I used to be really good at remembering people’s names. As soon as they told me what it was, I’d find a random thing in my head to associate it with (often another person with the same name), then practice that association. For example, our neighbor’s name is Sharon. When she told me that, I thought “Eric’s mom’s name is Sharon.” Now whenever I run by her house I think “there’s Sharon’s house!” And think about Eric’s mom. Ha.

I had to use a similar technique at work when I kept forgetting names. One guy’s last name was a color, so I just started associating that color with him. Another guy’s last name was a profession, so I imagined him in that profession.

When the association technique doesn’t work, I rely on notes. I put contacts on google. When people tell me the names of their family, I put that information in their google contact. I made a spreadsheet listing all my neighbors. I look up people’s names on Facebook before I’ll see them. I reference their website (like our vet) if they have one.

Those techniques usually work.

Except for yesterday. For some reason, I had it in my head that the main receptionist’s name at the nail salon was Brooke. I even called her Brooke the last time I was there.

It didn’t feel right, so I asked her her name yesterday. It’s SAMANTHA.

What the eff, Kim?!

She laughed and said “when you called me Brooke, I thought ‘that’s a new one!’ ”

She wasn’t upset but I felt dumb. I immediately put her name in my google contact for the Salon and decided to associate her with the first Samantha I knew – Samantha Parkington from the American Dolls books (I had the books as a kid, and LOVED them).


I hope this mani lasts a while, because if I get furloughed next week (my agency had limited funding to continue operations during the shutdown) I need to curtail my frivolous spending. I’ll know today whether I am exempted or furloughed, then they’ll send further instructions on Sunday.

My nails are done in (the lighter blue color) “Susi-San Climbs Fuji-San” from the new OPI Tokyo collection. Jen got “Less is Norse.”


Speaking of work, sigh, I got so mad yesterday when I was trying to log off for the day and all of a sudden had a couple of people contacting me telling me these things they needed me to do urgently for my project management role that I had no idea I needed to do (submit some information to a system at work). I know now, and won’t forget that in the future, if heaven forbid, they make me do that role again. And I know I am not supposed to say “I don’t know how to do that,” but golly, it would be nice to be trained on something, and understand it, rather than learning by omission. I’ll be proactive and try to learn more about this, but this whole instance makes me wonder what else I am missing/not doing.