Jonti.org » memory http://jonti.org Building connections between ideas. Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:09:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 That specific spot in my brain… http://jonti.org/my-life/my-brain http://jonti.org/my-life/my-brain#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:17:06 +0000 jonti http://jonti.org/?p=393 For the last 18 months I have had a locker at the New York Sports club at Grand Central.  I have gone to the gym 2-3 times a week and always unlocked the combination lock on my locker.  It is a master lock, like the one pictured.  Not once during that entire 18 months did I forget the combination to that lock, or even have to think for a moment to recall it.  The last time I opened that lock was on Saturday, August 15th.

My brain only has space for one master lock combination to a gym locker.

On Monday, August 17th, I signed up for a new gym at Columbia and I got a new locker.  This locker also has a master lock combination lock guarding it.  I memorized the combination, then went about my day.

I’m sure you can guess what happened, but I’ll tell you anyway.

Today I went to my old gym to cancel my account and retrieve all the stuff from my locker.  Lo and behold, I could not remember the combination to the lock.  All I could bring to mind when I tried to remember it was the combination to my new locker at the new gym.  I finally had to get the manager to open the lock for me.  Even now, hours later, no amount of concentration will bring to mind that old combination, but the new combination is at the tip of my tongue.

My conclusion is that I have space in my brain for exactly one combination to a gym locker.

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