Inquisitor

I'm an inquisitive person. Mum says that I used to lean over her shoulder all the time to look at the newspaper when I was a baby; she says that I, just born, turned around and glared at the doctor so fiercely that he almost dropped me. It's a trait that has stood me in good stead and helped obtain a very broad education.

There is a down side, though. When I was younger, having many interests and juggling them all was easy - I had energy and a fully-functional memory. Now, older, I have even more interests over a wider range, and I can't remember what's in my library anymore. I can just barely follow a game of chess without a board; I can't read more than two or three books at a time without forgetting which one is next in the queue. I have become a jack-of-all-trades and master of some; the really sad part is that there are people who think I know a lot about everything I know something about. If I did, I'd be a true genius.

The truth is, I know a bit about everything I know something about. I use things I don't know much about to fill in holes in things I know a lot about - and vice versa. It's a weird process. I wish I could control it better.