I picked up the chart for my patient today and his last name jumped out at me. "H...," I said to my colleague; "I dated a guy in high school with the same last name." I set up the lab bench and went back to [colleague]'s area to get some supplies. "The H... I knew ended up being a jerk, so I'm glad that this guy has a different first name," I told him. He half-smiled and said, "yea, I could kinda tell that there was something there by the way you said 'H...' "
The funny thing is, I hadn't realized that I'd put any kind of inflection on the surname when I spoke it. I think its strange that people who you knew way back when can still evoke an emotional response when you think of them. I've read that people who move around a lot equate "home" with a set of personal relationships, and not a physical location. Is that why thinking of old contacts elicits such a strong emotional reaction for me?
I suppose that I'm thinking about "old friends" more than usual lately because I have recently come into re-contact with a couple, thanks to the power of the world wide web. [[Shout-outs to Jeni and Brian. Woop! Woop!!]]
That ol' Memory Lane sure is a wacky road!