At the beginning of fall semester I was eating dinner when one of my housemates walked in the door. “Hey, John, how’s it going?” I asked. A perfectly normal question—if his name were, in fact, John. But it’s not.
Last year I leased a Collegetown apartment with two fraternity brothers, but this year I rented a room in a five-person apartment and didn’t know who I’d be living with until I arrived. Introductions were made, and I did my best to remember the name that went with each face. Unfortunately, I always seem to forget it before I’m even done shaking hands.
I know there’s a simple solution: ask again. But this is where it gets complicated. How many times is it socially acceptable to ask? Forgetting once is one thing—but two, three, four times? It’s embarrassing for me, insulting to them. I’m currently trying out mnemonic devices as a potential solution, but in this case I’d failed to use one.
We’ve all had the dilemma: endure the embarrassment of asking again, or risk not knowing indefinitely. Some of us employ covert tactics; we ask a friend or steal a glance at the name on a homework assignment. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of trusting my memory and called my housemate by the wrong name. I was corrected, by Joe.
After that incident I remembered his name for good. And as for my other three housemates: I resolved to ask again to make sure I got them right.
Last names can wait.
— Daniel Tsoy ’13