Last night I was out watching comedy for like hours and hours, so you all had so much I wanted to comment on, I had to meara.

I don't have what people would describe as a strictly (or fully functional) photographic memory, but I have moments of it, particularly for the written word. For example, if I'm looking for a particular line in a book, I know whether it's on the left, or right, or top/middle/bottom of a page. I can usually see it, and the line breaks in my head. Sometimes, I can see the whole page, although not all the words. I'm wondering if anything like this might come into play for people who can read in their dreams.

I can't remember reading in dreams-- I think your unconscious mind limits what you do in dreams but it's not universalized-- but I also can "see" where I read stuff. I didn't know it was that common. I consider it a bit of a liability in my job-- for my last case I was in charge of documents and I knew what they all looked like, but didn't do a very good job of knowing where they were, trusting on my visual memory to organize them for me.

I have a very strong - I'm not really sure what to call it. Sense, or muscle memory. I can remember where I put something by making the physical motion of putting it, for instance. Or if I can't remember if I've taken a pill or something, making the motion of doing so is enough to know whether I really did or not by how immediate the sensation feels.

On the other hand, I've never even heard of this.

Ms. Olen opens her essay with eye catching details designed to paint the picture of a prurient pill popper. She notes I mention biting my lovers, having sexual thoughts about Tucker Carlson, and taking sleeping pills.

OMG! I bite and take sleeping pills too! (and just admitted this online.) I am too irresponsible for words!

Interesting bit on blogs as a liability for job candidates in academia.

There was so much wrong with that article it's hard to know where to start, so I'll let Kathleen do it for me: [link] But I must point out this brilliant little nugget of wisdom from "Ivan Tribble": "Past good behavior is no guarantee against future lapses of professional decorum." OMG. What a philosophy to take into your candidate search.

And finally, I know it's unnecessary to proselytize for TAL here, but I have found a new pleasure in life by downloading it to my iPod. It makes everything so much more enjoyable-- shopping while listening to Sarah Vowell! Commuting to David Rakoff! Awesome.

Headline heard on NPR this morning:

"Heading inexorably towards the sweet hereafter, director Atom Egoyan turns 45!"

Is it just me, or is that both bizarre and tacky??? "Atom Egoyan: One Year Closer To Death!"

Yeah, not everything has to be a "cutesy" reference.

Yeah, but consider who they're talking about. I doubt he'd be upset.

They've been awfully cutesy lately. I'm blaming it on Stamberg. I find it annoying.

I have a very strong - I'm not really sure what to call it. Sense, or muscle memory. I can remember where I put something by making the physical motion of putting it, for instance. Or if I can't remember if I've taken a pill or something, making the motion of doing so is enough to know whether I really did or not by how immediate the sensation feels.

I don't know who said this but it's kinesthetic memory

Atom Egoyan: One Year Closer To Death!

I don't think he'd mind.

I have a pretty strong kinaesthetic memory, but its failing is tying it into other things. I can't always remember if that pill was this morning, for instance. But if I can also remember what my clothes felt like when I swallowed the pill, or the angle of the light, it might help.

For teaching krav, I've had to make a number of shifts in how I process information -- I'm glad to find out I wasn't locked into kinaesthetics quite as hard as it had seemed. I still have a hard time just watching something done and then doing it -- but I'm much better at translating words into feeling, so if it's done slowly enough for me to narrate, it's not that bad.

The fascinating part is when I'm called upon to help people learn something I've not only never done, but was exposed to for the first time exactly when they did.

I doubt he'd be upset.

Heh. Good point.

Sue [ edit: and ita] beat me to it, but that kind of muscle memory is called kinesthetic memory. I have that sometimes too, and I'm surprised to find that it's not more common.

For example, if I'm looking for a particular line in a book, I know whether it's on the left, or right, or top/middle/bottom of a page. I can usually see it, and the line breaks in my head. Sometimes, I can see the whole page, although not all the words.

This is also me.

I blame the cute birthday things on losing Bob Edwards. He just said whoevers name and their age and trusted that if they were notable enough to have their birthdays mentioned on NPR, listeners would know who they were or figure it out.

It's been all downhill since then.

That was me, Sue, thanks!