“Oh man!” she exclaims, “I should have had you drop them off on your way to work this morning.”

Still unconcerned, I tell her, “There’s still time.  You can still go and drop it off this afternoon.”

She is somewhat distraught, “Yes, but that means getting out into the heat.  Do you know if it’s supposed to be any cooler today?”

I quickly launch My Yahoo! on my web browser and take a peek at today’s weather forecast.  “Nope,” I respond, “highs like yesterday, in the mid-90s.”  

“I guess I can still take it in later,” she says dejectedly, finally resigned to this task at hand.

“I’ll talk to you later then honey,” I tell her, “I love you.”  And I hang up the phone, still somewhat puzzled about what the Big Deal is about having to take the bills to the utility department.  After all, we don’t really live that far away.  

Much later in the afternoon, it finally hits me.  Duh.  I finally realize what the Big Deal was.  The problem was that I was suffering from Moving Brain Syndrome (TM).  Moving Brain Syndrome is what someone suffers in the weeks following a move.  Typical “symptoms” include forgetfulness, habitually driving to the wrong place, and a misplaced point of view.  Our not seeing eye to eye was that I was still thinking that she had to walk from the apartment to the utility department (a very short jaunt), but in fact, she had to walk from our new place of residence.  That entails not only walking a significantly further distance, but also involves scaling the small mountain on which we currently live on the return trip.  Not exactly a walk in the park.

I've definitely been suffering from Moving Brain Syndrome (TM) big time last week as I inadvertently almost drove to the apartment several times on the way home from work.  The good thing is that Moving Brain Syndrome (TM) eventually wears off.

I really dislike Moving Brain Syndrome (TM), but the typical prognosis for recovery times is somewhere on the order of several weeks.  The problem I have personally with Moving Brain Syndrome (TM) is that the symptoms can make one appear to be quite dense or airheaded. 

I’m glad that I’m not the only one suffering from Moving Brain Syndrome (TM) though.  After Tai-Chi class last week, Jen drove all the way to the apartment parking lot before realizing where she was.  At least I haven't done that yet.  

Most of the time when I am driving, my brain is going a billion miles a minute.  I'm always thinking ahead to the route I’m taking, calculating what is the quickest route.  If at a particular intersection I can take two different routes, which one is faster?  Which way should I go if the light is green?  Should I go the other way if the light is red?  I'm almost continuously monitoring the traffic patterns in front of me and behind me to determine which lane is traveling faster.  I'm habitually looking in all my mirrors so I know exactly where traffic is around me at all times.  Also continually on the watch for cops both on the road in front of me, and behind me.  All the while checking out other models of cars, especially new ones, and checking out license plates to see if any of them are vanity plates or are from other states. 

I guess this just goes to show some of my anal retentive traits.  Since I expect myself to be thinking all the time, when other people don’t live up to my unattainable “standards,” it often rubs me the wrong way.  Jen driving home not following the most efficient route often drives me up the wall (sorry, honey).

Another example of this overactive analytical mind is going grocery shopping.  While most people probably just buy whatever the heck they want regardless of price or brand, I’m sure my brain is a work of art to behold.  I'm constantly calculating the unit price, and always try to get the most for my money.  Honest.  I’m not being conceited when I’m saying this, just that if someone could monitor my brain while I’m grocery shopping, I’m sure it would be a fascinating piece to watch.  

For example, let’s pick something that we probably all buy on a regular basis – spaghetti noodles.  Here’s the thought process that my brain goes through when trying to decide which spaghetti noodles to buy.  Keep in mind that I do all this in my head, without the aid of a calculator.

“Ok, let’s see, the store-brand 24-oz pack is on sale for 3 for $4.00, which makes it come out to one 24oz pack for $1.33.  The name-brand 24-oz pack is also on sale for $1.50, which isn’t quite as good of a deal.  But the name-brand 36-oz pack is on sale for $2.00.  How does that compare to the store-brand 24-oz pack?  Let’s see.  24-oz of the 36-oz pack would come out to about $1.33 as well.  So it looks like those are comparable.  Oh wait, I think the fettuccine is cheaper since the 12-oz pack of fettuccine is 50 cents.  Yep, 24-oz of fettuccine comes out to $1.00.  That's definitely the best buy,” I think as I load up on packages of fettuccine.

This process is repeated for nearly every purchase I make.  I think you get the picture.  But as complicated as it may seem, I’ve been doing this for years so I have it down to a science now.  Plus when in doubt, I can always check the unit price posted.  However, this doesn’t always help as sometimes for the same product, the unit prices are given for different units, go figure.

As you can see, my mind often has a will of its own.  Or I've at least developed it where it is habitually doing some sort of inane analysis.  But I'll take inane and annoying over Moving Brain Syndrome (TM) any day.  

Now if only I can remember to stop riding my bike back to the apartment when I'm done riding for the day...