h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You say or write or type a word, a word you've used thousands upon thousands of times throughout your life and never given it a second thought, and suddenly it seems odd.

I just used the word 'barley' in a forum on another site, and the moment I typed the last letter I looked at it and thought 'what a strange-looking word'.

It doesn't look strange now, the way it did barely (careful) five minutes ago. Nor does the word 'street', which is the first word I remember this happening with.

It happens often enough to have a name, jamais vu.

I never knew that

I once had the strongest sense of Déjà vu. I was maybe 20 years old. I was at a party in a town about 15 miles from home. My sister was also at this party. We had never been to a kegger together before, we weren't there together, just had mutual friends.

As I walked around this house, I was really hit hard by the Déjà vu. I then started testing it. I opened a bedroom door and I knew before hand where the closet would be. But how? I had just met the friends who invited me and I don't think I knew the hosts.

I told my sister about this and she said she was having the same experience.

It slowly came together. This was a house down the road from the house of family friends. When we were younger, the road was rather rural. Then someone built 4 model homes. While our parents were having a poker night or a crawfish boil, all of us kids broke in to one of these (we crawled through an unlocked window). This was that house. Going there at night with new friends I didn't realize I was on that same road.

The night of the party, that formerly rural street was then the access to a new neighborhood. I didn't recognize it at all. So, even though I didn't know this neighborhood or the people living there, I really had been there before.

Ooh... and here's a fascinating story. Constant deja vu.

Also, at the end of the article, I find this statement quite interesting.

__________________
I've had people say to me you don't really believe in deja vu, do you? Like it's something paranormal," says Dr O'Connor.

"I've had letters from some people who believe strongly that it is something spiritual, quoting the Bible and the Qu'ran.

"Some people say I shouldn't investigate it; that 'explaining rainbows ruins their beauty'. Personally I've always loved getting deja vu - and finding out what causes it just makes the experience more beautiful."

Damn it!

I was previewing this post on my tablet and accidentally touched [Post Message]. Here's the article link.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30927102

I just logged on (well, I don't log on, but you know what I mean) to link to that very article in the "deja vu" thread. Which I'm looking for in another window as I write.

The article linked to also mentions "jamais vu" - thus closing the circle.

All quite fascinating.