Hello. I have great difficulty recognizing people that I have met before. I understand that many people find it a challenge to remember names or to put a name to a face; I am not describing that, though that certainly is beyond my capacity as things stand now.

I am 45 yo and in good health. My memory is quite good, even extraordinary in many cases, except when it comes to people. For instance, I have played as many as three games of blindfold chess simultaneously and while it's not a great example, can easily recall each of my wife's, children and grandchildrens social security numbers and drivers license numbers.

On the other side of the equation, I recently asked my wife who a woman was in the room and she told me that it was her boss, Mrs. 'Jones'. Five minutes later I asked my wife about a different woman on the other side of the room and it turned out to be the same woman. I did not recognize her 'out of place' as she were.

Too, there are people whom I have known for years, in varying degree's of closeness (though none extraordinarily close), whom I cannot recognize when they come up to me excited to see me. I play along and often figure it out, but just as often walk away after bluffing my way through a conversation without a clue who I was just speaking with. For instance, the waitress at the diner I have eaten at every morning for a year, my publisher, my mailman etc. I recognize them in their respective places - the waitress at the diner, my publisher in his office or the mailman on his route, but if I were to see them at the store or a bus stop, while they seem familiar, I can't place them.

Any idea's?