Chapter Three:

Memory has long caused me great problems. My memory spans many years, but my brain tries too hard to remember. In other words, it fills in details, which makes it difficult to separate the real from the extrapolated. By taking data from other experiences and combining them with my memories, more complete, although not necessarily better images come forth.

Figuring out when stuff happened further complicates matters. We exist in a society where it seems everything from video cameras to the internet stamps on a date in its products‹except our memories. We need to rely on context clues, as if our memories needed the investigation of a Hollywood murder. One factor has helped me. I spent much of my early life in day care. Several early memories come from there, one of getting picked up, where I stated, "Mommy." If I remember, she was thinner back then too. I recall another of thinking an Oreo cookie waited inside ravioli. It is also possible for me to go back even further. Basically two possibilities exist.

The first one takes place at my cousin's house. Sitting with my cousin Justin in his room, I remember one very important detail. I looked in the closet and saw a box of Pampers. I doubt logo recognition played a part in this, and strongly relive I actually read the word. None of my memories contain any reference to not being able to read, even during either my second or third year of life. Granted, a large divide separates a brand name product and War and Peace, but this memory provides significant insight.

The other memory consists of me hopping between my crib and may bed. I ended up in my crib, which is where a female figure picked me up.

I couldn't tell you what my first memory is, but I do recall the first memorable news story. I never heard anything about the Berlin Wall or the fall of the Soviet Union, but I vividly remember the Gulf War. It occurred just after Christmas, and I had received a camera. My father told me, "You can't take a picture of the television." Oh well. I took one anyway. He knew what he was talking about, seeing as how the photo didn't really come out.

Speaking of Christmas, my family runs into a problem buying gifts for me. I know the shape of boxes for video game boxes by heart. In order to fool me, relatives resorted to a very funny tactic‹the box inside a box. For Christmas 1992, my cousins started by putting Super Mario Land 2 inside of many boxes. One time, I opened a present and thought I had received a set of holiday cups, and left it alone until my mom told me to open that box.

Of course, my memory lacks significantly in one area, names, and particularly names of living people. It took me years to learn the names of some people in my class, even though they were the same every year (as part of Janesville's gifted and talented program). It got even worse outside of the class.

So Yes Virginia, there is such a thing as having too good a memory. Not that I want to take it to the return line anytime soon.