31 - Memory

At an abstract level, my day job is to find solutions to fundamentally complicated and intractable problems.  These are the sort of problems that don't have ideal, or in some cases even "good", solutions.  They're "solved" by devising a solution that either produces the least pain, or that optimizes around certain goals at the expense of other potential (and probably reasonable) goals.  Sadly, I have a terrible memory, which is an unfortunate trait for somebody who does what I do for a living.  The way I compensate for my memory is to take notes.  Copious, detailed notes.  I've become quite good at it.  I can write and type very fast, and with a lot of independence from other tasks I might need to do.  So, I can look at somebody, listen to what they're saying, and write or type a completely different thing all at the same time (being a musician helps with that, actually).  It sometimes freaks people out.  On the other hand, people often want my meeting notes because they're so detailed and organized.  Frankly, I'd rather have a good memory.  Because if it doesn't get noted, it's as good as gone.