PLAY THE NAME GAME

I recently challenged myself to a name game on my computer, “Can you name these dictators?” I got them all right, except for some sleazy guy from an African Nation that I had never heard of, because he destroyed it.

So, if I can remember the names of all those dictators—past and present—why can’t I remember the name of the person standing in front of me? A name tag always saves the moment, unless the print is so small that my nose hits the chest of the stranger, whose name I hope to remember.

Memory experts offer many tricks for connecting a face and a name.

The first trick is to “repeat the person’s name when you are first introduced,” such as, “So pleased to meet you “Mr. Clemp.” Whereupon, he will say, “It’s Clems, not Clemp.” But now he is permanently frozen in you mind as a “Mr. Clemp.”

Then there’s the trick of “association.” For instance, you are introduced to “John” as he exits the Mens Room. Reluctantly, shaking his hand, he is always associated with his exit and a damp hand. However, happily, you will always remember his name.

Last week, I was in a store when a woman enthusiastically greeted me by name. Actually, she screamed my name across the store. My first thought was, “Do I owe this stranger money?”
Then, she ran across the store and engulfed me in a bone crushing hug. I finally stumbled back,  looked at her and drew a complete blank. She said, “You don’t know who I am, Do you?” “I am so sorry,” I replied. “Please refresh my memory.” “I was your neighbor, 25 years ago.”  Then she told me her name. And, then I remembered her, and her seventeen  household pets. How could I forget? EASY!  She had lost 50 pounds and her hair was a different color. The last time I had seen her, she was climbing a tree in my backyard chasing one of her exotic birds, who had escaped from its cage. The reason I forgot is that our brief meeting in the store was much more pleasant than our brief neighborhood experience.

If it’s of any comfort, according to an article in PSYCHOLOGY TODAY, “Nearly 85% of middle-aged and older adults forget names.” So what’s the excuse for 25-year-olds? It is awkward to forget a name, but understandable with all of the distractions happening around us during a conversation.

So, what is really helpful? First of all, it helps when you are genuinely interested in meeting the person standing in front of you. If the friend you do know does not introduce you, it is permissible to introduce yourself, since your friend is probably suffering from momentary brain freeze.

When introducing yourself, you can make an impression, but spilling a drink on the person you want to impress might not be the impression you want to make.  However, if it’s any consolation, he will probably remember you name forever. Never mind!  When meeting someone, be motivated, focus, be sincere (even if you have to fake it) and make sure you hear the name right..”It’s not Clemp…It’s Clems.”

My friend, the Southern novelist, Terry Kay, (TO DANCE WITH THE WHITE DOG) was an excellent writer, but had a lousy memory for names, so he’d get away with, “Hey, Darlin’” That worked with women, but I’m not sure what he said to men. On the other hand, when I was signing my book, OH, LORD, I SOUND JUST LIKE MAMA, I asked the woman in line, “To whom would you like this book signed?” And, she replied, “Just sign your name. It’s worth more that way when you are dead!”

Esther Blumenfeld (“A  rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”)  William Shakespeare

NO SENSE AT ALL

Recently, I have been thinking about things that make no sense, such as, when someone says;
“The truth is not the truth,” which I am sure is not the truth. However, some non-sensicals  are more benign than others.

For instance, I recently had my eye exam, and the technician told me, “With your glasses you have 20x20 vision.” Then she said,”Do you want a new prescription?” When I replied, “Why would I need a new prescription if I have 20x20 vision?” She said, “I am required to ask everyone.”

My Allstate Insurance Company raises my rates every year because of my age, and then they send me a check twice a year for being a good driver. Makes no sense to me!

My doctor recommended that I get the new Shingrix vaccine to prevent shingles.  It was advertised in magazines and newspapers, and in every pharmacy in Tucson. Good suggestion!
However, no vaccine has been available anywhere for 6 months.

Why is it that when someone asks, “What do you think?” and I tell her, She will reply, “Do you really think so?”

Here are some other things that make no sense to me: When the sign on the bench reads, “Wet Paint,” why do people have to touch the bench to see if it is really wet? Do they have an insatiable desire for green fingers?

Okay!  Everyone knows that square pegs won’t fit into round holes. So why does it make sense to put round pizzas into square boxes?

Going through security at airports is a new adventure when you get old. No one used to ask me, “Do you have an artificial hip or a knee?” However, no one ever asks, “Do you have a plate in your head?” I guess a simple “No” covers it all. Years ago, while strolling down a street in San Francisco, a boy, rudely yelled at my husband, “Do you have the time?” Warren looked down at his wrist and shouted back, “Yes, I do,” and we ambled on.  Made sense to me.

Does it make sense to buy chicken fingers or fish sticks? And I am still confused about artificial intelligence. Either you’ve got it or you don’t! Why does the dental technician ask me a question when she has both a drill and a spit suction line in my mouth? That is non-sensical.

So, Can I ask my readers a question?  Never mind—-I just did.

Cheers,

Esther Blumenfeld

WINGING IT--OR NOT

“Sorry, (Hamlet) said, rubbing his temples. I don’t know what came over me. All of a sudden I had this overwhelming desire to talk for a very long time without actually doing anything.” (Jasper Fforde).

Some people just zigzag from indecision to indecision, and frankly, it drives me nuts! They constantly second guess themselves out of the responsibility of making a decision. I have a friend who can’t order a meal at a restaurant without changing her mind, and she can’t decide, when shopping for an outfit, if there isn’t a better one somewhere else. It is her modus operandi. She does not recognize that indecision might or might not be her problem. Constant indecision—second guessing oneself—can’t be good for a person’s innards!

The best example of indecision was in the award winning film, MARTY, adapted from Paddy Chayefsky’s play. The story was about a simple butcher from the Bronx (Ernest Borgnine) who didn’t know where he was in life or what to do to change it.  He hung out with like-minded fellows, and they met on the weekends to kill time. The famous dialogue went like this:
“What do you feel like doing tonight?” “I don’t know. What do you feel like doing?”

I am not an indecisive person. A few years ago, my friend, Judy called.She said, “I was listening to the radio. They had a contest. I called in and won two tickets to the Neil Diamond show in Phoenix. The radio show’s bus will be leaving in an hour. My husband is on jury duty. Can you be ready for me to pick you up in 20 minutes?” “You betcha!” said I.

I threw on some clothes, grabbed a flashlight to wave for “Coming to America,” and saw a spectacular show from the best seats in the house. It’s good to be able to deal with the unexpected—to be spontaneous.

There is a difference between being indecisive when you have all of the facts, and being too spontaneous before you have any of them.  That is being impulsive; “the sudden inclination to act without any thought behind it.” I know the difference. However, why not seize an opportunity when it is offered? Sometimes, the best memories come from spontaneity. However, being spontaneous involves risk.

Unfortunately, too often, our lives have become too predictable and programmed.  Jeremy Glass put it this way when he said, “We can’t jump off bridges anymore, because our iPhones will get ruined. We can’t take skinny dips in the ocean, because there’s no service on the beach, and adventures aren’t real unless they’re on Instagram. Technology has doomed the spontaneity of adventure, and we are helping destroy it every time we Google, check-in and hashtag.”

I’m glad I’m not indecisive. Sometimes, out of the blue, I will say something funny and it goes whoosh, over peoples’ heads. Then they will say, “What do you feel like doing tonight?’ and I will respond, “I just did it.”

Esther Blumenfeld    (“Humor is a spontaneous, wonderful bit of outburst that just comes.  It’s unbridled, it’s unplanned, it’s full of surprises.”) Erma Bombeck

WANT MORE JAZZ? IMPROVISE!

Isaac Asimov said, “To succeed, planning alone is insufficient. One must improvise as well.”

My,  mother-in-law, Fannie was an excellent cook. She said, “If you don’t have an ingredient—-improvise. ” She was a very smart lady, even though she never met Isaac Asimov.  However, I remembered her advise, when I read the instructions for a homemade, therapeutic hot pad; “Put rice in a big sock, tie off the end and put it in the microwave.”

Since I didn’t have regular rice in the house, I put Rice-a-Roni in the sock. Now, when my neck hurts, it really smells delicious.

My life has always been a bit improvised, and I have often zigged when I should have zagged, but I have no regrets. Lately, I have discovered that when you get old you improvise a lot. For instance being unable to lift a suitcase to the upper compartment on an airplane involves some improvisation. I play the role of an old lady, and block the aisle until some nice young fellow, playing the role of a boy scout, hoists the suitcase up for me. It works every time! Then I say, “Your MaMa raised you right!” Bingo!

Improvisation is one of the core techniques used by actors.  It triggers spontaneity and sparks the imagination. One of the classic movie moments was when Jack Nicholson, in THE SHINING, improvised—-“Heeeere’s Johnny.”

For a time, my son, Josh pursued a career in theatre. He was also a member of an improvisational comedy company that entertained in the U.S. and England. I am convinced that the skill of playing a character, without a script, and seeing how that character reacts in different situations has helped him think more creatively.  Additionally, his wife, Barbara said, “I can’t stay mad at him, because he always makes me laugh.”

Paul Simon said, “Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.”  I guess he got that from George Burns who said, “If you’re going to ad lib, practice it first.” I would define improvisation as heightened communication with no moral implications such as telling a lie.

A lie is a statement used intentionally for the purpose of deception, and carries a negative connotation. Big lies trick people into believing false or misleading information.  Big lie or little lie, the truth always comes out. In other words, “When the tide goes out, you’ll see who’s swimming naked.”

Esther Blumenfeld (“A lie gives you the highest quality at the lowest price.”) anon

WHY? WHY NOT?

“Hurry, Child, ask your questions. Tomorrow, there may be no answers.”
“Hurry, Child find your answers. Tomorrow, there may be no questions.” (THE CAT WHO SMELLED A RAT, Lillian Jackson Braun)

When I was a little girl, “Why?” was my favorite word, and I assume, that for a very short period of time, it was considered charming by my parents. Dad always had patience and provided long, convoluted answers.  Mom’s solution was, “Because I said so!”

When I got older, and went to school, my teacher’s favorite answer to, “Why?” was, “Look it up.” I think it was because she didn’t know the answers herself, because she would often say, “What did you find out?” As I matured, I drove my algebra teacher crazy with my, “Why?” And, he finally said, “You don’t have to know, “Why,” you just have to solve the problem.

Every good attorney knows that you don’t ask a question when you don’t already know the answer, such as—-“Are you still  embezzling money from your firm?” That’s a tough one to answer other than, “Why are you asking?”

The most frustrating ping-pong answer to,“Why?” is “Why Not?” “Why did you do that?” “Why Not?”

The comic, Steven Wright knows how to ask questions such as—-“What’s another word for thesaurus?” Or, “If you didn’t know who I was, would you know if I’m a stranger?”

I once drove my piano teacher into the bathroom when I asked, “Was Beethoven’s music so loud because he was deaf? Or, was he deaf, because his music was so loud?” I thought about that question a lot, because I hadn’t practiced. She didn’t have much of a sense of humor, but she sure could throw up. Maybe it was a pregnant pause, or maybe she was pregnant. I never did ask my parents, “Why isn’t she giving lessons anymore?”

Of course, when a child asks, “Where do babies come from?” “Ask your Father” is always a good answer.

In life, it is vital to find honest answers to your questions. That will hold you in good stead when you need to take a position on an important issue. “Why?”Because being wishy-washy just doesn’t cut it, because, these days, if you don’t stand for something, you just might fall for anything.

Esther Blumenfeld (“Okay, So what’s the speed of dark?”) Steven Wright