Right now, I’m waiting for the dishwasher to stop so that I can have a shower.

I could just stop the dishwasher for a bit and turn it back on when it’s done, but I would never remember to do that.* In practical terms, I am a mess. I have no memory for the day-to-day important things. This blog is the most disciplined thing I do, and look at the state of it.

I’m a leaver, according to Jon Richardson’s definition. It’s extremely far from ideal.

At the very least, I’m much better about not leaving my keys places, resulting in only a couple of ‘Uhhhh, could I borrow your keys so I can get into work because mine are on my desk?’ instances a year, but a big chunk of that improvement comes from locking up my bike in the garage, meaning that I can’t actually leave to go anywhere unless I have my keys. However, in the past week, I have left a growler of fancy beer (a gift!) and a phone charger at a friend’s place. Hell, in the past three days.

I would like to be a putter. I don’t know how to make that happen without expensive therapies, hypnosis, and, perhaps, living out of one bag.

Actually, that last one won’t work either. I am one of those GIANT PURSE people because, y’never know when you might need something like a Montréal subway ticket, three different notebooks (each about 1/4 full), foreign coins, and all the receipts from all of one’s purchases from the past month. Never mind that I sometimes don’t have a working pen in there; I might have an accidentally dismantled mechanical pencil, though.

The key to get out of this rut would be to downsize my life, find a place for everything, etc. That is very difficult, especially after a lifetime of very poor habits (and possibly being in possession of a dysfunctional brain), but I am getting a start on it by packing up hundreds (yes, hundreds) of old books for a local school’s book sale. I’m also doing up some bags and boxes for the next CDA pick up. Hopefully, if there is less superfluous stuff, keeping track of the useful stuff will be easier.

On a smaller scale, and this truly is kindergarten shit that I never learned properly, part of my (glacial) plan for improvement is to say to myself ‘keys, wallet, phone’ every morning before I leave the house. The aloud bit is essential. Because, really, that’s all I need to bring to work, unless I’ve packed a lunch. And, y’know, have remembered to take it off the kitchen counter.

* Maybe if I made up a ditty about dishwashers and sang it in the shower. MAYBE.