So I Walk Up On High, And I Step to the Edge, To See My World Below

And I laugh at myself, as the years roll down, cause its the world I know.
'The World I Know' - Collective Soul

There is a part of me that I have always been drawn toward studying, toward understanding. A part of me so fundamentally different from everyone else that it alters the way that I percieve reality. It took me many years to understand that this wasn't normal. It took me many more years to understand just how dangerous it could be. It took much longer to realize that it is an amazing ability, but with it there is a price. It is this part of me that seemed to be relevant repeatedly the past week.

The one that surprised me the most was on the weekend excursion to Longview that Steve and I took. The reason was two-fold...Steve's brother Thomas' graduation, and Father's Day. So the part of the trip outside the norm was that which was spent at Longview Memorial Stadium. As it was said so well there, "If you've seen one graduation, you've seen them all." While that is certainly true for the most part, I did find it moderately interesting to be at a ceremony for my own high school. With that in mind, it was ineveitable that I would find old teachers. Now generally when I meet up with old teachers, the recognition is immediate, the conversation long, and the memories nearly overwhelming. However I was stunned at the blank stares. Now in their defense, when you don't expect something, it is easy to miss. I once had an uncle whom I see only on occasion come into my work and I didn't even recognize him. So it happens...but still, I was surprised.

As for the other situation, it revolves around the events that I've mentioned in recent posts. I was having a serious discussion about my motivations, what led me to them, and why I have said all along that two people convinced me in what the right course of action was. Well, it was disturbing to find that one of them had no freaking clue what I was talking about. Couldn't remember a damned thing about what started it all. One worries about the advice they heed when the information that led to it was obviously of such little importance.

The common thread here, in case it wasn't obvious, is memory. While people pass the time, forgetting moments of little importance, giving not a second thought to the comings and goings of the day; I remain, an observer and archivist if you will of what has gone. This is one of the reasons it amuses me that I so enjoy photography. I don't have to take any of these pictures, for they exist in my mind. Now this isn't to say that I remember everything, as that is not the nature of the gift. What it does mean is that I remember most things, that I can recall many of them quickly, and that those I do recall are more than just impressions, emotions, and fragments of history, they are a complete replay of an event. I don't know entirely why I felt the need to talk about this, as its generally something I don't bring up. But I suppose I've had so many comments lately in the vein of "how the hell do you know that/remember that/what are talking about" that I wanted to explain a little. If this piqued your interest, perhaps you should read this Wikipedia Article Think that covers it for now...hope you enjoyed our little trip, see you next time.