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Morning brain
Apr. 18th, 2006 09:34 amOnce I get out of bed, I am usually out the door in about 30 minutes. That is not apparently enough for my brain to be fully functional; specifically, memory functions aren't really up and running. If I tell myself at night, "Don't forget to bring X to work," 7 out of 10 times I will forget X anyway.
The solution? Put X where I will see it in the morning. In front of the door, so I have to move it to get out. In the car. In my purse. Even a muzzy-minded, half-functioning, no-coffee version of me will pick up on these subtle clues.
Usually.
Last night, I insisted that I wanted - nay, needed to print out a chunk of dissertation. Our old printer had died and we just got a new one, so this required setting it up. Luckily no big deal - the software install went perfectly smoothly, we had the right cable, and the computer recognized the new hardware just fine. Big sigh of relief! Because it's always when you're in a rush that the perfectly stupid, ordinary computer tasks suddenly become difficult (like how the old printer broke just as I needed to print out the slide packets for my committee the night before my defense).
Well, at that point it was bed time, so there was no time for me to look at the chunk I had printed out. No problem; I'll take it to work, says I, and look it over during lunch. I will cleverly put this pile of fifteen 8.5 x 11" sheets of paper right under my purse where I cannot fail to notice it tomorrow morning. I will get the analysis straight in my head at lunch, come home from work, and write it all up.
Mmm-hm. Cannot possibly fail to notice. Because it's this large stack of paper with colorful diagrams on it. Clearly an attention-getter, right under my purse which I will not leave the house without (at least, not more than 5 times a year).
I got the purse. I got the sack lunch that was next to the purse. But the papers... well, I'm sure you've already guessed where the papers still are.
The solution? Put X where I will see it in the morning. In front of the door, so I have to move it to get out. In the car. In my purse. Even a muzzy-minded, half-functioning, no-coffee version of me will pick up on these subtle clues.
Usually.
Last night, I insisted that I wanted - nay, needed to print out a chunk of dissertation. Our old printer had died and we just got a new one, so this required setting it up. Luckily no big deal - the software install went perfectly smoothly, we had the right cable, and the computer recognized the new hardware just fine. Big sigh of relief! Because it's always when you're in a rush that the perfectly stupid, ordinary computer tasks suddenly become difficult (like how the old printer broke just as I needed to print out the slide packets for my committee the night before my defense).
Well, at that point it was bed time, so there was no time for me to look at the chunk I had printed out. No problem; I'll take it to work, says I, and look it over during lunch. I will cleverly put this pile of fifteen 8.5 x 11" sheets of paper right under my purse where I cannot fail to notice it tomorrow morning. I will get the analysis straight in my head at lunch, come home from work, and write it all up.
Mmm-hm. Cannot possibly fail to notice. Because it's this large stack of paper with colorful diagrams on it. Clearly an attention-getter, right under my purse which I will not leave the house without (at least, not more than 5 times a year).
I got the purse. I got the sack lunch that was next to the purse. But the papers... well, I'm sure you've already guessed where the papers still are.
