Memory

Memory is a very interesting thing. Why can I remember the random words from sophomore testing (a lep is a ball, a korf is a tiger, a brickler is a wooden shingle... the list goes on and on, and I think I could still do really well on that identical test, over two years later, if I took it today), but I can't remember for five minutes that I need to take up my laundry or empty the dishwasher? When we took all of those memory tests in class, I got everything right except for the random string of numbers, where I missed one. I was even doing what the recommendation was! But it definitely did not work for me...

When I saw the memory competitions that were mentioned in the book I started to laugh. What isn't there a competition for? Some of the memory feats that those people do like the idiot-savants (memorizing huge strings of meaningless numbers or the entire New York phone book) are just crazy. While others might envy these people for their amazing memories, I actually feel sorry for them. Would you really like to have a bunch of strings of numbers floating around in your head all day? Or would you like to be good at just one thing- memorizing numbers? I definitely wouldn't.

Reading about some of the memory topics has definitely made me appreciate the memory I have. It is better than average, but it does fail me some times. However, I can remember random words or syllables. This is most likely because of the encoding I am doing in order to remember the random words. If I could just find a way to get "unload the dishwasher" from my working memory to some other, more reliable area of memory. However, I would not want this in my long-term memory, because then it would just clutter up my thoughts. Sorry again for the rambling...