My television set is dead. Unrepairable. While I was at Wal-Mart today buying a dust-pan, I wandered by the televisions to see how much money I would have to produce to be able to watch television in comfort and style again. (The small t.v. in the living room is so far from me that I cannot read the closed captioning on it . . . so sad, right? Especially when you think of orphans in Third World countries who have no shoes?)
But, really, the question is what happened to my dust-pan? Isn’t a dust-pan one of those items you acquire when you move into your first home and then you never buy another one? Well, you’d think. But my kids borrowed my kitchen broom and dust-pan to . . . sweep the back yard? And the dust-pan was never seen again. It ran away with the dish and spoon. (“And the dish ran away with the spoon.” Come on, I’m channeling nursery rhymes now.)
Now I own a dust-pan. And a random assortment of stuff that I didn’t realize how much I needed until I saw it–like spray starch for ironing, color safe bleach (which I use to get out stains, even old grease stains, I kid you not! I am Martha Stewart, almost), Oreo cookies (for school lunches), and, oh, who knows what else. I did not buy a television, though, because I could not find quite enough quarters under the couch. Or in the washing machine.
I’m going out of town for three days, leaving Friday morning. I am diligently working on laundry while reminding myself several times a day to remember to bring my underpants on the trip. On last year’s trip, I totally forgot. Now, tell me why I have space in my brain devoted to remembering that I forgot to pack underpants on that trip to Mt. Baker to scrapbook? Couldn’t that brain space be relegated to something more important? Like. . . oh, remembering to pack underpants?
Actual Unretouched Photo 
It’s ok, I always remember to take diapers on vacation and then forget to take them on outings, and am forced to pay way too much for way too few. And then I forget that I had that experience and repeat it during the next vacation.
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Since you will only become older, this is a little hint I use to remember what I need to pack.
I write it all out on index cards and then leave them in the various bags. Copies go into my purse.
Since I can never think rationally when I am stressed, all I have to do is read the card and get the stuff.
That keeps my brain clear for important thoughts – on the off chance I ever have one.
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If only we were able to partition our brains like a hard drive and devote a certain amount of RAM to each task. How sweet would that be? I would reformat the section of my brain that knows the lyrics to the Love Boat theme song and the plot of every episode of The Brady Bunch and put in multiplication tables. 7×8? Um, let me think. But that time that Jan was jealous and bought the ‘fro wig? It’ll be with me evermore.
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Amen.
Any ideas on how to get Kilz priming paint from sweat pants? I need those pants this weekend and no luck with the paint coming out. Sighs*
Have a great trip..and remember your undies.
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Craig’s list is the bomb for tvs. We don’t watch network or cable tv, just movies via Netflix, so the coming change over to HD (or whatever is going to cause old tvs to be obsolete) has no affect on us.
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