Monday, January 31, 2011

Brain Dysfunction

See this bag?

This bag that is fully packed, sitting near the door, and ready to go? That contains all my current information about my JayBee plans, including drawings and insulation sample? That I spent a whole day organizing and updating--including spending hours Saturday night carefully hand-drawing little shingles all over a drawing of the JayBee's southern exposure?

Yes, that bag. The one I LEFT AT HOME when I drove all the way to Machiasport to see the JayBee trailer. I realized the bag was missing after I had already driven a little more than an hour. I had with me: a bag of clothes (for staying overnight); a sleeping bag, a bag of extra warm clothes, and a bag of food (in case I ended up stuck in a snowbank somewhere); a bag of electronics (camera, iPod, etc.); and my waistpack with my wallet--but NOT the bag with the drawings I wanted to show Rick and Mercy. I decided it was not worth adding two hours of travel time to go back to get the stuff, but I did beat myself up about this for the rest of the ride.

It would be nice if I could claim that this is an aberration. But...a few weeks ago I left my waistpack in the seat of a shopping cart in the parking lot outside the grocery store, and drove home without it. This morning, after I thought I was all ready to leave the inn in Machias, I made myself go back through the space one more time--given yesterday's dramatic lapse. Sure enough, hanging there in the bathroom next to the towels was my nightie!

Do you know the carpenter's rule of thumb: "Measure twice, cut once." ? Well, given my recent brain dysfunction, my rule of thumb better be: "Check; double-check; walk away, come back and check again; assume something's wrong or missing and check a fourth time."

2 comments:

  1. This is a very sad story! Reminds me of the time you couldn't find your staple gun when you came out West for the Insulation Project (and wasn't there a problem with not having the right stuff to wear, or was that another trip?) ;-)

    I hope this doesn't encourage you to develop OCD!

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  2. Oh goodness, you're right! I ended up out there with only one pair of pants and, once those pants were coated with little fiberglass fibers, I only had dresses to wear. Okay, so this is a lifelong affliction. Not sure that makes me feel any better...

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