selective memory

its been going on for a couple of years now. lots of my friends will attest to this: my memory is full of holes. some will argue that this is related to my gross alcohol intake (which is possible) or suggest that it's simply because my brain needs lots of down time (sleep, daydreaming, playing solitaire on auto-pilot). whatever the pathophysiology, the fact of the matter is, i simply dont remember a lot of things. is it because i dont make an effort to remember them? or is it because im not paying much attention in the first place? or do i really have an inability to form, store and/or retrieve memory? im really not sure.

it is certainly true that my mind wanders a lot. my concentration is often scattered between several tasks, little bits of neuron firing off near-simultaneously, all clamouring for my attention. certain things i recall relatively easily, eg the names of my patients' various relatives, entire monologues from plays and films; but sometimes entire conversations have apparently taken place - but i am convinced that ther other person is simply pulling my leg, much to their amusement and/or frustration!

so is my memory simply selective? do i only remember things that i want to remember? is it just a matter of paying more attention to everything i do? do i need to sleep more and drink less? perhaps...