Saturday 9 October 2010

Memories? What Memories?

Twenty five years ago to the day yesterday Beloved and I met in a London pub.  I've already mentioned this historic day in an earlier post, so I won't go into further details, except to say that we are not only still celebrating, but also talking to each other.A meal at our favourite hostelry is always an occasion, it's a bit pricey, as places that have left their humble beginnings behind and become fashionably Michelin-starred are, but we don't go very often, and the food is really very good indeed. Simple ingredients beautifully cooked and presented, it's a pleasure to eat there.

Twenty five years ago we wouldn't have spent the money as readily, but that was not the only difference. We had a much better memory then. Yesterday, in the restaurant, while eating all this wonderful food, we were trying to work out whether he had gone to work after that first meeting, or if he'd had the evening off; neither of us could remember. By a process of elimination we worked it out: 

a) he was dressed in jeans and a shabby anorak, and 
b) both of us recalled eating a pancake in each other's company  during that first evening of meeting,
  
so we must have taken enough time over it to decide to meet again.

Memory may have gone but we still have brilliant ideas.

How would it be if some clever boffin invented a kind of memory stick, to be used by humans, a kind of Neuro-Transmitter which automatically records all your fleeting thoughts, the memos-to-self stuff. You could then plug it into your brain at a later date and retrieve the memories as and when needed.

The only problem remaining then, is :

WHERE DID I LEAVE THAT BLASTED STICK!

35 comments:

  1. Such bliss in simple memories and deliciously simple ingredients. Happy Anniversary!

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  2. Congratulations both. Never mind the memory, just feel the memories.

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  3. Happy Anniversary, Friko! See time 'does fly when you are having fun'...have a great day both of you and many more!!!

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  4. Happy Anniversary, Friko! At times like this (the trying to remember), I'm sorry I've never been a journal keeper. Of course, I probably wouldn't be able to find the journal. I'm hoping my blog will document some memories for me as I stumble forth.

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  5. Happy anniversary. My own and I rarely remember things the same way so a memory stick would come in very handy so I could prove to him that I'm right and he's wrong.

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  6. Happy anniversary! I love the idea of the memory stick.

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  7. Happy Anniversary to you and your husband, Friko.

    Celebrating that first meeting and its pancake with a delicious meal is a fine tradition.

    You've made me smile with the notion of a personal memory stick (I'm hoping that certain Big Powers don't already have something along these lines already in play!)

    xo

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  8. Oh, yes, that would be the problem with the memory stick, now wouldn't it? Happy Anniversary!

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  9. I love the crisp side of my Friko but I enjoy seeing the soft side too. I see it today. You and Beloved enjoy your anniversary. My very best to you both. xxxooo

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  10. Happy Anniversary! I love the idea, it would have to be attached to your keyring though - you know the one that bleeps if you phone it, if you can remember where the phone is.

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  11. A memory stick – that sounds so wonderful. I know my husband would buy one even if it were expensive – maybe someday… this was a sweet post Friko, almost.

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  12. At least you both admit you can't remember; it's worse when one claims it happen one way and the other is convinced that it happened another way! When I've written something down in a journal and then read it some years later I am often surprised that it conflicts with my memory. The memory stick woulld be similar; an interesting idea.
    ...Tramp

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  13. I think I might be misplacing such a stick on purpose - after all, sometimes it's convenient to forget....although the details of a first meeting are to be held and treasured.
    Thank you for posting the photos so that they can be enlarged - I enjoyed every course!

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  14. Yes, and the likelihood is you'd leave the stick upstairs somewhere, and go upstairs to get it, and then get to the top of the stairs and think, 'Why am I here?' Happy anniversary. The meal looks fab.

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  15. Anniversary greetings! It'll be our 21st this month too. He's not romantic, though.

    I'd love a stick in the ear that popped memories back in. Alas, it'll always be me, a pen, and the back of my left hand!

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  16. Friko - congratulations on you silver anniversary! A memory stick would be good for the treasured memories. The other sort are better off filed in some unobtainable filing cabinet over the horizon methinks!!

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  17. haha! Also weisst Du, dass das Gehirn nur die ganz wichtigen Dinge für die Erinnerung speichert, schliesslich möchte es nicht, dass die vielen, eher unwichtigen Dinge einen verrückt machen! Diese Begegnung war eben so grossartig, dass alles um euch verschwand, ganz sicher schon am selben Abend. "Beloved" hat besimmt vergessen, in die Probestunden zu gehen!
    Wie romantisch!!!

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  18. Congratulations, Dear.

    Our 25 year meeting anniversary is this next Jan!


    Warm Aloha from Waikiki

    Comfort Spiral

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  19. Happy Anniversary, Friko! It's been said that the two keys to happiness are a bad memory and a good appetite. Since you and your beloved appear to have both keys, you must be quite happy on your twenty-fifth year together.

    My wife and I just celebrated our twentieth anniversary this week. It's not a big number, compared to other people of our age, but it's quite an accomplishment for two people who have been married before and who value a certain amount of solitude. I seem to recall something Rilke said about "shared solitude" and the need to stand guard over each other's solitude. Than sentiment, at least in my case, is often critical to long-term relationships.

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  20. Such a memory stick would be wonderful. I've won many an argument by proving my point when I've been able to do a search for an old email. I've often wished that a conversation could have that same feature. ;)

    Happy 25 Years Together!

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  21. Happy Anniversary! :) Life wouldn't be half as amusing if we didn't forget.... :D

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  22. Happy Anniversary!

    My thoughts on the memory stick:
    Most of my memos to self would be incomprehensible unless I included all the thoughts that led up to the actual MTS;
    Quite a lot of stuff is best forgotten in my case.

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  23. What a horrid idea. Sometimes the ability of forgetting is a mercy. Would I want to re-live my childhood feelings, the panic in Maths lessons the bullying of the other girls etc? no certainly not.

    Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Silberjubiläum.

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  24. Concratulations upon this achievment. Not only half way that time, you leave me much impressed. Please have you all a good Sunday.

    daily athens

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  25. Oh well done to both of you!

    Memory stick? Not too sure about that. I used to journal ad infinitum and the stuff there would curl your toes and bore you silly all at the same time...

    XO
    WWW

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  26. I think it is cool that you celebrate the day you met. Most men have trouble remembering wedding dates and birthdays. You have a keeper.
    I would love to buy stock in that memory stick company when it gets going. Purely a winner.

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  27. i have thought about the memory stick idea before - now when was that? hehe happy anniversary! wow

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  28. Sounds a fine idea. And of course one would edit those memories with care.

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  29. Alles Liebe und Gute zum Jubiläum.
    Die Idee mit dem UBS Stick ist wirklich genial. Wer weiss, ob es je zur Realität wird.
    Ich wünsche Dir eine schöne Woche.
    Liebe Grüsse
    Maria-Angela

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  30. Love the idea of the stick but you took the words right out of my mouth! Can't find my glasses, never find my stick. And congratulations to you and your beloved.

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  31. I dunno, Friko. I think that sort of thing would be likely to blow my head right off. Too much trivia, way too many details. I prefer to think that memory 'loss' is actually memory 'triage', saving only the most significant to remember. Besides, think of all the fun you had last night trying to work it all out! Who'd want to miss that?

    Oh and btw, happy 25th! Glad to see you're not one of those couples I feel sorry for when I see them in restaurants, glum and wordless.

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  32. Happy Anniversary to you both - about that Memory Stick...would both husband and wife each have their own? After 44 years my own DH always remember things totally differently than I do.

    Wishing you many more years of memory making!

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  33. Congratulations !! And what a very nice way to celebrate .
    Memory stick ? No , I wouldn't want one really . It sounds a little too organised . I prefer the random way they come to mind now , sometimes prompted by a piece of music or the smell of a certain soap .

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  34. I love those special places that have been around forever. Having recently moved back to where we lived most of our lives - we are reuniting with a couple of those. Memories are important - the names of people you just can't seem to remember - not so much, right?

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  35. Delayed Happy Anniversary! (Struggling to keep up with my blog-reading!) I was married the week before you and have to say there are some things on my memory stick I won't be going back to! So glad you have had a happier experience. x

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