Okay, I'm not the most perceptive of people.

[kierthos]

I admit that. One of my favorite stories about my ability to not notice things is from many years ago, back when I was a Mechanical Engineering student. Me and a friend (a guy named Dan Myers, who is one of the two wierdest, funniest, most intelligent people I've ever met) were walking to lunch, and as we passed by this rather large tree, Dan stopped and asked "How long has that tree been there?"

"Uh, a while I guess. I mean, look at it." (This tree was obviously a few decades old, at least, and had probably been planted in that spot as a sapling.)
Dan: "Have you ever noticed it before?"
Me: "Uhh... no. But I don't pay attention to trees."

Anyway, we went to lunch, both marveling over the fact that we had probably walked past this tree dozens of times that semester without really noticing it.

So, where is this story going?

Simple. There is, or rather was a small DVD store around the corner from me. I get a sandwich from the sandwich shop next to it practically every night.

The DVD shop is now closed, and there's a "For Lease" sign in the window. I have no idea when this happened. And I walk past this place every night.

Comments

[knifesmile.livejournal.com]

Heh! I've got a weird dichotomy about perception. I frighten people sometimes with the kind of connections I make and the shit I notice, and it's normal for me to lead any kind of political or intellectual discussion in my pack, even though some of them are much older than me -- not because I'm smarter or better educated for the most part, just because I notice things most of them don't. I can also spot when something in my own territory has been moved a fraction, or if someone's touched my computer since I've been there last, et cetera.

On the other hand... I walk into things, I trip over things, I can never find my guitar picks or my keys (and sometimes I lose the guitar and/or the car,) I fail to make patently obvious connections, I do stuff like in the anecdote... "Dude? Since when did (X) close?" "Like, two years ago." When it's a place I czech out *every single time I'm in town* if at all possible.

It's an on-the-ball, off-the-ball thing, and territorial as well. Good at body language and vocal tone but not much attention for actual words when they're spoken, et cetera ad nauseam. You've probably got on-the-ball spots you've never noticed just because they're routine to you. I didn't realise my absolute focus on tone was abnormal until about six weeks ago for example.

[alanscottevil.livejournal.com]

random compliments on the harry potter snakes on a plane icon!