Friday, January 8, 2010

What's in a Name?

I am terrible with names...I always have been.
I wish I wasn't, it can be so embarrassing.
If I meet someone new, I can remember them by face pretty
easily, but I hate that I keep forgetting their name.

What's even worse, is that I may see these people frequently
over time, and still not quite place their names. I hate it
when they say "Hi, Joe, how are you?" And I just go "Hey". How
lame am I?

When you have a kid in middle school, like I do, you can't help
but meet lots of new people from the school, such as parents of
her friends, teachers, parole officers. And dang it if I don't
wish they all wore name tags!

You know, it even happens to me at work, and with people I have
actually known for some time! The problem is, if you have been
seeing someone around for a small amount of time, and have
forgotten their name, the more time that goes by, the more
awkward it is to say "I'm sorry, I am stupid, what was your name
again?" So it snowballs. No way in hell am I going to ask
someone I have been working with for two years what their name
is!

Sometimes I get lucky and wait for someone to call them by name,
or I might sneak up to them and see what the name is on their
email account on their PC. There are ways, my friend.

At a job I had years ago, there was one guy who always called
everybody 'Hoss'. You'd go up to him and say HI! (I can't quite
place his name just now). And he would just go, "Hey, Hoss, how
are ya?" And it is only recently that I have come to the
realization that he was a very wise fellow who had solved the
same problem that I have!

Peace be with you.

3 comments:

  1. I'm so dumb with names it's sad. Then again it probably more has to do with me not caring to remember most people's names. haha but its true.

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  2. I used to be great with names. Then I had my baby and that part of my brain is now on the fritz...
    Today I could not remember Judy Garland. What? How could I forget her name!?

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  3. I'm horrible when someone first introduces themselves. It's like the first couple of times they say their name it goes in one ear and out the other. It's embarassing, but clearly it's pretty common!

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