What did you say?

Have you ever asked someone a question, and then a few minutes later clued in to the fact you have no idea what they responded? It's kind of embarrassing to have to ask again, "Uh, what did you answer when I asked you this last time? Sorry, I didn't listen for the reply..." The mind can tend to zip off onto the next thought, impolitely and self-centeredly. This happened to me this morning. It's a waste of the other person's time, and, actually, a waste of your own, since you have to duplicate your query efforts. Not to mention the loss of face. Sometimes a mind going a million miles a minute gets less done than a slightly slower, more focused one.

This is not a practice to be encouraged, and I want to stop it right now. Okay?

....

Wait, what did you say?

I guess email, postal mail, and blog comments have definite advantages in this domain - the record stands in the inbox, files, or Typepad, to be referred to in case of misdigestion the first time around.

Sorry, everyone I have ever done this to.