Now, Where Was I? No, Really, Where Was I?

We have all heard of those times when folks forget things. "Senior Moments" some call them.

Well, this week, I had a "Senior Morning".

Now, I am not any more absent minded than I have been my entire life. When I have something on my mind, it doesn't make room for things that were already there, or should be added. Lists are important to me. Always have been. They are a good way to stay ahead of creditors, family birthdays, vacation plans, and on top of projects around the house. When we first moved into this old house I kept a running list, and accomplished a great deal items on those lists, but for some reason over the past year, I got away from that age old practice.

It came to a head this week.

First of all I had this epiphany about my drivers license. Had it expired? I reached for my wallet, and pulled out the license, and looked at the dates, and my feeling was right, it had expired. Cripes.

Now I had to fit in the trip to the registry on top of an appointment for the start of a root canal, a visit to Home Depot for a larger window air conditioner, and all the other little things I had planned, and not written down.

I made a plan in my head, and headed east on the Pike. I timed it so that my Registry visit would lead to my Home Depot visit, and then a little drive into Worcester for the root canal.

Perfect.

I sat in the Registry for ONE hour. One hour for a license renewal. Once at the counter, I was sent away to fill out a form they told me they needed. You would think I would have been told to fill it out during the hour I sat waiting to be seen, but it's the Registry, please check your intelligence at the door, and once inside we'll do our best to bust your ****'s. Oh, Maybe there was a sign inside the building that announced to people to take a clip board and fill out the form, but one would never have seen it since the inside of the building is cluttered like an antique mart.

Jeesh.

Now, if the Registry was the only trip I had to do that day, and I had to get on the Pike to do it, and since the parking lot off Route 20 is now closed to Registry traffic, I'd be writing a totally different article about the wasted gas driving to the Registry, and then heading further east to the next Pike exit to turn around and head back to Sturbridge. The carbon footprint we are forced to leave at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, and up and down the Pike driving to and fro, is from Rachel Kaprielian shoes, not mine.

Great job, Registrar. Don't worry, the way my memory currently is I won't remember what the hell I am writing right now anyway, and won't pursue it.

Oh. So, I had this great plan laid out. Registry, air conditioner, root canal, and home. Simple. All easterly from our house. All in order. Nothing can screw this up.

After the ninety minute visit to the registry, I headed further east for at least forty five minutes of reviewing BTU's, and square foot coverage for the air conditioners at Home Depot before I bought a 10,000 BTU one.

Once outside I reviewed the air conditioner size, and my plan for it in my head, drove over to the Pike, listened to WBZ and heard about a truck fire on the Pike.

Great. I just got on, too. I usually make a point of listening to the radio before I get on so I can decide whether to go Route 20, or the Pike.

Well, I finally did make it home, brought the air conditioner up to the bedroom, and the phone rang.

"Hello"

"Wally, where are you?"

I did not recognize the voice. I looked around the room, and said sheepishly, "Right here. Why?"

"Because you are supposed to be in Worcester having a root canal done", the voice said.

Crap.

I was so close to batting .1000 that day.

Well, that was that.

I am going back to keeping lists of things to do like I have always done. I wish I had renewed that practice when I started writing this article, because I have absolutely no idea what I was getting to.