Mark Twain said, "There is never yet an uninteresting life. such a thing is an impossibility. Inside the dullest exterior, there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy."
Every Tuesday afternoon grandpa pays me a visit and we sit and write his life's story. He is nearing his 85th birthday and so there is no procrastinating these things. He enjoys the telling and I enjoy the learning. I am amazed at how keen he is and his recollections. We often marvel at the minds ability to recall things that grandpa hasn't thought about for 75+ years later. It seems like I can't recall what happened a few years ago to me. Somehow our minds file everything away...its just finding a way to retrieve them.
Thanks Tom for coming back from you family history class with great tools (voice recorder and questions) to help spur me on.
FYI
Digital Recorders can record and store on CD or DVD formats. Even the cheapest ones (around $25) can store up to 100 hours of voice recording.
http://www.personalhistoryhelp.com/index.htm
http://www.genealogy.com/95_carmack.html