One of the things I like to do in my little blank books is write down funny nonsense phrases. Things like:
Mendoza Gyoza
French Toast Frenzy
Compliment Conundrum
The Parmesan Pals
Runaway Complacency
Enchantment Enhancement
Pachydermatologist
Polly Darton
What’s the point of this you might ask?
Amusement. We like to try and make ourselves laugh.
Sometimes we say something funny and I just write it down. Sometimes we actively try to create funny phrases. It’s actually pretty challenging. You say a lot of super stupid stuff. That in itself starts to be funny. Sooner or later a noteworthy phrase blurps out and you laugh.
Sometimes I have whole columns of these phrases, sometimes just a single one. Almost always they re-surprise me. They take me back. They fill me with a mixture of happiness and melancholy. They are a portal to all the past good times.
A book you have filled up yourself over the course of several months is a potent time capsule. Writing down funny things (or anything you write down) is a powerful way to recall the past. Rather than reminding me of my outer reality, it calls up my inner world, how I was thinking and perceiving. Photos are great and I enjoy remembering the events they capture, but if I am in them, my vanity is triggered, and I start thinking about whether I look good and how my looks have changed. So boring! I don’t want that. When I see silly things I have written down, it just makes me want to write down some new silly things. Nothing negative is triggered and I feel connected to myself past and present.
Sidewalk Face 
If anything these are all great instrumental song titles 😁
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I love that Matt! Thanks!
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Thanks for sharing the very interesting echoes from your mind!
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Thanks Geoff!
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This post made me think of Dada art and poetry … how things can be put together for the enjoyment of absurdity. It’s a neat jolt to see odd combinations. And if I’m ever in a Dada restaurant, I’ll be sure to order the French Toast Frenzy rather than the Flea Bottom Soup 🙂
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Thank you Dave and good decision!
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I like Runaway Complacency 🙂
These remind me of my dad, who’s had an ongoing list in his phone for a decade(?) of “band names” that he collects. From funny things he overhears. Even his coworkers know about it because if they say a funny phrase he will pause the meeting to add it to his list!!
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Thank you Lizi! I love your Dad’s project/collection and that his coworkers are in on it. He’s making life more fun for all of them! I am afraid I am experiencing runaway complacency in a few areas of my life. Once it gets going it’s hard to stop!
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This just gave me an idea… if I could somehow get him to share the list with me I could make a fake music festival poster. it would literally be a collection of inside jokes!
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Such a good idea! I hope you are able to do it!
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Oh what fun
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Thank you Mariss!
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