Remembering faces/remembering names

I'm terrible at names. Whenever I see a face I'm embarrassed to ask what their name is because I should know it yet I don't.

 

Two of the English teachers actually got into an argument about me, in Grade 12.

I'd been part of two of the school clubs every year - the poetry club and the yearbook club. Both involved publishing a book at the end of the year... and that was the year when both teachers decided that the weekly meetings would take place during the Tuesday noon hours, and neither was willing to change days.

So I was standing in the middle of this "You're trying to take my typist!" "You're trying to take my Grade 12!" tug-of-war (the poetry club wanted at least one Grade 12 in the group, to help provide leadership to the rest of the students; plus, I was also one of that club's typists as well).

I was bemused at the whole thing, and then told them that I'd do yearbook typing after school and attend any meetings that had to do with that, and the rest of the Tuesdays I'd be at the poetry club (and take home any submissions that needed going over if I missed them at a regular meeting).

So they agreed to that, but I still sometimes wonder what got said in the staff room afterward.

 

The situation of people greeting me and asking how I am, it's so nice to see you again.. when I have no fucking clue who they are has happened to me many, many times.

 

For some reason I'm great at remembering last names, but when it comes to first names I draw a blank.
When it comes to faces it's a 50/50 chance I might remember.

 

Sometimes it just becomes necessary to come clean with "I'm sorry; I should know you, but I'm blanking right now...".

If anyone's ever been offended at that, they haven't said so.

 

Yup, this is me...all the way......though, sometimes, I just come out and say...I haven't a CLUE who you are, could you just tell me your name?

 

You could kind of draw them out to see if something sparks your memory, by asking something like "What memory of me stands out most sharply in your mind?"

Of course then you might have to be prepared for the answer, depending....

 

I can't do that. I think it is too offensive to be "forgotten". Not saying YOU were being offensive in coming clean Timewalker, good on you for doing so. It just pains me to do it.

 

Well, it helps if you say it in an apologetic tone of voice.

Sometimes, of course, it really is mistaken identity, and I take that on a case-by-case basis, whether I just say some general "hi-how-are-you-i'm-fine-thanks" ritual or if I tell them that I'm sorry, but they have mistaken me for someone else.

 

That's when I break out my best "Heeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy, you."

 

I wish I had that sort of control. I usually just freeze and stare blankly like a deer in headlights. I say, "Uh-huh," nod and smile but most of the time, they can tell I don't know who they are.

However, there have been a few occasions where I've had entire conversations with people, where they've asked about my family, etc, when we're done and they've walked away, I STILL have no idea who they are.

 

I'm really bad at remembering names when I first meet people, but I can still look at an elementary school photo and name the bulk of my classmates, even though I haven't been in contact with any of them for almost 40 years. Faces throw me, though. I'm currently working with several new concession artists and thank heavens my business partner is great with faces because I've had too many oh-shit-who-is-this-again moments over the past month. Recognising people out of the usual context in which I know them also messes me up.

 

I sometimes don't remember some people (usually older people that knew me when I was little and growing up).

 

I'm just terrible at recognizing faces and names. Paradoxely, I can always remember scientific names, can identify an individual tree after years and have an excellent memory for landmarks.

 

I'm alot better with faces than with names, but truthfully, I'm pretty bad at both.

 

I have trouble remembering names with people I've known from the past, even though their faces look familiar. However, if it is a child from one of the preschool classes I've taught over the years, it's really incredible how I can remember details, including last names. Kiddos from a three-year old class I taught some twenty years ago, and I still remember full names (in some cases middle names!), and weird little details.

 

I hear ya! I can remember genus and species, vectors for disease, etc that I learned in college 44 yrs ago but names of people seem to fade away.

 

I'm usually thinking so much about getting my own name right that I'm not even paying attention when the other person says his or her name. It's kinda like when you look at your watch, and then someone asks you what time it is, and then you have to look at your watch again.