Sometimes I....No, I don't.

There's a reason I'm posting this video...



...but , for the life of me, I forget what the reason was.

But, that reminds me of something else I can bore you with. My memory. Actually, my lack of memory.
I have a horrible memory. The worst. My memory is so bad it's fairly legendary for people that know me (or pretend to know me...if I don't know them, can they know me?)...and maddening for the people that depend on me to remember things...or even worse, expect me to remind them of things that can't be forgot. Birthdays...appointments...assignments....details in general...I'm not your guy. Sorry.

What reminded me today of my bad memory was running into someone in a store this afternoon. I was waiting to meet a few other people (that I did know, I swear) and a woman with her son walks past me, stops, turns around, and says, "Peter?"

So, naturally, I say, "Hey!, how are you?"...all the while having no idea who this person is..but this was going to buy me some time. Obviously it had been some time since I had seen this person, by the way she said my name (you noticed the question mark, right?)...so I had that going for me. I thought (for a brief second)....I might actually come up with this one.

Her..."I'm good. How have you been?"


Me.."Good, good" "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" (I felt safe with this one...even I can remember people by sight at least, in my recent past...not their names, mind you, but at least a familiar face...and this one was not registering).
....five minutes later, after much joking, and catching up, good conversation and smiles all around, she went on her way, and I, mine.

I still don't know who she was. Never will.

...what was I talking about again?

Oh yeah, my memory.

It's funny. Many things I write about are from the past. Maybe it's "Pete's version" of the past? Perhaps they didn't really happen that way....although I swear they're true...the robbery, my homerun at little league tryouts, the bat in my room (I did write about all of these things, didn't I?)...All true. If it's not true, I'll admit it...like being in the Macy's day parade.

Maybe my memory's not truly bad...


...maybe it's just selective.

I don't remember what I had for dinner last Tuesday, but I do remember my pinewood derby car that didn't go down the track because I used nails in the wheels instead of an axle (don't you forget...I'm not very mechanical)


I don't remember my oldest brother's birthday, but I do remember the two of us going into the woods of Sunset Park to chop down the first real Christmas tree I ever had as a kid, strapping it to the back of his Triumph Spitfire and bringing it back to my parents house...picture this with a tree on it going down New York Avenue with two proud lumberjacks in the car


I don't remember what the last song I heard on the radio in my car was, but I do remember buying Joe's Garage Act 1 (Frank Zappa)..More Songs About Buildings and Food (Talking Heads)...and Get the Knack (yep , the Knack...you know My Sharona, don't you? Sure you do) the same Saturday morning at Recordland on Congress Street, downtown Portland, with Ron Tibbetts and that awesome Jeep convertible of his.



Good times.

I remember words to songs...but not lines to movies
I remember to take out the trash...but often forget my cell phone
I remember the ad meeting where I inadvertently said the "c" word (you try saying cut chunk fruit fast), but I forgot the meeting I was supposed to go to at 11:00 AM today

Oh, and now I remember why I wanted to post that music video, but that will have to wait for another time.

...as long as someone reminds me.