Unforgettable

Someone who I have not seen in over two decade saw me today and knew who I was immediately. She said she read my name as her sub for the day and remembered it from the old days. I am still a little freaked out that this happened. It is great that she has a good (excellent?) memory but I am used to people trying to forget who I am and that is a long, long list. Of course, the person who I mentioned in a recent blog who cannot remember me still confuses me. This person is one I met three times last year and I interviewed for this blog yet had no idea who I am when we ran into each other at a recent convention. That makes no sense when compared to the person who I have not seen in 20 years. She has married since then (many people do this) and her name had changed so I was not aware it was her.

The teacher asked if we went to the same school and my fight or flight instinct almost kicked in."Run!" I thought or at least lie to her. But I didn't. I told her yes, that was me. I usually don't say yes. I have no twitter or Tumblr accounts to track me through. Looking for me on social network sites is like trying to find  a needle due to my common name. One of my little jokes is that I am not an Al, I am the Al.

I like it this way, remaining anonymous. In a way, it means no one can touch me. It has always been the way I see myself, as the guy behind the scenes, the one who never catches your eye. Physically I will never stand out in a crowd. There are various reasons for this. Mainly due to my height. It is tough working in a middle school where most of the students are taller than you are. Another part is that I am never going to win a beauty contest which I made my peace with a long time ago.

I prefer working behind the scenes. Fame has never been a great motivator to me. People who want to stand out in a crowd are fine but I prefer to remain basically invisible. A generic name and a nondescript physical appearance really helps with that.

So basically my theory of being forgettable is now shot. I cannot blame anyone else. I accepted that job. Allen Ryde also contributed to the destruction of my theory. We met briefly in the middle of last year and yet he recalled who I was in February. Basically the above incidents destroyed my forgettable theory. Darn your good memories!

I am not going to post a picture of myself here since showing myself would be contrary to what I am saying here.