Bruce!

K and I have been spending our Sundays looking at homes in the West LA, Mar Vista, Culver City, and Westchester areas. I feel like we're able to see about ten places during the four or so hours that these houses are showing. We meet dozens of desperate, sharky real estate agents who thrust their cards at us. We see million-dollar fixer-uppers. We notice that decent public middle and high schools are a total rarity, unless you're in Beverly Hills or Manhattan Beach. Culver City, maybe. We see that competitive parents are willing to pay a huge premium to live in these areas.

One such place is a house in Culver Crest, which is a tracty two-story thing on the former MGM lot. We hate it. It's overpriced, with a terrible floor plan, and no yard. Literally, no yard. Just a walkway around the edge of the lot where it abuts with other neighboring two-story monstrosities (also without yards). The older gentleman real estate agent introduces himself. "Nice to meet you, Bruce," I say, shaking his hand, then make small talk while K goes upstairs and appraises the awful bathrooms. Bruce keeps up his running patter, K and I make it known to each other that we hate this place, and we start to leave. "Thanks a lot, Bruce!" I belt out, then shake his hand, and we are out of there.

I had yesterday off and there was a place in Mar Vista that was showing so K had me go and look at it. Another woman is showing the house but guess who I meet in the backyard? "Do I know you?" he says.

"I don't think so," I respond.

"Then you have a twin brother. I showed a property in Culver City -- "

"Oh, hey Bruce!" I say, and he is startled that I know his name, because he has no idea what my name is. I am even more startled that I can remember his name, because this has been a real problem for me for my entire life. I'll forget people's names at parties five seconds after being introduced. It's terrible really. It's like my brain is funneling all that info out of RAM and into the trash because it knows it's not important enough to remember.

And yet, here I am, a head like a steel trap. Bruce! How is it that I remember this guy's name but I can't remember the names of people I actually want to remember? We were in this guy's life for about 5 minutes.

So I think it had to do with 1) Actually listening to Bruce's introduction, 2) Saying his name back: "Nice to meet you, Bruce!", 3) Reminding myself: "What's his name again?", and 4) Closing the deal with his name: "Thanks a lot Bruce!"

And then I have it. It's in there.

I must try this out to see if it works again.