I Forgot What I Wanted to Remember

This weekend at softball practice my cleats were so tight. It turns out that I put a pair of insoles in the shoes to cushion my heel, which is afflicted with a bone spur. Last season I also put insoles in my cleats. But I forgot I had done that, so I had two insoles in my shoes, which left barely enough room for my actual feet.

Yesterday on the way to work I found myself memorizing a list of things I wanted to Google. I know that it is a good idea to carry a notepad around, but I am lucky if I can remember my wallet every morning, so it is ludicrous to think I'll remember to grab a notepad before leaving my apartment.

Toddy's Mental List of Things to Google Once I Get To Work:
1. How do they answer the phone in other countries?
2. What is the story behind that man who preaches at the bus mall every day?
3. Why were jurors jolted by ugly truths? (Headline from yesterday's paper)

Why did I have to search for those facts? No reason, really. I could have bought the newspaper and checked that one off my list. Knowing how a person in Jordan answers the phone wasn't really important for my personal growth. I've lived in Portland for 10 years without knowing anything about the street preacher downtown, but yesterday it felt crucial that I know more about him.

I know that I make my life more difficult than it needs to be. I clutter my brain with useless information. I forget things so quickly too. This morning I read an article in Rolling Stone and immediately forgot what I read. I set the magazine down and thought to myself, "That was a good article. Wait. What was it about? Politics? A movie review? Think, damn it. What did I just read???"

I finally remembered that the article was about the band, REM, and included some photos from their history.

My memory is not so bad that I will ever forget the theme song to Knot's Landing. And no matter how old I live to be, I will never ever forget every single word of that Brim commercial.