My retention rate for ethical syllogisms and their implications has not improved. I can tell a hawk from a handsaw, but Plato's finer distinctions are occult and Aristotle's criticisms of his mentor make my head spin, although at a slightly slower rate than last week.
All this hard mental work in Ethics and Algebra is having an unexpected effect. Throughout my entire journalism career, I was dreadful at remembering names and linking them with faces. During the '80s, I could make my self hyperventilate on demand by thinking about attending a city council meeting where all the nameplates had been left off the desks, or even worse, rearranged. Now, although I can't remember the formula for computing annual percentage rates or calculating the maximum amount for a home loan, I suddenly have the ability to remember the names of people I meet briefly.
Last weekend, I was in the men's department at a store in Bellevue. The clerk's name is Ray. His colleague in Accessories on the main floor is named Nicole.
So, why are these names occupying my mental furniture, that should be taken up by really old guys in togas? Maybe my brain is showing its appreciation for the unaccustomed exercise.
Or it could be that since I have bigger ideas to worry about, my brain now feels it can pay attention to things that don't make me as anxious as Algebra does.
Perhaps once I get past the math midterm exam, I'll go right back to forgetting names and misplacing the Facebook in my brain again. What do you think?
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