First we had a "suspect." Then there was a "person of interest." Now we have a "potential person of interest." Where does it end?

Suspect

Somebody suspected of a crime

Person of Interest

Somebody suspected of a crime without direct evidence

Potential Person of Interest

Somebody not yet suspected of a crime but will be harassed anyway

Let me propose...

Person Capable of Wrongdoing

Somebody who doesn't agree with you and will have their lives ruined

Person Who Hasn't Committed a Crime Yet, But Probably Will One Day

Everybody else waiting for the Gestapo to show at the door

When I'm driving with a passenger and conversing with them, I seem to only be able to actually focus on one of those tasks at a time.

If I am concentrating on the road, I've noticed that I tend to block out the passenger. Sometimes what the passenger says will get processed a good 5 seconds or so later when I'm in safer circumstances (straight driving in my lane). And if I'm instead thinking about what the occupant is saying, I will tend to miss turns that I know full well I need to take.

During any of this, however, I am driving fairly well. I have never had an accident in my 14 years on the road. But my brain is apparently focusing its full cognitive abilities on the road and traffic, but leaves little else to work with in that regard.

You can either tell me how your day went, or we can get to the restaurant. But they are somewhat mutually exclusive.