That's an impressive will power.
P.S. "and hadn't for years" => He could not have helped you to solve that issue if that is the case. No way he could. He obviously codes every single day (not for long hours)
I don't think so. You forget specifics (names, workflow) but the problem solving approach and a few anecdotes always come back. Imo at least.
I don't think so. I don't code anymore because I am responsible for around 100 FTE but can still pair programme effectively. Coding is just the tip of the engineering iceberg.
That isn't true; sometimes just talking through the problem and checking assumptions, or just having another brain to work through the problem is what's needed. I guarantee you the issue wasn't one of the OP not knowing the language or framework well enough.
He said: "Once he spent an hour pair-programming with me on a difficult issue."
I quoted what is "pair programming" for you (and the 2 others): "One, the driver, writes code while the other, the observer or navigator reviews each line of code as it is typed in. The two programmers switch roles frequently."
Fine. Even so, Greg is brilliant and if anyone can still do both, it’s him.