Discussion: Alar

The Ruutopõlds still live in BC, but Alar is not infrequently around this area for work-related reasons.

My parents mentioned that they saw you, but that you didn't seem to recognize them. They were certain it was you, but I had my doubts.

"You" meaning Barb?

Yes, meaning me.
I of course recognized them. But I hadn't noticed them until they spoke to me. Usually I think it's the other way round.
I know your parents very well (and most affectionately) by sight and story, but for some reason can never remember your mom's name. Your dad's name is easy. I can't even think of your mom's name now. It's because I am going senile and I feel on the spot. At the last CSU park-O I couldn't remember Dean's name. It's pretty bad.

I sometimes forget the names of people I talk to every day. I don't think it's senility, I think there's a specific portion of the brain used for remembering things like names, and clearly our brains are filled with other information, like the names of control description symbols.

(BTW, it's Sara. She is Sari on Attackpoint.)

I'm bad at putting names and faces together. And God help you if I run into you out of context - like in the grocery store when I've only ever seen you at an orienteering meet. For all I know, you could be one of my university classmates or the guy who hit my car and left the scene.

A classic case for me was about 13-14 years ago when I ran into a woman at an orienteering meet who said hi, and who I recognized, but something was out of whack because she called me "Jean" instead of "J-J", and I couldn't figure out who she was. I think I was baffled for a a few seconds until she introduced herself -- it was a friend from college, who knew me from before I acquired my current nickname, and I had never seen her in an orienteering context before that. And now here I am leaving a comment in her log.

(BTW, it's Sara. She is Sari on Attackpoint.)

If in doubt, I probably would have gone for Señora Luis. And I guess I would have gotten it wrong.

She is known amongst her students (both of French and of Spanish) as Madame Bellini. So you would have been on the right path, just totally wrong still.

I have the opposite issue with the nickname. Every once in a while someone will call me "CS", which always catches me off guard, but also immediately places them as someone I met during my freshman year of college, or someone who was introduced to me by someone I met during my freshman year of college. It's amazing how long those nicknames can stick around.

Barb, I have never read your log until today. Don't know why I ended up here except that now I am here.
I have a story that fits. Many years ago my wife and I were in an elevator with a woman. We both thought we knew her but didn't know why. She said "oh I didn't recognize you with your clothes on".
It was then we remembered that we had met her at a nudist camp.

You're a man of many surprises, GHOSlow!

too funny...

GHOSlow>> That is also rumoured to be what the (now deceased) Prince Bertil of Sweden said to a female (Olympic gold medalist) athlete at an official reception...

Gail has a similar version, though hers was said in a court of law.

I'm sure I don't have the details quite right, but she was called in for jury duty. The judge asked if she knew any of the parties involved, and she pointed to one of the lawyers and said she knew him, but not very well, couldn't remember his name, maybe because she'd only seen him in his shorts. (He was a runner she knew just slightly.)

I believe that was enough to get her (and him) embarrassed but not off the jury.

I come out better in Peter's version of the story. In fact I did not recognize him or know his last name as they addressed the prosecuting attorney as Mr. ... I noticed the judge looking at me while our friend pointed my way and said my name. I was called to the bench to explain myself and was very embarrassed when the prosecuting attorney said he had been a guest in my house. This had been at a fun run with a bunch of people and I actually felt a little better that I'd only seen him in his running shorts. I was not excused from the jury, we voted for the defendant, and I later had to explain our decision to our friend at another fun run (even though he wasn't supposed to ever talk to me about it).

I was in the gallery at the House of Representatives yesterday. Under consideration was H. Con. Res. 263 (authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run); the first speaker did not know the name of her colleague who came up to speak on behalf of the resolution.

...

I also got to watch the vote for a resolution commemeorating the 40th anniversary of the Kent State University shootings (415 Yeas and 2 [Republicans] Present), as well as a vote for National Train Day (296 Yeas, 119 Nays). The latter is kind of interesting: it talks about the history of railroads in the US. It mentions that the US govt has invested $1300 billion in highways, $484B in aviation and $67B in passenger rail. It mentions the Recovery Act ($8B to States, $1.3B to Amtrak). It urges the people of the US to celebrate passenger rail and learn more about trains.

I spent most of my time in the gallery watching Michelle Bachmann, for whom I seem to have the same kind of fascination as I do with SP.

MB and SP are from the same strange, strange planet.

My cousins are from MB's district ...