A couple of weeks ago, one of the moms in my playgroup asked me how long The Husband and I have been living in our house. This question always stumps me, because I have absolutely no concept of the passage of time. It was not until I had been dating The Husband for about three years (then again, who knows how many years?) that I figured out the main reason I was always late to everything: You have to account for the time it takes to get somewhere. For example, if a movie starts at nine, you can't plan to leave at nine. The Husband is a very punctual person, and those three years were very long for him. (Side note: The Husband was early for our first date. He was very early. He was a half hour early. I had wet hair and was still wearing sweatpants, and no one else was home to answer the door.)
But I was talking about my concept of the passage of time and how I don't have any. If something didn't happen within the past week, I have absolutely no idea when it happened. Two weeks ago? Two months ago? Who knows? Sometimes I can date events by where I was living at the time, but sometimes that only narrows the date range down to a certain window. I lived in the same place for about three of my five years in grad school, for example.
So when my friend asked me how long we'd been in our house, I didn't know what to say. "Um, two years? I think?" I tried to do the math, but that's when I ran into my second problem. Sometimes - not always, but sometimes - I sort of forget what year it is. I did not realize that I was somewhat unique in this until this conversation with my friend. "I think it's two years, but I always have trouble remembering. You know how sometimes you forget what year it is?" I said.
"Uh, no. I always remember what year it is," she replied. And she also gave me a very funny look.
I have been doing some thinking about this since the conversation, and I decided that this happens to me because I am always surprised that things that seem so fresh and recent in my mind happened so long ago. It can't be 2007, because that would mean I got my Ph.D. three years ago, and I only just graduated! Still, that's not really a good excuse for forgetting what year it is. So let's all hope I never hit my head, because the doctors will think I have a concussion.
"What year is it, you ask? Wait! I know this one! It starts with a '2', right?"
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5 comments:
The funniest part of that post is that you mention you have a PhD. Heh.
It's too late for me to be reading blogs. I should be sleeping. What is wrong with me?
so, by your calculations, you're about 24 years old. how very nice.
I perpetually forget what day it is, tho with baby on the way, the wife has insisted upon my paying a little more attention to such things, so I don't go traipsing off on the day she's due.
Side note to older sis 1 (editor or whatever your new nickname is) "I'm going to have alzheimer's and no one will know!"
Editor Galaxy: Wait, are you saying that I'm not 24?
Now you've got to tell how good you are in addition. A friend once said, "Mo is so smart but we can't let her cross the street alone."
Mom
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