Well... I am finally back on line and now and in the SF Bay Area. I have missed seeing your video blog as well as a number of others that I have relied on for information, humor, wit and intelligence. It was like the time I went off of caffeine, cold turkey, after 23 years of non-stop daily high doses. The best thing about reconnecting to the internet was receiving all your blogs one after another. Not only that, but the fact that you are now more than once a week. That took the sting out of the canceling of "Pop Siren" over at Revision3. Sorry, I digress.

So now a comment about your current blog. This one really hit home. An inability to remember names has been the thorn in my side most of my life. Not just new introductions, but people I have known for many years, co-workers, superiors and subordinates, occasionally even family members. For those new it usually never returns. For those I've known well or for long it returns when it is no longer needed. It has embarrassed me, kept me silent, prevented me from participating, and worse, kept me from connecting. I have tried all manor of cure, work-a-round, mental enhancement, mental exercise, memory nemonic, etc, etc, etc... All to no avail. "I have the most ill-regulated memory. It does those things which it ought not to do and leaves undone the things it ought to have done. But it has not yet gone on strike altogether." -Dorothy L. Sayers, "Gaudy Night".

I am aware that I have an extreme case. I have sought professional help on several occasions. They espoused several of the devices you proposed and claim success with many in the past. But, alas, no cure for me. Its not all bad though. I have several work-arounds and devices to assist me, when it is important or necessary, that minimize the embarrassment or even turns it around to make the forgotten feel important. I certainly recommend the suggestions you propose prior to admitting any lapse; however, ultimately I've found that it's been best to just admit my mental lapse and ask their name. At the end of the day honestly is the best policy.

I'm just say'n.

Thanks for letting me hide inside. My calcium carbonate shell isn't fireproof, so I was a little paranoid about being outdoors. Sorry about your plant. Where do you keep the beer?

I find it easier to remember the name of someone I might want to get to know more and even easier to remember the name of someone I might want to avoid. It's the middle of the roaders that I have trouble with. Was it Mike/Matt/Mark, or on the flipside, Michelle/Maria/Mary? It began with M didn't it? Or there's an M in there somewhere!

If someone has a slightly unusual name it helps the remembering process or even if it's a name that could be spelt a number of ways (Rachel, Rachael etc). This can be used in conjunction with the "saying the person's name back to them" approach. First of all you're saying the person's name and - once they stopped purring like a kitten - ask them to confirm how it's spelt. Not only are you giving the impression you're interested in their name (and them) but also people with an ambiguous name like to have their name spelt correctly. I know I do!

I heard a story about a bride who blanked out about her bridegroom's name, and proceeded at their wedding reception to introduce him with the wrong name (the name of a former boyfriend).

Ladiez..... don't do this!

In my job I meet new people almost every day... sometimes several a day. it's impossible to remember all the names! Thanks for the tips. brigitte... midget... gidget...

Have anice day Brigitte...

PeaCe..!

Once I met a a girl, she told me her name was Kelly. I was repeating her name to myself so I would remember it. Being quite drunk at the time I'm not sure how I remembered to do that, but also, being quite drunk at the time, when she asked me what my name was(Cole), I was still repeating her name to myself and mixed up the two mental tasks. Subsequently I introduced myself as Coly, which is what she called me from then on.

Yeah, another episode of DIYSSFDN and a very helpful one, cause I'm really really bad in remembering names. I tend to forget a name seconds after someone has introduced oneself, or, if I get to know more than one person at the same time and i manage to remember their names, I get them mixed up.
So thank you very much, I will try your advice and can hopefully avoid some awkward situations in the future.
Have a nice weekend.

PS: It took forever until the first shot of the video appeared and even longer to finally load the complete video. I don't know, if its because I'm watching from Germany, but I thought I let you know about it.

Thanks Brigitte. I'm horrible at remembering people, hopefully this will help.