Not Deja Vu?

[ScotDeerie]

I went to a lecture at college. Sitting in the second row, I kept looking at one of the speakers wondering where I knew him from. When his name was announced it didn’t ring a bell but I’m terrible with names so I didn’t think much about it except I felt I really did know him WELL.

I don’t even remember what the lecture was about because I was stuck on trying to remember who he was, where I knew him from, what could possibly be the connection.

Lecture over, I’m leaving and he stops me and says, “Excuse me, do I know you?”

Now before you think it was just a pick-up line: his wife was standing there with him. I’m an adult, somewhat chubby, female and he was a short, bespeckled, balding man. This wasn’t a case of physical attraction.

We stood there for 20 minutes going through the things in our lives where we might know each other. Our lives connected NO WHERE except at that moment in time. There was NOTHING the same between us, not where we lived, not churches, not hobbies, not educational histories, NOTHING.

And then we said good-bye, turned reluctantly away from each other, and never saw each other again.

It was truly bizarre.

 

[gattino]

Sounds familiar.....

 

[Iris]

I've written before about the time I was picking up my youngest after school.
A friend's husband had come to pick up their son and I just felt that somehow I knew him although I had never met him before.
As I walked away I looked back and he was standing just looking at me.
I don't remember ever seeing him again but his wife said that although he wasn't happy with some people she mixed with he was always happy if she came to my house.

 

[Zeke Newbold]

I went to a lecture at college. Sitting in the second row, I kept looking at one of the speakers wondering where I knew him from. When his name was announced it didn’t ring a bell but I’m terrible with names so I didn’t think much about it except I felt I really did know him WELL.

I don’t even remember what the lecture was about because I was stuck on trying to remember who he was, where I knew him from, what could possibly be the connection.

Lecture over, I’m leaving and he stops me and says, “Excuse me, do I know you?”

Now before you think it was just a pick-up line: his wife was standing there with him. I’m an adult, somewhat chubby, female and he was a short, bespeckled, balding man. This wasn’t a case of physical attraction.

We stood there for 20 minutes going through the things in our lives where we might know each other. Our lives connected NO WHERE except at that moment in time. There was NOTHING the same between us, not where we lived, not churches, not hobbies, not educational histories, NOTHING.

And then we said good-bye, turned reluctantly away from each other, and never saw each other again.

It was truly bizarre.

A fascinating story!

There is a possible mundane explanation. Perhaps the lecturer was a fellow schoolmate. I am assuming that neither of you is all that young and that your overall looks follow on from that fact (sorry, but your brief descriptions in your post do suggest as much). So I imagine it would be entirely possible for you to see someone that you knew from your schooldays and get a sense of Dejavu* without knowing why. His (and for him, your) fixed expressions, gestures, deportment and voice etc could all seem very familiar even if his outward appeatrance has since changed somewhat.

I have never been to a school re-union, but, from what I've heard, people can look very different (once they get out of - let's say - their thirties) in a way that can be quite depressing. but on the other hand, one does sort of recognise one's old school chums all the same.

* Despite the title you have given to this thread, this event does strike me as very much a case of` De Javu` in the originmal sense of the word - that is, a sense of having seen or experienced something before, when it seems as though they could not possibly have.

 

[SimonBurchell]

A fascinating story!

There is a possible mundane explanation. Perhaps the lecturer was a fellow schoolmate. I am assuming that neither of you is all that young and that your overall looks follow on from that fact (sorry, but your brief descriptions in your post do suggest as much). So I imagine it would be entirely possible for you to see someone that you knew from your schooldays and get a sense of Dejavu* without knowing why. His (and for him, your) fixed expressions, gestures, deportment and voice etc could all seem very familiar even if his outward appeatrance has since changed somewhat.

I have never been to a school re-union, but, from what I've heard, people can look very different (once they get out of - let's say - their thirties) in a way that can be quite depressing. but on the other hand, one does sort of recognise one's old school chums all the same.

* Despite the title you have given to this thread, this event does strike me as very much a case of` De Javu` in the originmal sense of the word - that is, a sense of having seen or experienced something before, when it seems as though they could not possibly have.

The OP does say that they talked through their educational histories, and there was no match.

 

[Zeke Newbold]

The OP does say that they talked through their educational histories, and there was no match.

Damn, you're right Simon! Mea culpa!

That'll learn me not to open my metaphorical gob before re-reading the O.P thoroughly!

So the mystery remains....

 

[AnonyJ]

I went to a lecture at college. Sitting in the second row, I kept looking at one of the speakers wondering where I knew him from. When his name was announced it didn’t ring a bell but I’m terrible with names so I didn’t think much about it except I felt I really did know him WELL.

I don’t even remember what the lecture was about because I was stuck on trying to remember who he was, where I knew him from, what could possibly be the connection.

Lecture over, I’m leaving and he stops me and says, “Excuse me, do I know you?”

Now before you think it was just a pick-up line: his wife was standing there with him. I’m an adult, somewhat chubby, female and he was a short, bespeckled, balding man. This wasn’t a case of physical attraction.

We stood there for 20 minutes going through the things in our lives where we might know each other. Our lives connected NO WHERE except at that moment in time. There was NOTHING the same between us, not where we lived, not churches, not hobbies, not educational histories, NOTHING.

And then we said good-bye, turned reluctantly away from each other, and never saw each other again.

It was truly bizarre.

Just a thought - if the lecturer is an expert in his field, could there be a possibility that he has been a 'talking head' on any educational, scientific or historical TV programmes that you've seen?

I only say this as last year I saw a presenter/academic from a BBC historical living history series that I love, and was gurning away at my husband in this car park as the person stood by their car next to us, on a personal phone call. Husband thought I was having some kind of strange medical attack.

Mr J 'recognised' the presenter from somewhere but I had to tell him why he did. He'd had to sit in the same room with the TV on as I watched episode after episode of said multiple series. I still love to watch it.

 

[gattino]

Just a thought - if the lecturer is an expert in his field, could there be a possibility that he has been a 'talking head' on any educational, scientific or historical TV programmes that you've seen?

The problem with that as an explanation is the OP seemed just as familiar to the lecturer.

 

[catseye]

I've recorded on here where I've had a couple of instances of 'knowing' someone I'd never met before - in one case (former girlfriend of my then-boyfriend) we both had the same 'instant recognition', although we'd never met before.

However, working with the public in huge numbers I have come to realise that there are certain commonalities in appearances. I have customers who look like mother and daughter or sisters despite (even though it's quite a 'close' community, if you know what I mean!) having no blood relations in common.

So it can't be beyond the realms of possibility that someone looks very very much like someone you know (or have met or were at school with), enough to confused your senses, whilst you also remind them of someone that they once knew or worked with. Confusion will arise when you compare notes and realise you've never been in the same geographical locality - but it's just a simultaneous coincidence of similarity. SCS. I'm patenting that abbreviation.

 

[AnonyJ]

........So it can't be beyond the realms of possibility that someone looks very very much like someone you know (or have met or were at school with), enough to confused your senses, whilst you also remind them of someone that they once knew or worked with. Confusion will arise when you compare notes and realise you've never been in the same geographical locality - but it's just a simultaneous coincidence of similarity. SCS. I'm patenting that abbreviation.

So you can get confused and a sofa? I'm up for that!

 

[flannel]

Could be that you knew each other in a past life. I recently had a go (after reading the FT articles) and the practitioner regaled me with multiple stories along these lines.

 

[escargot]

I have customers who look like mother and daughter or sisters despite (even though it's quite a 'close' community, if you know what I mean!) having no blood relations in common.

A female dog-walking friend of ours was the image of our then milkman. They could have been twins.
I mentioned this to each of them but they weren't related.