Monday, March 19, 2007

different intelligence

Lately P and I have been having conversations like this:

Me: Did you get that email I sent you about Carlo M?

P: What email?

Me: I sent you an email yesterday about Carlo M, you said you would answer it for me.

P: Who's Carlo M?

Me: He's that runner from Milan...

P: (blank stare)

Me: ...thirty-fiveish, blonde hair, we did a test on him. You wrote in the test that he had a torsion problem with his feet...

P: (nothing registering)

Me: ...You know, last month when we did those tests on the Milan group. I've been training him since January...

P: Who?

Me: (starting to lose patience...) CARLO M!!

P: Who's Carlo M?

Me: THE GUY FROM MILAN THAT YOU TESTED AND WROTE THAT HE HAD A TORSION ON HIS FOOT!!! THE FAST GUY!!!!

P: Oh, you mean the first in the group?

Me: Yes...

A lightbulb had been lit, all was good. Of course he didn't remember what he had said and I had to dig the test out for him to see and then remind him four times to give me the exercise file to send...

I've never considered myself an "intelligent" person in an academic sense. I always gotten decent grades and I never failed a class. I do have one very strong point going for me however that has always served me well.

I remember everything.

I remember situations and conversations and sometimes if it's necessary I can remember mundane details like what the other person was wearing, the jewelry that had on, or what kind of furniture was in a room. I can remember as far back as when I was three years old. It's like I memorize details and surroundings and conversations and feelings. Sometimes I forget appointments and I have to have a list of things to do on a day to day basis in order to remember what I have to do, but once I've done it I can tell you in what sequence it happened and what the weather was like that day. That's why I can tell you at what time Carlo M arrived for his test and what he was wearing and those black sunglasses he had on with the baseball cap on backwards (it was green with white stripes) and how he was running and the questions he asked that day and how soon afterwards he emailed back.

P doesn't remember any of this. He can remember anybodies important PR in any distance from the 400mt to the marathon, but he has no detail for anything else. I know I'm supposed to do something with this gift of mine, I just haven't figured out what yet.

3 comments:

anji said...

Your gift is to perhaps to be P's helper for life, so that he doesn't starve to death, lose himself or walk accidently into the wrong house :P

I used to have a good memory but after the depression, it got kind of bad (apparantely it is one of the first things to go when stressed!) Only now, two years later am I starting to have somewhat of a memory again :)

M is the same way... he's smart and all medical wise but sometimes, he just does something which makes me go, "Hmmmmmm...."

Fe-lady said...

A nice balance I would say...and pretty gender specific probably, although I really hate to think that males/females are all that different in brain matter make-up!
Hey, thanks for stopping by and reading my blog every once in awhile!

momo said...

hey, julia - thanks for you post about my pee issue! :-) my father has a hard time remembering my name sometimes (and i'm almost 40) but he can remember every hole of every golf course he's ever played, and he's played hundreds. i'm more like you. i'm going out on a longer limb than fe-lady and say it IS gender specific!