Friday OT - Don’t You Forget About Me

madguy30

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Totally been there. A few years back a cousin was in town. He said he didn't recognize people from his class now.

I'm the flip side. I recognized people but I've changed. So I was able to wander around and not be recognized (much) if I didn't want to be.

Odd. Weird. Like being a ghost or visitor. Things look familiar and different all at once.

My takeaway is to try not to go back to the hometown

I love visiting the place I grew up and seeing some sites and still do some fishing etc. but I rarely socialize or reach out to anyone.

If I do, it's super fun in that short blast but then this weird constrictive feeling comes along and it's enough.
 
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coolerifyoudid

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One thing that amazes me is other peoples' ability to remember the year something happened in. I have clients all the time that can say "we moved here in 1984" or "we bought that ground in 1997". I could probably work backwards if I had to, but off the top of my head I can't tell you the year anything happened in.
Same. I grew up in a world of associative memory with no need for trivial things like dates.

"Honey, what year did Paul get the 3020 stuck in the mud on the back 80 and ended up walking 3 miles home?"

"It was the same year as Renee got married to that accountant she met in Sioux City."
 
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MeanDean

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My long term memory is bad with regard to specific details sometimes. Regarding recognizing people even if I see someone who looks like a person I know I wait for them to make the connection for fear of being wrong.

Equally horrifying is someone recognizing me and I have no idea who they are.
This.

I guess part of it is going back and forth every 6 months Iowa/Florida. It's a completely different mindset. Even just trying to remember what drawer or cabinet stuff is in every time is offputting.

But when someone says, "Hi MeanDean," and I literally have no memory of meeting them or no recognition of their face, I question my sanity. I always say, "If I were on the stand in a court of law and they were pointed out to me, I'd say I never met them." Then the lawyer would say, "Aha! but they know your name!"

I had a discussion with a friend a week ago about this. I said, "I can't remember their names, but they drive a White Lexus, they're from Connecticut, and their dog's name is Sally."
 

cytor

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Any of you ever go to one of your high school reunions? I have skipped them all. I have no desire to see anyone I went to high school with. I hated high school but loved college.
 
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CycloneRulzzz

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Any of you ever go to one of your high school reunions? I have skipped them all. I have no desire to see anyone I went to high school with. I hated high school but loved college.

I have gone to my reunions. I was a nobody in high school but my experience at my reunions are that most people aren't the same people they were back then. I've seen people talking that they never did back in the day.

This summer will be my classes 25 year reunion.
 

cyclones500

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I'll also have weird moments when a specific moment in time floods back into my brain in clear detail for no reason at all.

Totally can relate to that.

I have what might be called "encyclopedic memory bank" ... something that reminds me of specific time/event/place can be triggered or "accessed" easily, especially when it's specific to current thought process, conversation, etc.

Now & again, a recollection arises out of the blue. It could be something I hadn't revisited for years, and it isn't 'jostled' my anything immediate.
 

BCClone

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Not exactly sure.
Any of you ever go to one of your high school reunions? I have skipped them all. I have no desire to see anyone I went to high school with. I hated high school but loved college.
Went to my 5 year, never went back. My wife goes to all of hers. She used to drag me along, I told her I didn’t make her go to mine but she didn’t allow that to be a valid excuse.

I would maybe go to another but I really would prefer to go by myself. My wife would be offended most likely if I said that. It’s not that I have any issue with her meeting any of them but she’s the type that I would have to introduce and explain every detail to her so it would be more getting her up to speed on things than me catching up with anyone.
 

drlove

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Equally horrifying is someone recognizing me and I have no idea who they are.
I had a person at a basketball game last week make eye contact with me and look at me like I had known them for 20 years. I couldn't place them, and honestly don't think I knew them. I did reach out and shake there hand as I was walking by and did a "how have you been, everything good? great" as I made my way to the parking lot.
 
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Angie

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Totally can relate to that.

I have what might be called "encyclopedic memory bank" ... something that reminds me of specific time/event/place can be triggered or "accessed" easily, especially when it's specific to current thought process, conversation, etc.

Now & again, a recollection arises out of the blue. It could be something I hadn't revisited for years, and it isn't 'jostled' my anything immediate.

I get that. My memory is somewhat photographic, very visual. I can remember the place on a page where I read something, or where I was and what direction I was facing when something happened. My memory for events and things that happen to me is excellent, I’ve had many Work supervisors ask how I can remember small details of things. I’m not great at dates, but there are certain that I remember without even trying. Checking account numbers, credit card numbers, driver’s license number. They are on auto-recall because I can visualize them on their physical medium.

To another poster’s comment about nicknames. While I am terrible with a lot of names, I try to use identifying features to remember people. When I am trying to talk about somebody I know well but a mutual acquaintance might not remember well or has only heard about, I will use identifying characteristics to describe them. “The one with the Prince Valiant haircut,” “the one with the hairy arms,” “the one who used to poop her pants at work every time she had Long John Silvers, but loved it so always kept backup pants.” All real descriptors I employ.

Less kind, there are times just in our house or with close friends where I use the nicknames in my head that I use for people whose names I can never remember.
 
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