Who is this person?

So, while we're cleaning out the garage, one of the many interesting things we found was my old college notes. They had been in the basement, but some of them got wet in one of our floods, so they'd come up to the garage on the way to the garbage. Turned out to be an extended rest stop, but hey.

I looked up the recycling guidelines for our area, and discovered I had to take off the covers. They were organized by course in those paperboard report covers that have a metal strap that goes through two holes, so the metal and the covers had to come off. So I went through two milk crates full of these things.

I haven't worked in my field in 13+ years. I have a master's in engineering, but these were notes from my undergrad days (also engineering). Of course I had to take a look at the notes, papers, tests, etc. Wow. I was a model of neatness and organization. I remember being almost obsessive about taking notes (probably to the detriment of understanding at some points...), but I don't remember writing this neatly. And I remember NOTHING (ok, almost nothing) of the material. All that math, all that physics, all that chemistry? Gone. When JC hits high school? I may have to re-learn it all with him.

It almost feels like that was a different person. My life, but somebody else, or at least someone who doesn't exist anymore. I am so far removed from that time, that person. It really did feel like someone else did all that work.

And I threw it all in recycling. :)