[whhuh]

> but at the same time somehow sound just similar enough that the boundary that should exist around them as symbols never properly formed.

I definitely relate to that for some things. I have a distinct memory of struggling to memorize 6x7, 7x7 and 7x8 in elementary school. What I settled on was just artificially making the numbers "stick out" in my head... It's hard to explain, but for example for 7x7=49, the way I pronounce it in my head is really distinct, and I'm also very "passionate" (as a mnemonic, but also genuinely) about how it "makes no sense" that the numbers 7 and 7 could make 49. Similarly with 42, I have this idea of 6 and 7 combining in such a clunky way that they somehow produce 42, and this image of them forming a kind of gnarled-up branch to "reach" 42.

Anyway, just an interesting thing I've never put into words about this point -- I'm realizing that when I can't remember something, I kind of toss around a concept in my head until one of these nonsense mnemonics has a match. I'm also reminded of "memory palaces," where people assign concepts to a mental location even when there's not necessarily a correlation, and it drastically improves their recall. Maybe I should try this more -- now I'm wondering why I apply this to some things and not others.

[Tyr42]

Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy helped me learn 67 with 42, the answer to life the universe and everything.

And my dad had me trained to reply 49 when asked "what's 77?" early, to pull off as a party trick. Though I couldn't answer and followup questions hahah.

That helped.