Brains work in different ways at different times and under different conditions.

When I did the bellyflop in my kitchen and broke my arm, the first thing I did was try to stand up, of course. Then I knew I needed to call someone for help -- I wouldn't be able to get to the ER by myself, one handed. I wanted to call Jeri who lives near, knows the phone number of where Tom was working and has a very easy phone number to remember -- but I could not wrap my brain around it.

What I COULD do was call my up-the-hill neighbor -- whose phone # was our prefix (which I could remember) plus lower left hand corner, upper left hand corner, upper right hand corner and lower right hand corner.

I could remember the three number prefix that I'd known for almost 30 years, but I couldn't remember a simple mnemonic that had been in my brain less than 10 years. But I COULD remember a pattern of numbers on the phone keypad.

I found it fascinating.

Linn