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Memory (Mis)Adventure Story Archive:

So you have your keys, but you can't find your car!


Problem: On a freezing cold night in Chicagoland, Jim R. was chatting away on his cell phone as he pulled into a crowded parking lot. On automatic pilot, Jim parked, turned off the motor, locked the door, and headed to the mall to meet his wife - all the while thoroughly engrossed in conversation. He hung up the phone in the bridal shop so he could give his wife a hug along with his undivided attention.

After helping Mrs. R. pick out a dress for their daughter's wedding, and then eating dinner, and then bumping into friends and chatting a while, it was time to go home.

Oh-oh . . . where is his car?

After a twenty-five minute trudge up and down the freezing cold aisles of the North parking lot, the tired, frustrated, and exasperated ICEMAN eventually tried the West parking lot. There, with a huge sigh of relief, Jim happened upon his vehicle, right where he had left it.

Pro-Active Solution: Too bad Jim didn't stop talking on his cell phone long enough to pay attention to where he parked. ("Look" is the first step of the four-step LOVE Method of Memory.)

Two days later, a friend brought the defrosted Jim a copy of WHERE ARE MY KEYS? Jim chuckled as he read the chapter on LOVEr's Lane, and knew that like the driver in the book, he too, would never again forget where he parked his car.

Get Where You're Going - Hassle Free


Problem: In Chicago, the Kennedy Expressway veers off into two different directions: Highway 290 and Highway 90/94. Driving west one-half-hour out of my way, and then another half-hour back east to where I started was a big waste of my time. Once was enough for me. To make certain I never repeat that mistake, I've made up a rhythmic poem to keep me on the right road.

"N.O. to 2.9.0. I'm for 94."

Area Codes in Rhyme


Problem: My daughter used to live in Alaska, area code 907. Now she lives in Colorado, area code 970. To keep them straight in our minds, we made up a rhyme:

"9.7.0. - Colo-r-a-do."

* By submitting your stories, you are authorizing Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, to publish that writing at her discretion. Names will be changed upon request.

Views from the BRAIN-WAGON is written and produced by Judy Marcus, Memory Lady.  Please do not reprint any portion of this newsletter without contacting Judy@memorylady.com.  And please feel free to forward it, in its entirety, to friends, family, and colleagues. Copyright 2004 -2007, Judy Marcus. All rights reserved.

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