There's a camera around here somewhere

The piles have developed life and movement. You know - piles of laundry, piles of paperwork to file, piles of mail that I really ought to read, piles of things that need to be put away - those piles. I use a rather organic organizational system: last used is nearest. But sometimes I shoot myself in the foot and carefully put something away. Like the camera. It's around here somewhere. Not that I have anything photo-worthy, but I still love playing with it. And I can not remember what I did with it.

The memory thing, for me, has a lot to do with cognitive grouping. Ideas and concepts tend to cluster together. So if you grabbed me on the street and asked how many measuring cups I own, I would be totally flummoxed, but if you asked while I was in the kitchen, mid-cookie baking, I could tell you instantly and tell you where to find which ones. If I'm at the computer, and get an idea about something I need to do in the garage, and can't remember what it is by the time I get there, it's because the idea was clustered with the computer and my office area. That's why retracing the steps revives the idea. So what was I thinking when I put the camera away?

Of course I can always blame the cats. Back when I was single and eating wierdly, I had stuck a potato in the microwave, pulled it out, and put it on a plate on the table preparatory to splitting and stuffing it when the phone rang. When I finished the call, I could not for the life of me find that potato. The little white cat sat on the table watching me and smiling happily. Yep, she had snuggled up on top of that roasted potato and spread her fat around it like a skirt. she was quite vexed with me when I stole it from her.

So if you want pretty pictures, visit Dave Daniels or google Yarnstorm. I got nothing but good intentions today.