Stupid Rhyo tricks # (gah, what number are we on?)
This weekend the spouse and I are off in yet another futile attempt to find a city in which we would a) like to live and b) be able to afford. Thus far those two desires have not coincided. Two weeks ago we looked at a small town that had twice as many gunstores as bookstores and I balked. Big time. This weekend we are off to a Northern California college town, or up in the Sierra Nevada foothills above it, anyway.
So, where is the stupid trick, you ask? Well, this isn't going to gain me any new friends, but... since I don't have a regular day job, I have this little problem -- I often have NO idea what day of the week it is, much less what the date is. I usually know the month and have some feeling about whether it's early in the month or late in the month, but that's it. But, heck, I can use a calendar, right? Ummm, right.
We left this afternoon and we're driving through the fog and rain of the Willamette Valley, and, as the day wears on into evening, I ask Steve how much light we have left.
He does some guesstimating, using his fingers. "About 2 hours, I'd guess. We're close to the solstice, and daylight is at the max right about now."
"Oh, yeah," I reply. The solstice was earlier this week, right? The 21st?" (Because I might not know what day today is, but the fact that the solstices are June 21 and December 21 is one of those stupid facts burned into the basic parts of my brain.)
"No," he says. "Next week. Because today is only the 16th."
"No," I correct. "It's the 23rd."
"No," he says, patiently, "it isn't. It's the 16th. You've got your days screwed up again."
"Oh, SHIT."
" 'SHIT'?" he questions. "Why is this bad?"
"Because I made the hotel reservations for 4 nights. For NEXT week, apparently."
A quick application of cell phone technology and a groveling tone of voice straightened it out and now, at 9:00 pm, we do indeed have a hotel room.
So, where is the stupid trick, you ask? Well, this isn't going to gain me any new friends, but... since I don't have a regular day job, I have this little problem -- I often have NO idea what day of the week it is, much less what the date is. I usually know the month and have some feeling about whether it's early in the month or late in the month, but that's it. But, heck, I can use a calendar, right? Ummm, right.
We left this afternoon and we're driving through the fog and rain of the Willamette Valley, and, as the day wears on into evening, I ask Steve how much light we have left.
He does some guesstimating, using his fingers. "About 2 hours, I'd guess. We're close to the solstice, and daylight is at the max right about now."
"Oh, yeah," I reply. The solstice was earlier this week, right? The 21st?" (Because I might not know what day today is, but the fact that the solstices are June 21 and December 21 is one of those stupid facts burned into the basic parts of my brain.)
"No," he says. "Next week. Because today is only the 16th."
"No," I correct. "It's the 23rd."
"No," he says, patiently, "it isn't. It's the 16th. You've got your days screwed up again."
"Oh, SHIT."
" 'SHIT'?" he questions. "Why is this bad?"
"Because I made the hotel reservations for 4 nights. For NEXT week, apparently."
A quick application of cell phone technology and a groveling tone of voice straightened it out and now, at 9:00 pm, we do indeed have a hotel room.