Memory Fails
It's been apparent for some time that I don't have the best long-term memory and it became very obvious this weekend that it's quite faulty indeed!
While we were tripping down memory lane, my husband kept recalling things we'd done and places we'd gone and although sometimes I had vague recollections of the events he was talking about, I have nowhere near the crystal clear memories he has of them.
I do better with faces, though, and at the party we went to we had a really good time catching up with people and reminiscing. But there was one incident that really threw me. A woman came up to us and enthusiastically recognized me. She acted like we'd known each other from working together back in the day and yet I swear to god I had no recollection of her whatsoever. I mean, none at all. She told me her name and what she did there and finally I pretended like I remembered but I have to tell you, I really didn't. Not even her name rings a bell.
I feel really bad about it but what can I say? If you don't remember something, you just don't remember. I thought it was kinder to fake it than to say I had absolutely no memory of her. Sigh. I suppose this is why people keep journals and document their lives--maybe the blog will come in handy some day!
Cat Power--"Remember Me" mp3 off Emusic Session EP (buy)
Aviary Ghost--"The Brain Is a House" mp3 off Memory is a Hallway (buy)
pic from here
Some folk are fantastic and remembering all sorts of names and faces from
years back. I'm appalling. Its very embarassing at work, when someone from
maybe a month or so back comes in for a follow-up meeting and I struggle to
recall anything about them.....
thanks, jc! actually, my short-term memory is better than my long-term, so
i have less trouble with stuff like remembering patients' names and why
they're in to see us. but 20 years ago or more? forget it!
FB has really revealed to me how poor my memory has become. All these
people from grade school and HS with detailed recollections of experiences
I can't believe I even shared with them. My college roommate is the worst
though. She has elephant memory....and a bunch of those memories are ones I
have no desire to relive!!!! I like the songs you posted, btw.
I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one! It all slips away, more of it
every day.
so what is it with these people who seem to be able to remember
everything?? maybe you either keep your long-term memory or your short-term
memory, but you can't keep both. that's the only way i can explain it! :)
I am sure not one of those people with elephant memories, especially about
the long-gone past, but I am better than my husband, especially at
recognizing faces. His lack of recall includes expanding or compressing
time. "Two weeks ago" could have occurred day before yesterday, and "in
the last year or two" very likely has been a decade.
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