Get organized

I bought my car used from a friend back in November. At the time I paid for the tags which were due in a few months and they gave me a discount for paying for the full year after that. When I went to put the tags on the car I realized my friend had messed up and put two year tags on (2007 and 2008) instead of one month tag and one year tag. I was momentarily confused about which one I should cover up with my 2009 tag. So I set it aside thinking I would call the license place and figure it out later. ... I never got around to taking care of it.

I live just a few blocks from a police station. Today I pulled out onto the main road right in front of a police car. Uh oh. It looked like he was going to go the other way at the light then I saw him change lanes so he could stay behind me. I knew I was going to get pulled over. Soon his lights came on and I pulled into a parking lot.

He said he noticed I had two year tags instead of a month and a year. I explained that yes, I bought my car from a friend and it was like that. He said the vehicle license place would be happy to give me a month tag if I stop by. Then he asked to see my insurance card. Uh, I had my last year’s one in my wallet but not the current one. Oh dear. I assured him that my insurance is current, I just didn’t have it in my wallet. It is the law in this state that you have to carry your proof of insurance with you.

The officer was a very nice young man, by the way. But he said he was going to have to give me a warning. He said “they are making us give warnings now.” I nodded and sighed … okay. He went back to his car for a few more minutes then returned. He said he didn’t seem to have a pen on him and so he couldn’t give me a warning. I’m too nice – I started looking around my car so I could offer him my pen! But then I realized how stupid that was. He saw me looking around for the pen and probably thought to himself “what a dodohead.” He just kept talking and informed me that his computer told him I actually already have my 2009 tags. Did I just get them? I admitted “No, I just didn’t get them on the car.” He let me go on my promise to take care of the tabs and the insurance card right away.

Clearly this officer did not want to give me a ticket or even a warning. I’m sure he could see on his computer that my record is clean, clean clean. Not even a speeding ticket. And as I left I’m sure he thought the same thing I was thinking. “I just pulled her over for being disorganized.” I felt bad that I wasted his time when he could have been out catching real criminals.

Thank goodness he didn’t ask to see my registration. :O

I have about 5 pairs of nice gloves (leather, cashmere and knitwear) and big fuzzy mittens that I like to trade off wearing in the cold weather. I’m so disorganized I used to have a terrible time remembering where they all were. Then last winter I had a success with keeping them all together in one place.

I’m an “out and about” person who leaves things out because that’s how I remember where they are. But of course that means too much clutter. Earlier this year we had an apartment inspection which means a big cleanup. I put those gloves and mittens away somewhere safe because to leave them out all summer is not what a normal person would do.

Now I can’t find them anywhere. What am I supposed to do now that it’s cold? Buy another pair of gloves because I can’t find the ones I already have? That would be bad because that’s how people end up on shows like Clean Sweep and Oprah’s hoarding and decluttering shows – buying duplicates of things creating even more clutter. But the alternative – freezing my fingers to the bone all winter because my old ones probably won’t turn up until summer doesn’t seem like a good idea either.

It’s very discouraging. Sometimes I think I’m not meant to be an organized person.

I felt pretty organized on Friday and Saturday when I stayed with my Mom after bringing her home from rehab at a nursing home. I had my lists made for each day and checked everything off as I went.

I think it was easier to do there because I was focused on just one project – “take care of Mom.”

Now to apply those same methods back in my regular chaotic life where I have to jump between work, personal, and Mom stuff…