Remembering what I forgot to remember

I was watching a touching movie last night about a couple coping with the harsh realities of Alzheimer's Disease when it dawned upon me. I started to panic and realized I had hit my rock bottom. I may be slightly scatterbrained normally, but lately things have gone over the top and it's scaring me!

It was about 4:30 p.m. after a very long day in the office last week when I started working on a short story for the following day's front page. I got my notes out and then decided I'd go get a little something to drink before getting started on the story.

Five minutes later I returned to my desk, drink in hand, prepared to do something ... But just what something that was ... now that was the question.

I was at a good stopping point, I figured, so I closed shop for the day and drove home. It wasn't until a few hours later, while watching the movie, I realized -- in my trip to the breakroom to get my drink -- I had completely forgotten to write my story for the next day's front page. Talk about absent mindedness! I promise, the drink was just a Coke.

I am starting to believe what they say about pregnant women being unusually forgetful is true.

About a week before forgetting to write the story mentioned above, my mind, or lack thereof, got the best of me once again. At about 9 p.m. I began unpacking my gym bag from the morning, as I do every evening, when I pulled out a blow dryer.

Now, this wasn't just any blow dryer. This was THE blow dryer. THE one and only blow dryer in the women's locker room that is used by several women each day. Women, like myself, who use the blow dryer prior to going to important places, like work! Oops, sorry ladies! I promise I didn't mean to steal the blow dryer.

I did plan to drive it back to the gym that evening, even though it was bedtime, but after talking to the gym owner, and laughing about what had happened (she told me it was called pregnancy retardation), I opted to carry it back first thing in the morning -- but not before letting the early birds who get there before me in the morning know to carry their own dryers the next morning.

I was telling my friend Lakita about those two incidences and she said, "Girl, that stuff happened to me all the time when I was pregnant!"

The worst thing that happened to Lakita was when she left her entire load of groceries in her vehicle. She seriously didn't remember they were in her car until many, many hours later when she thought there was a dead animal in her back seat.

I haven't done so well with groceries, either. I left a couple of bags in my Jeep a few days ago (in fact, they're still there) but all they contain are drinks (Cokes and waters!). I have yet to let the chicken cook in the car. I have, however, made up an entire list inside my Jeep, in the parking lot of the grocery store, only to get inside and wonder where in the world I put my list.

I forgot to stop and get artichokes last night for a dip I was supposed to make for work today. But it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because I am sure I would have forgotten the mayonnaise or parmesean cheese I also needed to go with the artichokes in the dip, anyway.

So much more has happened to lead me to believe pregnant women truly suffer from their own absent mindedness ... so much more I could tell you ... if only I could remember.

-- Sadie Fowler is lifestyles editor of the Times-Gazette. She may be reached at 684-1200 or sfowler@t-g.com.