Sunday, January 12, 2025

Selective Memory

I watched a British TV series this weekend called The Marlow Murder Club.  This wasn't about the show - which was a lightweight and forgettable murder mystery geared towards an older and female demographic.  No, I watched it because it was set in Marlow - and I used to live in Marlow a long time ago (about 20 years ago now, shockingly).  At least I thought I did, but watching this show with all it's establishing shots of Marlow itself - absolutely nothing seemed familiar to me.  And I started to question whether I even did live there.  But no, I checked my address book and I did briefly have a Marlow address - it was when I was working in Slough, when I was back in the UK after returning from San Diego but before I went back to the US for good.  And despite being located in Slough, it was a pretty good job (indeed, I interviewed and was offered a job at the same company's office in North Carolina about 12 years ago - and one of my biggest professional regrets is not taking that job). But clearly Marlow was very forgettable - even having presumably lived there for about a year.  Not really a surprise, it is not the kind of place I would really chose to live in - in many ways, not dissimilar to Hertford and Godalming.  I should have lived in Windsor, because I remember that was where a lot of my colleagues lived.  But I'm shocked at not being able to remember anything about Marlow.  Was it really that bad?  I don't think so, but it just happens to be one of those things that my brain has decided not to remember.  There are places that I spent a lot less time at that I remember a lot more clearly.  It strikes me how weird the mind works.            

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