I just ran into a guy in the hallway at work, or rather, he ran past me then stopped and looked back. My first thought was “yes, I know I am beautiful but you don’t have to stare” (kidding) and then he said “remember me?” That certainly pulled me from my vanity - {oh crap I totally don’t remember} “yeeee..eeesss…” {did I meet him last week at the conference?} “your face looks familiar but…” {I don’t remember his face, usually I remember faces} “…I don’t remember your name”.
“More’s…” {???} “…you were there with my girlfriend for supper.”
Then I remembered, but still couldn’t place his face. I think he was wearing a suit that time and today he was in casual clothes. The suit transforms the man.
Crazy though, I met him during my first week in Japan. I met a lot of people then and have met many people since. Many I remember but there are people who slip through the mind’s cracks. I feel horrible when I realize I have given them blank stares of nonrecognition. When that happens my reaction is to (for the next day or so) smile at everyone like we had lunch the day before and talked about so many things that there isn’t much sense in starting a conversation at that particular moment or even saying ‘hi’.
On another note, I was sending an email to my Japanese teacher and couldn’t remember how to say “anytime” so while searching I came across this:

無芸大食
むげいたいしょく
mugeitaishoku

meaning: lacking the talent to do anything but eat, a noun I think…mugei is lacking talent, taishoku is gluttony. I like it.