I can’t remember phone numbers

[Allen ★]

Or more specifically can’t learn new ones. 
I still have a land line because cell coverage sucks out here. I have two friends that I call on a regular basis. I have to look up their numbers every single time. 

[Further]

I lived in the same house for 15 years, I still can't remember the name of the street 2 blocks over.

[Ralphie ★]

I can still remember the one number I used to call the most, but other than that, it is hard enough to remember the three I have now.

[bikeman564™]

I still remember my phone number growing up, and a few friend's numbers. Now w/ cell phones, I don't remember because I don't dial  a phone

[Further]

315-853-5974

was my phone number for 19 years, 45 years ago...

[Longjohn ★]

I just threw out a box of landline phones that remembered 15 numbers. We bought them not too long before we canceled our landlines. I was trying to clean out our storage room. I didn’t think anyone would want them. They were all cordless landlines, hot stuff before the cell phones. We even packed them away in their original boxes.

[shootingstar]

Because I've worked for different employers, I've had to remember different work phone numbers.

It took me a few weeks 3 yrs. ago, to remember my latest work number...because...less people are using/wanting my work number vs. Skype, now Teams chat or using email.

[Allen ★]

35 minutes ago, bikeman564™ said:

Now w/ cell phones, I don't remember because I don't dial  a phone

This. This is what I’m blaming for my failed memory. 

[shootingstar]

17 minutes ago, Allen said:

This. This is what I’m blaming for my failed memory. 

I never attempted ever to remember friends' phone numbers even back in my 20's, etc. I'm always amazed by people who remember their grocery bill points collector card to cite it for cashier. I just whip out my card or bypass it if I forgot the card.

There are more critical numbers to remember.

[Dottleshead ★]

867-5309

[shootingstar]

Since I'm a librarian by career for first 25 yrs., yes I did remember certain classification numbers...not whole thing. Usually that was linked to location within library ..on shelves.  People expect that abit...they are watching/observing how one navigates between paper research vs. watching you conduct research online different database platforms.  This happens in online world even in covid.  It is ....research performance.  So there's stuff I prefer remember "how to do something" by navigating familar markers...vs. exact string of numbers.

[Bikeguy]

I remember my dad's landline..  It was my home number 45+ years ago.  I remember my cell phone number and WoBG's cell phone number.  And that's it... 

Once I left my cell phone at home when WoBG and I were driving to WI to visit our daughter.   I started to get 'concerned' about 'what if' something happens, etc.. and we needed to call our daughter.  We had NO idea what her phone number is. (still don't). 

I can tell my car to call my daughter, (assuming my phone is in the car) but I have NO idea what her phone number is.  

Technology... eliminated the need to know... until technology fails.   Then you are in trouble.  

[shootingstar]

16 minutes ago, Bikeguy said:

I remember my dad's landline..  It was my home number 45+ years ago.  I remember my call phone number and WoBG's cell phone number.  And that's it... 

Once I left my cell phone at home when WoBG and I were driving to WI to visit our daughter.   I started to get 'concerned' about 'what if' something happens, etc.. and we needed to call our daughter.  We had NO idea what her phone number is. (still don't). 

I can tell my car to call my daughter, (assuming my phone is in the car) but I have NO idea what her phone number is.  

Just make sure your daughter remembers her parents' cell phone numbers.

I remember landlines for 2 homes and my work number.  That's it.  I don't bother to remember my mother's nor 4 other sibliings' different numbers...: they live in a different province.

For every single employer, I've had to discard work phone numbers for each previous employers.

Now I kinda stumble abit trying to remember 4 siblings' birthdays.  I've given up on 7 different nieces and nephews. Dearie scolds me.... I try to remember their ages. But every year I have to change those numbers.

 

[sheep_herder ★]

7 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

Just make sure your daughter remembers her parents' cell phone numbers.

I remember landlines for 2 homes and my work number.  That's it.  I don't bother to remember my mother's nor 4 other sibliings' different numbers...: they live in a different province.

For every single employer, I've had to discard work phone numbers for each previous employers.

Now I kinda stumble abit trying to remember 4 siblings' birthdays.  I've given up on 7 different nieces and nephews. Dearie scolds me.... I try to remember their ages. But every year I have to change those numbers.

 

My wife sets aside a bit of time in January each year to fill out birthdays on the New Year's calendar. I think most land line phones have a place to record numbers that go on speed dial. Seems like a reasonable thing to do for numbers that are called frequently.

[shootingstar]

9 minutes ago, sheep_herder said:

My wife sets aside a bit of time in January each year to fill out birthdays on the New Year's calendar. I think most land line phones have a place to record numbers that go on speed dial. Seems like a reasonable thing to do for numbers that are called frequently.

Dearie is very good about his side of family re birthdays that's why he criticizes me.

[ChrisL]

17 minutes ago, sheep_herder said:

My wife sets aside a bit of time in January each year to fill out birthdays on the New Year's calendar. 

The Dutch keep birthday calendars in their bathroom.  There is no day of the week, just the month & day with a line next to it to write in the persons name.  

My mom gave me one decades ago.  It keeps us from having to do that every year.

[ChrisL]

Pre cell phones I would memorize several numbers I called often.  Now I don’t even know my wife’s or kids.  I know my cell as I had to enter it at the gym but anymore there isn’t much need to know your own number.

[Scrapr ★]

well bitd it was a lot easier. All of Oregon was 1 prefix. So it wasn't 10 digit dialing...only 7 numbers. It got harder in 1995

[Bikeguy]

1 hour ago, sheep_herder said:

My wife sets aside a bit of time in January each year to fill out birthdays on the New Year's calendar.

Or you can set up a reoccurring annual appointment in a computer calendar once.   I use Outlook for my calendar.  Too many years using Outlook at work for me to change.

Outlook syncs with my phone and my wife's phone.  So the birthday (or any calendar reminder) is in my laptop, my wife's desktop computer and our phones.

[Ralphie ★]

867-5309

555-1212

How’s My Driving?

1-800-EAT-SHIT.

 

[Ralphie ★]

2 hours ago, Bikeguy said:

 I use Outlook for my calendar.  Too many years using Outlook at work for me to change

It is a pleasure to use a non-web-based program. Browsers and the web were never meant to be program interfaces the way they are used now I don’t think.  They seem much clunkier than a real program like Outliook, I think 

My work Outlook on my iPhone is an excellent combination. Very seamless integration. 

[maddmaxx ★]

Speed dial keeps me from using any number long enough to remember it.  I easily know my landline number because that's my "official" number for others.  My cell phone..........fergetaboutit.  I never have to dial myself and that phone is turned off so often that I never use it for others to reach me, except the family when I'm out........and they probably don't remember it because speed dial.

[sheep_herder ★]

3 hours ago, Bikeguy said:

Or you can set up a reoccurring annual appointment in a computer calendar once.   I use Outlook for my calendar.  Too many years using Outlook at work for me to change.

Outlook syncs with my phone and my wife's phone.  So the birthday (or any calendar reminder) is in my laptop, my wife's desktop computer and our phones.

Ha!Ha! Use whatever works best for you. I have to struggle to get my wife to take her flip top cell phone when she travels. If birthdays, were only on the computer, she would have to look up that file daily, whereas now she just looks at the calendar on the wall that she passes several times daily. Don't get me wrong she uses the computer for her sheep records, addresses, etc., but for birthdays, I think she prefers her annual ritual.

[jsharr ★]

214-690-0401 was mom and dad for years.

My grandmother was Diamond 2304.  

I know my wifes number and my office number by heart but other than that I remember very few.  I either look them up or ask my phone to call them for me.

I will say that I am beginning to like my iPhone and Siri.

 

[Ralphie ★]

19 minutes ago, jsharr said:

214-690-0401 was mom and dad for years.

My grandmother was Diamond 2304.  

I know my wifes number and my office number by heart but other than that I remember very few.  I either look them up or ask my phone to call them for me.

I will say that I am beginning to like my iPhone and Siri.

 

I really like the eyephone but Siri, meh.  She can be helpful when I am driving and want to get directions. 

[Prophet Zacharia]

I know my own cell number (but not my work-assigned phone), my wife’s cell, my office number, my old office number, and my childhood land line. I could probably dial one or two old work department numbers, with some effort.

[MickinMD ★]

13 hours ago, Allen said:

Or more specifically can’t learn new ones. 
I still have a land line because cell coverage sucks out here. I have two friends that I call on a regular basis. I have to look up their numbers every single time. 

It's probably a combination of technology and an older brain.  In ancient times, bards would hear Homer go on for an hour reciting the Iliad or the Odyssey and then go out to the restaurant/bar where they worked and repeat the entire thing virtually word for word, but that feat ended with the printing press.  Calculators, cell phones doing the dialing for you, and even voice recognition typing my groceries list for me makes it harder to do mental feats or remember numbers, spellings, etc.

I began doing competitive chess again and some other brain-utilization things because my brain has gotten lazy since I retired.

We do so much on calculators now, our brains can't do it in our heads as easily. It amazed the honors physics classes I taught when I would look at a complicated formula we set up on the board to solve a motion problem that involved velocity plus acceleration, etc. and quickly did the math in my head and told them the approx. answer - and those kids had pre-Calculus or Calculus in math. But they had to check my result with a calculator!

When I divide my store receipt totals into stuff like household items, groceries, snacks, and beverages to place in my budget spreadsheet, I make myself do it in my head - then double-check it with a spreadsheet SUM function later. I can do it in my head much faster since returning to chess.

Phone numbers are hard to remember because I usually look only at the person's name and which phone and have my phone dial it.  Since I bought my siblings' interest out and moved into the home we grew up in, I have the same land-line phone number I has since I was around 7 years-old.  My cell phone number is the standard local area code + last three digits of my land line phone number + the year in between my parents' 1922 and 1924 births.  Otherwise I have trouble remembering my cell phone number.

[Allen ★]

I know my land line number, it’s been in the family for 65ish years now. When I was a kid it was only five numbers long.
I know my current cell phone number, and my siblings’ phone numbers. That’s about it. 

[MoseySusan]

16 hours ago, Allen said:

Or more specifically can’t learn new ones. 
I still have a land line because cell coverage sucks out here. I have two friends that I call on a regular basis. I have to look up their numbers every single time. 

Me, too! Horrible with memorizing numbers, including birthdates, ages, anniversaries...

[Allen ★]

32 minutes ago, roadsue said:

Me, too! Horrible with memorizing numbers, including birthdates, ages, anniversaries...

I am completely dependent on Facebook for telling me birthdays. I don’t even know my brother and sister’s. One was born in the spring the other the summer. Close as I can get. I knew my parents’.  They were born on the same day. 

[sheep_herder ★]

My wife doesn't like me saying this, but once I retired from research, numbers are not that important to me any longer.

[Rattlecan ★]

11 hours ago, Philander Seabury said:

How’s My Driving?

1-800-EAT-SHIT.

1-800 CRY BABY