from rockets’ red glare Down to “Brother, can you spare…” Another war, another wasteland And another lost generation
Wheels can take you around Wheels can cut you down Fall from rockets’ red glare Down to “Brother, can you spare…” Another war, another wasteland Another lost generation
Talking about stealing the show no one would know Talking about stealing the show when they’re all letting go Take a look at the witch see the twitch in her eye tell me What did she feel
Is this the way of the world take a boy and a girl show them Lying is real Then I see t he edge I look I fall Deeper and deeper
The more I see the more I fall there’s no place to hide You better take the call Deeper and deeper Is it the smell of the oil the sweat and the toil that makes
Living unreal The yuppie in the suit the man with a flute what did he steal It’s beginning to break there is a mistake nowhere to go A fool and his blood in the wrong neighborhood what price
Does he pay The further I see I see the edge I look I fall The further I see the further I fall There’s no place to hide anymore
Some say a trick, some say a look It’s just a way of thinking after all From underneath something concrete It’s just a way of coping with it all Some with revolt, some will obey Who attains perfection and who’s to say A criminal, a cardinal Both frightened of angels It doesn’t mean much now It’s built for the future
For some a walk, to some a dance It’s just a form of motion one and all Without dispute the least aware Will no doubt see the ragings of a fool First we look then we spy The man who has a vision wants it all A sin so clean rule supreme The power to undermine It doesn’t mean much now It’s built for the future
First a glance, then a chance To make a simple gesture worth it all A conquer all, a desert stall That serves a drink to people under sun At last the place, now where’s the time To take in all the other points of view Some are inert but one exists To build a bridge It doesn’t mean much now It’s built for the future
Spirit of Cecilia 
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