This is something that people have told me I need to work on but I have made no improvement: remembering names. Even with people I know, I sometimes forget their names. Never faces, I remember faces, but not names. Example: during the summer after sophomore year, one of my roommates called me, and even though I had obviously seen their name on my phone screen when I picked up, I forgot their name in the middle of the conversation. Remembering people's siblings' names is next to impossible. Unless I use your name daily, email you often, have known you for most of my life, or have some really great mnemonic device to help me never forget you because of something you remind me of, I have definitely forgotten your name at least once. Universally. Everyone. I have at one point or another not used your name because I do not remember it.
What makes this worse is that it is so painfully embarrassing to ask people their names. It makes me look like I don't care, or I haven't paid attention to you, which is not true. I am maybe not the most peopley of people-persons, but I remember everything about people I know. Even the dumb things, like how you chew your pencil, what hole you buckle your sandals on, where you went for Christmas three years ago... All the things that will give me no clue as to what your name is.
So today, I randomly ran into a girl that I was in one religion class with over a year ago during a spring semester. I sat by her twice a week for five weeks, and we were really friendly. We talked about a lot of random things, but she was leaving right after that class ended for a vacation and then a study abroad, so we knew we wouldn't be hanging out any time soon after the class ended. I got her phone number anyways, but when I got my new phone I didn't transfer any of my numbers. It's not like we had talked, anyways. She didn't have a facebook, and we weren't so close as to become pen pals... But she was so nice, and we really got along. I thought of her relatively often after that class.
When I saw her today, she exclaimed "MADI!!!" And we hugged and were so excited... I couldn't remember her name. I tried so hard. I thought it started with a J... I bluffed it. I knew so much, though! I asked her how Italy was, I asked how much longer until she graduated, and then I freaked out because she was married so we talked about that for a minute. This is all in the breadth of three minutes, max. She had to leave, and I so so so sloppily said "Oh, J..uu..lia?" And she smiled and said "Jenna. Close."
Oh gosh. I was so embarrassed I didn't even think to ask for her phone number again. But she didn't ask me for mine either. We both had to run away after that, and my heart was broken. I wanted to go back and say "When will I see you again?!" But that's kind of how I am with everyone. It's taking a lot of time and effort and Molly pep talks to remind me that not everyone is like that--not everyone is dying to know when they'll see you again, and that's natural. I decided to ask on the good old book of faces if anyone knew her, but I haven't heard anything promising yet.
So, even though my brain doesn't want me to remember anyone, I do. And I want to remember forever. And that is the dichotomy on my cranial friendship aisle.
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