Thursday, August 19th, 2004 06:57 pm
This morning I heard garbage trucks on my street, and I realized that yet again I had forgotten to put out the trash and recycling bins. I raced to do it; maybe I was early enough for one or the other.

Every week I think "I'll remember next week" and every week, it seems, I forget. I'll think of it Wednesday morning, but forget when I get home from work. It's as if my mind goes into a zombie pit of uselessness every Wednesday night.

I bet that's when the aliens beam their mind control rays over southern Sunnyvale. Now that I know what time they do it, I have a better chance of protecting myself.
Thursday, August 19th, 2004 07:33 pm (UTC)
It helps that ours is Monday night and so tied to the weekend a bit; and the bins and barrels out on the street at about 7 when I get back from the gym clue me in if we've forgotten. What's annoying about this is that the city (on our low-waste plan) limits us to one barrel a week -- if you forget, you don't get to put out extra the next week, you have to retain any extra until it all fits. Blech.

You could set up an alarm on your PC (if you usually check it in the evening...)
Thursday, August 19th, 2004 07:43 pm (UTC)
Ugh, keeping the extra is the pits.

We rarely fill the barrel, and perhaps that contributes to my forgetfulness: the majority of the time it doesn't matter and we can easily go another week. But when we finally do fill it up...!

I don't check my computer reliably in the evenings, but I'm sure I can get technology to do SOMEthing to help. Tinfoil. I need tinfoil. ;-)
Thursday, August 19th, 2004 09:15 pm (UTC)
Another suggestion, on your way out do something that you'll notice upon arrival, reminding you to put the trash out. A note could work, or a chair out of place... Then you have 2 chances to remember!

Thursday, August 19th, 2004 09:26 pm (UTC)
I always know when to put the garbage out (tonight, for me) because I can expect the neighbor to park his car in the place I put the barrels. If he's parked inconveniently, it must be Thursday.

When I go home tonight, I'll see.

Tinfoil sounds like an excellent plan. Regular or extra heavy?
Friday, August 20th, 2004 10:26 am (UTC)
I used to have a neighbor like that. Funny how small things can be really annoying when I'm in the wrong frame of mind!

Definitely extra heavy. With crocheted purple yarn all around it.
Friday, August 20th, 2004 10:26 am (UTC)
Yes, I'm sure there's something I could do...
Friday, August 20th, 2004 10:55 am (UTC)
We have an on-line calendar, and one of the features is that we can tell it to e-mail us with reminders of things. So we had it set for a while to remind us to put out the garbage. Otherwise, I was always bolting out of bed at 4am in my pajamas when I heard the first trucks roll by.
Friday, August 20th, 2004 01:49 pm (UTC)
Bwa haa! I shouldn't laugh, but that image tickled my funnybone.

I don't hear the trucks until I'm out of the back bedroom. By then I'm too late for the regular garbage, but I can do the recycling. That fills up fastest anyway :)