Does anyone else have experiences with synaesthesia or memory?

by Mel
(Location)

I'm curious if anyone else avoids or seeks out certain kinds of sensory input because it's inherently linked with other senses... for instance, I always seek out crazy amounts of color and visual stimuli since it usually brings pleasant textures and sounds, but I avoid people or objects touching me because it overwhelms not only my tactile sense but auditory and gustatory sense (among others).

Also curious if anyone one else has eidetic memory for certain kinds of information or just plain forgets other kinds? As an example, for the longest time I've been able to instantly recall semantic information, like definitions and trivia I've heard or read verbatim,and I'm pretty great with pattern recognition. However when someone throws specific names or dates or (lord forbid) NUMBERS at me in conversation, or asks me to "visualize" a space or quantity, I'll need so much time to mentally process that information (but not before shutting down as I stare blankly)!

On a sort of related note, as a small kid, my teacher noticed I was different (eg: totally involved in books and collecting stuff, preferring solitary play to group activities, picky to the point of perfectionism) but couldn't quite tell if I was gifted or autistic. I tested as gifted and I've worn that label since then, but here I am like 15 years later and I'm still not sure.

And for those of you who don't understand or think I'm on some serious drugs, I honestly can't blame you :) But for those of you who do, I'd love to hear your experiences and quirks! Any similar experiences? New ones? Conflicting situations? By all means, type away