LadyButterfly I have a neighbour named "Neighbour Lady". Her dogs are Oats and Bailey. The next neighbours down are the "I think they're a gay couple: Big one", and "I think they're a gay couple: Small one". Then there's "Black Rachel", whose name I can remember because I already know several Rachels, and she's the only African-Canadian one.

There's also "The Guy with the Grey Cap Whose Mailbox is Next to Mine" and "The Guy with the Two Kids Who Lives Three Doors Down" who may or may not be the same guy. I have no way of telling.

I'm a good neighbour.

Oh, I listen. And I forgot after two minutes. What's worse is I can't remember faces either.

When I meet someone new, I straight-up say, "I apologize in advance for forgetting your name." It usually gets a chuckle, and an admittance that they'll probably forget my name, too.

Which is great, because then neither of us feels embarrassed when the inevitable moment comes.

One must meet me on at least three separate occasions before their name earns a place in my memory.

I would absolutely dominate at competitive name-forgetting.

I can trump this:

Remembering your name depends on things I can't even name. E.g. in my direct social vicinity are two people. Really nice, I like them and I do know their names now, after like 2yrs knowing them. But, for the love of any deity, I don't know who got which name. I do remember their faces and they're not like twins.

It makes up for so many embarrassing situations it makes me angry. Like where one of them said hi to me and then I meet the other one. Or not. I don't know. Do I say "hi" now (to the one I met before) and look like a dumb dingdong, or do i ignore the greeting and look like an impolite Dingdong (to the one i haven't met)...

That's all beside the not-easily remembering names at all.

I listen, but only after I remind myself to really listen this time, by which point they've already finished telling me their name.

I have the same problem.

I've gotten pretty good at using different memory techniques. I can recite pi to 150 decimal places, but it's so hard to remember a name, when you don't listen.

It's not like you're ever going to use their name, anyway.

I do that.