TOT Phenomenon

I used to think that old people were just not as educated as they should be.  My reasoning was that they would have better recall and not forget words mid-sentence.  How could they forget the name of someone or the name of a product they are talking about?

Ah, but recently, I am beginning to think that those old people aren't so absent-minded after all.  And the reason is because I think it's happening to me.  I am starting to have conversations with my wife that go something like this:

Me: "Hey, he has a great kick at the end of his race".
Dena: Yeah, like that guy on TV."
Me: "What guy?"
Dena: The guy that runs the 800 from Oregon."
Me: Oh yeah, the small guy that allows comes from behind."
Dena: "Yeah, you know.  The guy from Oregon."
Me: "Yep.  He runs a lot like that guy."

Then, after going to eat after the meet and driving home an hour and a half later, we are pulling into the neighborhood and I say," Yeah, he runs like Nick Symmonds."  And Dena replies," Yep, that's the guy."

Apparently, this "condition" has a name.  Scientists and psychologists call this "tip-of-the-tongue" phenomenon.  People in this state often can remember the starting letter for the word and its number of syllables, and insist the word is 'on the tip of their tongue' (hence the T.O.T. label).  So, I am not sure that this helps me at all to know that this "condition" has a name and a label. But the comedy factor when having conversations with my wife is fun and will surely create some good........memories.