IamA 24 year old man living with anterograde amnesia. My life is organized by a notebook. AMA!

Didn't you already do an AMA earlier?

I just checked my post history. I don't think I have - or if I have it was deleted.

You should post an AMA every day for the next few years.

Haha, a good idea but I'm afraid it would simply take up too much time.

Thank you for doing this AMA.

What was your morning like? How did you know to read the notebook?

Also, how in depth is the notebook?

Do you have any creative interests?

Edit: ignore the repeat questions, the AMA was blank when I first posted.

You're very welcome. I figured reddit would be interested.

This morning? I don't know! I don't remember it. I'm on EST so it's 2100 here now. My last clear memory is from around... 1400. It gets fuzzy after that. My notes say I slept in a good bit and had steak and eggs for breakfast.

How in-depth the notebook is depends on the day. Some days I feel the need to write EVERYTHING I can down and other days only have a few hastily scrawled reminders. The front few pages of the notebook (the part that explains my condition and the part I read first) is rather detailed about what I can expect out of my daily experience.

Creative interests? I'm glad you asked. I'm a writer and I'm currently in the middle of writing a book (a mix of poetry and exegesis of the poems) about faith in suffering. It's not too hard to write because I write the poems and explanations all in one go, so there's not too much I lose in continuity.

That sounds cool. Have you ever read Pale Fire?

Haha, I like your lack of sensitivity ;-) I have not read Pale Fire. What's it about?

Edit: Sorry. I thought this was a reply to my main post. forget what I said about sensitivity or lack thereof.

Pale Fire is essentially a poem with commentary. The way the story goes is that the author of the poem (John Shade) died the day he completed the poem, so his friend (Charles Kinbote) does an intro and commentary on the poem to elaborate. As it turns out, the story is a lot more mysterious. We don't know how Shade died, and Kinbote seems to easily get off track. In the end, you are left wondering who wrote the poem, whether Shade even exists, and if Kinbote really was Shades friend. I would highly recommend reading it, but you would have to read really quickly, probably read the intro and the poem, make some notes about the content of both. Then after you... reset... read the notes you made, then read Kinbote's commentary and keep notes about the threads that Kinbote keeps talking about. It's by Nabakov, the guy who wrote Lolita, but I think it is much better, and it doesn't have the creepy pedophile undertones.
tl;dr crazy story about a poem, sort of a whodunnit and whowroteit. Read while taking notes heavily.

Edit: I also want to say that I admire you for forging forward despite what's happened to you. It's really cool that you've decided to do something with your life, and not get all messy (I sort of love the movie Memento, so sorry if that seemed melodramatic).

Thanks. Could I find Pale fire online somewhere? Oh... wait... google. Right. That.

Edit: Found it.

When you read back notes for earlier in the day, is it immediately clear right after that? Like, oh yea, I remember those eggs now.

Nah, it's learning new information. So it's more like "Oh, huh. I need to go get eggs."

Dude, make a YouTube channel.

I might just do that. I like this idea.

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I was a lurker before the accident.

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But imagine--this man has no recollection of reposts which happen due to OC after the accident...he's the ideal audience.

Exactly!

When you see a good movie, do you write it down and watch it again another day? There is a few movies I wish I could see for the first time again.

Edit: Typo

YES! The Avengers! I LOVE Joss Whedon and Joss Whedon writing for Robert Downey Jr has got to be one of the best things ever in cinema.

How do you know you love the Avengers/Joss Whedon? Just based off what your notebook says, or have you watched it today?

I know about the Avengers based off the notebook but I've been a Whedon fan since running across Buffy, followed by Firefly and Dollhouse.

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I don't know right now... that's food for thought.

Is it hard to form new relationships with other people? Is your network of friends and family permanently defined by those who knew you before your accident?

Thanks for the AMA and good luck with everything man!

It's difficult but I think it's harder on the people I'm forming the relationship with than for me. I'm an open, gregarious, accepting guy. I'm willing to tell my story to stranger on the bus (or on the internet) and I'm willing to accept them for who they are at the drop of a hat. So, when I'm meeting someone for the 20th time for them and the 1st time (again) for me, I'm willing to be friends. That being said, I still have a relatively functional subconscious memory. So people I have seen often will start to look familiar (though I won't know why). If you and I were to start hanging out on a weekly basis and then I were to pass you on the street, I would think "Oh! I know them from... somewhere... I think..."

So yeah, I make friends still. I actually lost contact with most of my friends from church and school when the accident happened. I don't blame them at all. Who has time for the mentally impaired when you're busy graduating and getting married and finding a job?

I think you've kind of answered it with this reply when you said that people become familiar, but if you do something daily for quite a while does it become more of a part of your memory? I'm trying to think of something simple, but like a routine of cleaning a certain room or knowing which shoes are yours at the front door?

Yes it does. If I were to go into my kitchen right now and fry myself some bacon, I would know instinctively where the pans and bacon were and how to operate my stove. If you asked me how they work when I'd been away from them for 8 hours? I would have no clue. But when I'm just going about the everyday, I work on instinct and I can train my instinct (eventually).

Can you boost old memories at all? For example, you read a book before your accident that you could barely remember. If you re-read it yesterday would it at all bolster the old memory of the book?

I THINK so... I'm not sure. I'll have to test that out.

Do you ever try to binge watch seasons of tv shows? 6-8 hours is almost a season of breaking bad.

Hah, I stuck with the shows I was watching before and kept notes (in a different media-oriented notebook). So I'm up to date on Community (RIP), Castle, and Sherlock.

Wait. How do you remember seeing Memento?

I saw it before the accident. I have anterograde amnesia (the inability to hold onto new memories after an incident) not retrograde amnesia (the loss of memories previous to the incident).

Maybe you don't remember the morning, but how does the realization each day feel for you? Are you sad? Is there a way for you to adapt to it, if that is the right word?

Oh wow! I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my original post. I also have a form of anhedonia (it's not proper anhedonia). I really don't feel anything much in the way of strong emotions. I don't get happy or sad or angry or hopeful or fearful. Nothing much at all. It's kind of dehumanizing when I think about it.

What's the funniest situation that has happened due to your short term memory? Have you ever woken up next to someone you didn't recognise?

Funniest? Man, that's a hard one - not because there's so many but because I don't remember. I'm sure there are thousands. One from this evening was this: when having dinner with a friend they said "Hey, do you remember the other day when..." and I just stared at them with a little smile until they realized what they'd said and felt horrible about it. We laughed about it though, so I wasn't too cruel, I think.

I'm a cuddle-whore (though not a man-whore these days - I have a faith that keeps me from sex) so I've woken up next to a few people I didn't recognize. I have a note to remind myself to tell them that they need to slap my notebook in my hands the moment I open my eyes and say "read this." There haven't been too many problems - or at least none that I wrote down.

You talked about being a Christian, so do you have to read in a notebook how strong your faith is? Or do you wake up knowing that? Very interesting AMA, thanks!

My notebook has a few reminders about my faith but the core beliefs were there before the accident.

Thanks for doing an AMA on this topic/your condition.

My question(I hope it doesn't sound harsh): How is it to open your notebook and see the last or older notes once they are forgotten? I don't know much about how you write to yourself, but do you ever read what you've written before and made a judgement about your past self, be it how he/you wrote or what you've written about?

I judge my past self all the time (at least I did today). It helps me keep my conduct above board since I know I'll be looking back on it later with a different mindset.

I suffered retrograde and anterograde amnesia (losing ~9 months total) following a tbi a few years ago but I can process new memories fine. My first question is, do you get headaches and how do you cope? I'm on Topiramate.

Second, how is your social life? I'm unable to maintain relationships beyond my wife and kids who are stuck with me. No confidence since I don't trust my memory still and I don't know what I did or didn't do during the time I don't recall. Ty for this AMA.

I do have headaches. They're constant and never leave. The meds I've tried to deal with the pain have only made it worse. I manage it by secluding the pain in one part of my mind and then ignoring it. Otherwise, it would get in the way of everything.

I have something similar.. only it happens on Friday and Saturday nights.

Hah, this IS a bit like the hangover from hell.

Have you ever written something down to intentionally screw with your future self?

wait, bad question...I guess you might not remember. this is hard.

I can't afford to. Everything has to be reliable in order for the notebook to work.

Will you be writing down that you did this AMA? And then come back and read it? What a strange experience. Thank you do doing this. I sincerely hope your condition improves as I imagine it is quite taxing on you.

Thanks.

And yes, I'll make a note somewhere that I did an AMA and I'll probably come back to it. I don't know what I'll think then.

Could you describe an average day for you? What runs through your mind during the small parts of your day?

An average day? I don't really remember so that's hard to answer. I wake up and the first thing I see is my notebook lying on my bed, next to my head. I read it and start adapting to the most bizarre life I could ever have imagined. Then, I go about my day. Some days I have therapy with a functional neurologist. Some days I see a psychologist or psychologist. Some days I actually teach a writing class for a group of homeschoolers (though that's over for the year now). I recently started going to the gym again. I missed being fit.

How do you remind yourself of appointments? Lots of alarms?

I don't suffer from amnesia and it is STILL damn near impossible to get to any engagements on time. I feel for ya buddy, and wish you all the best!

Notes and alarms. Lots and lots of alarms. Smart phones are helpful (though I can't actually remember getting mine).

So you see these therapists and neurologists often, and have to meet them for the first time, every time?

Pretty much.

So... do you have a backup of your notebook?

What happens the day it fails?

I have a string of notebooks. This is notebook 10 (at least it says it is). I also have a tiny version of the notebook that I keep in my back pocket for when I don't want to lug the big one around in my satchel.

When this one runs out, I'll start another one.

You should keep it in a moleskin and scan everything into Evernote or similar, or even just write all your notes there.

Fully searchable.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but I'm just a HAIR paranoid. I don't like the idea of using a third party to store my data. Also, the fact that my notes are in MY handwriting makes them a LOT more believable.

Do you ever have days where you feel you can't fully trust what's written in your notebook? I only ask because of your comment on your own handwriting being more believable.

I don't know... I DO have it written down that my first thought is often that this is probably just another nightmare. I even have a tattoo on my left forearm that reminds me that even if I'm dreaming, I have hope in my God.

Does anterograde amnesia still allow people to dream when asleep, and if so, do you remember your dreams when you wake up?

I do dream. I have nightmares pretty much every night. I remember them when I wake up for a while but they fade like every other memory.

So when people dream they generally remember them most when they first wake up and than it fades the longer they've been awake. Is that how you whole day goes?

That's a good way of putting it.

Have you tried keeping a dream journal?

Could you imagine if he confused that with his normal journal?

That would be a nightmare! ;-)

I am so sorry to hear about your condition and I hope you can recover from it. Have you ever lost your notebook?

I don't know... (sorry that's going to be the answer to a lot of these, I'm sure)

Have you forgotten that you are doing an AMA yet?

I'll probably go to bed before I forget that I'm doing an AMA. That being said, I've got a note already that says to come back and visit this tomorrow and see if I can answer any more questions. I'll definitely have forgotten by then. I wonder what I'll think of it... Without that note, it's quite possible that I would think "Oh, I know! I should do an AMA on reddit."

Edit: letters

This is a great AMA. I pray that you make a recovery some day and can fully remember this conversation.

Thanks!

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Maybe, I haven't done it today but I'm sure I could. If I have in the past, well, I guess it worked.

My cousin's wife suffered a head injury that left her suffering with amnesia for 4 years. She never fully regained her memory.

What is your prognosis?

I wish you well and great success!

I'm sorry to hear about your wife. It must be so hard for both of you going through that. Thank you for your well-wishes.

We're not sure what the future holds. My memory has improved somewhat (from about 4-6 hours to 6-8 and was as high as 10 before I took a spill on some ice over the winter that set me back) and my mental capacity has increased somewhat (I'm focusing better and for longer these days). So, there is room for improvement but I'm not hopeful for a full recovery and only the most upbeat of my therapists is looking for one. In all probability I'll be using this notebook until the day I die in one way or another.

If you were to start playing guitar, could your muscle memory kick in and you get better each time? Like maybe you left a note saying which song you had learned the day before.

Yes! Hooray for muscle memory! I am currently practicing on my mandolin, my crappy keyboard, and my voice.

First off, this is a very interesting AMA so far so thank you! Are you able to work with your condition? If not, what is your day to day like?

I'm not able to maintain a full-time job but I have some things I can do. This school year I taught a once-a-week writing class to a group of homescoolers at my church. I actually just finished calculating their final grades about an hour ago. I also do some work for my grandfather who manages a local cemetery. I've been working for him on and off since I was eight years old (that's an AMA post in itself there). I can't fully support myself so my folks pay the rent for now. If a certain insurance company stops being a dill-hole about my claim, that might change though...

What on earth could be stopping your insurance company? Are they being jerks about the accident, or your condition?

I really shouldn't talk about it until things are resolved.

Do you fear going to bed at night, knowing that the last day is about to be lost? If so, how do you calm you self enough to sleep?

I don't feel fear (look at my edit of the main post).

You seem pretty upbeat about all of this, when you have every right to be angry and upset. How did you get to this place?

Well, most of what gets me though is my faith. I'm a Christian who takes his faith pretty darn seriously. My beliefs give me hope for eternity that gives me strength for the everyday. Also, I'm kind of lacking in emotions. I'll probably include an edit in my post about it. I don't feel anything strongly. So no fear, hope, anger, sorrow, happiness. Nothing much besides a passionless "I like this" or "I don't like this."

Was the emotional state caused by the accident? Or have you always existed as such?

An astute question! It was a result of the accident but it was a gradual result (I'm fairly certain it was a defense mechanism). My notes tell me that a few months after the accident, I began to lose my emotions until they were pretty much all gone.

Hi Mr_Forgetful! It was very brave of you to do an AMA. My question is, do you see yourself in the future married and with kids?

Whoo! And the question of the day goes to /u/lunalovegoodx!

I have NO idea. I always wanted to get married and have kids but now...

Right now, I THINK if I met the perfect woman for me, I could get married. But I don't think a guy with memory problems like mine could raise kids well at all. If you are like me and have kids, I wish you the best, but I don't think I should.

What's the thing you miss most from having a memory? E.G - Watching a weekly tv show.

Reading! I love to read new books and read thousands of them before the accident. But now, I forget how they begin before I get to the ending (short stories aren't too bad). So I don't read new books. It's a darn shame.

As an avid reader, your response damn near put me to tears!

I wish you all the best.

Thanks. Fortunately, I can reread books I have read before and I've read quite a few. I'm currently working my way through C.S. Lewis' space trilogy for the... 14th? 17th time? They never get old to me.

What's been the thing you've most had to adjust to?

Gosh... it's all so much. I'm in a new apartment, I have HAIR, I have constant pain, I have to get used to not knowing so much... I don't think I can pick one aspect of it. It all goes together.

Do you mean constant physical pain, or emotional/mental pain?

Physical. It's a headache that never goes away.

How has your faith(as evidenced in some of your comments) play a role in how you deal with anterograde amnesia?

Good question. This answer might get a little long and a LITTLE preachy (though I'll try to steer clear of preachy-ness as much as possible).

So, here's my faith: I'm a Christian who believes that the Bible is truth and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth to live a human life, and die a substitutionary death on the cross, paying for the sins of the world. That substitution bought me a place in a world that will come after I pass though the gates of death, being united with my Maker after living in a cold world that is (at least partially) separated from him. My actions in this world have an impact there. I can build up what the Bible calls "treasures in heaven" by doing things that honor God while I'm here on earth.

I'll be honest. I've lost pretty much all interest in this world. I'm not suicidal at all (far from it) but my attitude is one of "what can I do here to prepare myself for heaven?" That means showing kindness, charity, forgiveness, respect, and love (unselfishness) to everyone I come across.

How it effects my relating to my condition? It gives me strength knowing that someday I will lay down arms and rest - truly rest - at last. I have been asked to carry a rather heavy cross in this lifetime but I believe what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians "...this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."

Of the memories you still have, which one is your best?

Which is your earliest?

My earliest memory is from before I was one year old. I was being held by my mother, looking out our back door, seeing my father's red car in the driveway. I had a pretty great memory before the accident.

My BEST memory? I don't know if I can pick a best one. All of what I remember is part of me in some way.

Edit: that second part sounded a LOT less cheesy in my head.

Who do you live with? You know, since someone has to be there to give you your notebook and stuff? Also have your friends stuck with you?

I live on my own. My notebook lives next to my head on my bed at night. It's one of the first things I see when I wake up.

Some of my friends have stuck with me. I've got maybe... 3 good friends that I've known from before the accident. I have a few more that I met afterwords.

When you find yourself in a position when you need to read your notebook or make a new note, do you just remember that you have it on you or do you "discover" it, kinda like notes in memento?

I keep pretty careful watch on the time, so I refresh my memory from the notes before things start to go gray. That being said, if I were to start getting confused, I think I would instinctively reach for my notebook now.

How do you experience a persistent injury? What I mean is, if you break your arm of course you know you have a cast on. Does that cast act like an anchor at all and keep reminding you of the incident in which you broke your arm?

I suppose a better why to ask would be, if you were to keep thinking a specific thought would you remember it indefinitely or would the memory fade with everything else?

I don't know. Do you know how hard it is to keep a -

Crap. I lost the game. I HATE the game but every time I remember I'm trying to quit, it's AFTER I remember that I'm playing it. Screw everything!

How do you remember that you have the notebook?

Like if i stole it from you for 8 hours, would you just be completely lost?

If you stole it for eight hours, when I finally got things sorted out, I would hunt you down and berate you very sternly - with my fists.

Would you get angry enough about it to actually do that? Or would you just feel inconvenienced and be reacting to the knowledge that the person has done a very mean thing? How do you think you would feel about it? This is the most interesting AMA I've seen in ages, so thanks for doing it!

It's the principle of the thing. I wouldn't be angry, I would just owe you. And I try to pay my debts ;-)

When you wake up, do you recognize your notebook and know exactly what it is, or do you rediscover it everyday (at least this morning)? Also, when you wake up, do you know what day it is, or do you always wake up thinking it's the day after your accident?

This is immensely interesting, thank you for doing this!

I think at this point, it's just instinct to wake up and reach for my notebook. I've done it every day for years now.

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No pics from the inside. Those notes contain the inside of my mind. You know all the things that you would NEVER write down because they're too terrible? I have to - about my own thoughts and about other people's lives. No one gets to see inside.

How much time during each day do you spend reading your notebooks to refamiliarize yourself with your life?

It depends on how well I'm digesting it. It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the day. Some days are better than others (I record each day how long it takes me).

What do you do for an income? Is it possible to hold down a normal job with your amnesia, or do you get some sort of disability payment?

No full-time job. Waiting on an insurance claim to go through. Insurance companies are jerks.

So you don't even remember that you have the condition until you read the notebook in the morning? I'd be interested to know how it feels to take in the fact that you "missed" 2 years of your life every morning, though I understand you don't remember this morning. Would it be too much to ask you to make a note to come back to the thread tomorrow?

I've already got a note that says to come back tomorrow. Post a comment tomorrow and I'l try to answer it - I think - for all I know, I could be like "forget this" and run off the Spain.

are you physically active? running/biking/etc

if so, do you find the motivation to do such things has to be found anew each day or is that something that remains?

Thanks for sharing!

I actually just started going to the gym again. I was pretty sedentary for most of the past two years (I think - I have a bit of a gut now). I can't get my heart rate too high for too long or I start experiencing negative cognitive effects. I can lift though as long as I take good long breaks in between the different lifts. I can even do a bit of cardio so long as I carefully measure my heart rate and keep it low enough. Fitness is important to me.

Have you met others in a situation familiar to yours ? Do you guys remember each other at all ? Thanks for doing this ama!

You're more than welcome!

I don't think I've met anyone else like me. If I had, I think I would have written it down somewhere prominent.

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VERY studious notes and daily reminders to check my bank balance.

Is there any chance of your ability to make new memories returning?

There's always a chance... but I also believe in miracles. So maybe not :-)

What I am getting from your answers is that you are kind of re-set every morning when you wake up, so is it during sleep where everything that day gets erased? What happens if you stay up all night into the next day? Any memory loss if you happen to take a nap in the evening? This is probably the best casual AMA in a long time, its so curious to learn about.

I've got about 8 hours before things start to fade, so I usually have to refresh from the notes once per day after reading them in the morning. If I were to stay up all night, that would simply necessitate another refresher.

I was reading one of your comments about having functional subconscious memory, and that gets me thinking: with everything you understand about yourself and the anterograde amnesia, do you think that you could potentially learn a new skill and continually improve upon it? The main thing that comes to mind is playing an instrument, since doing that over and over would condition your muscle memory, but I imagine there would still be quite a lot of disconnect.

OP is pretty fair at instruments, knowing music theory prior to accident helps and muscle memory is not so impaired. Have jammed with OP before and since accident

Hey, we've met? PM me?

Have you started any new relationships/friendships with people you met after the accident?

Some. It's rough but I manage. I answered a similar question to this already so go looking for there for more details.

Did you get your anhedonia from the car accident, or have you always had it?

Fro the accident, but it sort of happened gradually after (according to my notes). I'm fairly certain it is a defense mechanism.

Dude, you did this AMA last week already.

Hahaha... good one...

*goes to check post history

Do you wake up knowing something is wrong everyday? Do you know that something has happened to your memory the second you wake up? What I mean is without outside stimulus telling you your memory-making ability has been compromised would you know something was wrong with you?

I don't mean "wrong with you" I just can't word it any better. Thanks for doing this AMA, memory has always been something I've found very interesting. My dad had brain surgey a few years back and his short term memory and depth perception were affected, not that his memory was ever great before. I've seen recently that it has rapidly started to deteriorate, beginning with him never shutting doors, putting things away, and now with conversations covering the same topics and him making the same jokes in them multiple times during the same day. It's a hard thing to deal with but it's just something you have to adjust to.

I wake up confused and in intense pain. So I guess you could say that I'm aware that something is wrong. My first assumption (according to my notes) is that it's just another scarily realistic nightmare. I have a lot of those.

Edit: I'm also very sorry to hear about your dad. I hope things get better for him.

How often do you get replies on reddit and wonder what the hell the person is talking about?

Pretty much any time they happen, I think :-)

Do you forget that you're an amnesiac (is that what you call them?) every time you forget things?

Yup! What a life!

Do you enjoy new things? Like, do you even bother watching new movies or TV shows knowing that you won't retain any of what you experience?

I like new things. And some things are always going to be new - mostly. I can get accustomed to some things subconsciously and then they lack the luster of something new without the comfort of familiarity and then it sucks. But I have notes to watch The Avengers and the second two seasons of Sherlock once a month or so.

How does learning new things happen? Like browsing new websites or using new programs on a computer. Do you remember things like that?

What about new fads like yolo? Or whatever was in between the accident and now.

I'm pretty much out of tough with fads. I have a few links saved on chrome to check out for pop culture references (so I watched the song 'Let it Go' from Frozen today).

Learning new things is possible so long as I can get it into my relatively intact subconscious. If it's mussel-memory, I'm pretty good (I'm training my voice as a singer right now with a musical friend). With details, I'm lost. I could take piano lessons but not a history course.

So would it be a cover band? If not, how would you learn songs?

I wrote a good many sings before the accident. But I have written a few since. If I record the songs and play them enough, they eventually slip into my subconscious mind and I can even get them stuck in my head without knowing why.

Would you consider changing to a tablet to write your thoughts. You can sync it with an application and make your mind searchable in seconds.

Do you prefer the pen and paper for any specific reason?

Pen and paper allows me to write in my own handwriting (which is easier for me to believe) and (get this) to write in elvish. The more personal notes that I write I write using Tolkien's Tengwar so that they're not easily readable to anyone who tries to sneak a peek.

Have you ever lost your notebook?

I don't know...

Is there any chance the you could "Snap out of it"?

What caused the injury inside your body, was it spinal in nature, an injury directly to the brain?

All of your answers have been extremely interesting. Thanks for doing this!

1. No clue 2. It was trauma to the head itself - I think... I'm not sure. But I know my back issues are not a direct result of the accident. Those came about as the result of a botched spinal tap. Fun!

What is your favorite Bible verse?

Ephesians 3:14-21. Paul's prayer for spiritual strength

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

How do you remember you have amnesia?

(This is serious, sorry if I seem insensitive.)

The short answer is that I don't. I have to read my notes (sitting next to my head on my bed every night) to tell me what is going on.

Are you ever worried you will be delayed and not be able to get to the book before your memory is lost? I would constantly live with that fear.

I carry a small version of the notebook (or the real thing) with me wherever I go, wrapped in a ziplock bag in case of water.

Do you like turtles?

What kind of turtles? I'm ok with most of them but I'm cautious around snappers.

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I hope the next time you get a blowjob from your sister, she accidentally bites your tiny penis and you get a nasty infection to go along with your herpes.

HAHAHAHAHA. Thanks for coming to my defense (I saw the original comment - it was pretty horrific).