Hiding in plain sight

[John Rumm]

The other day when installing an extractor fan, I needed a 5" hole though the wall. The wall in question was made up from several layers of cladding and ply, but was basically a stud wall. Hence, I stuck a 5" holesaw on my combi drill, romped up the ladder, and went at it.

Having found that I was making rather slow progress, it was also cold and the wind was blowing, and I had nearly twisted my wrist twice when the saw snagged, I decided it was time to go and get big FO drill with a clutch.

I then wasted 30 mins looking for my core drill. It was not where it should be, or anywhere else likely. Phoned the last person I lent it to, he had brought it back. Hmmmm. In the end I got out the SDS, and found a rare use for the normal chuck adaptor in it.

So tonight I though I would go have another look for it in the workshop

- looked on the floor under the bottom tool shelf (got down on my hands and knees with a torch this time). Nope, definitely not there. Then I was about to get up, when I looked at a big yellow and black bag on the bottom shelf that I did not recognise immediately. Oh yes, one core drill and all the cores!

I forgot that last time I used it, the zip on the weedy bag it was in broke, and I had been organized enough to order a better bag for it!

[Bob Minchin]

It is comforting to know that I'm not the only one to do this soft of thing.

Another thing that catches me out is I have a number of chesterman flexible steel rules 300mm x 12mm x less than 1mm thick which get scattered around the desk, bench etc where I'm working and they just disappear. Invariably they manage to get lodged at an angle so that the only view is the 1 x300mm one and I just don't see it for ages.

Bob

[T i m]

Funny isn't it, how we get used to something being a certain way and then don't recognise any changes.

I wonder how many of us have accidentally called our second wife by the name of the first? (And you could imagine all the times when that could be *really* bad / awkward). ;-)

And as you say, in the workshop, even though I may not have used something for a fair while can't really remember since the last reorganisation / tidy-up where it is, some sort of sixth sense draws me (us?) to where it is? We can probably see where it isn't, so by definition, it must be somewhere else (or actually where we thought it was in the first place but just in a different container). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Andrew Gabriel]

Another variation... Flying off somewhere and remember at the last minute that your check-in bag was broken and you need a new one. Whizz out and get it, pack and off to the airport. Once you've landed you arrive at the luggage carousel only to think, "What the hell did that new bag I just bought look like?"

[Blanco]

That's Alzheimer's for you.

[The Natural Philosopher]

You are Rod speedo and I claim my vegamite

[newshound]

I was once at a conference in the USA and I hitched a ride somewhere with the (very experienced) Brit who had organised it. In the back window of his hire car he had a particularly absurd and brightly coloured cuddly toy. When I asked him about it, he said he *always* got one for his hire cars abroad. There's nothing worse than being in a shopping mall car park with about a hundred other identical cars.

[Huge]

What a brilliant idea. I went into a mall in Rochester, NY, came out of a different door to the one I went in and couldn't find my hire car. I didn't even know what make, model or colour it was.

[Martin Bonner]

I can categorically promise I have never done that. I have on a couple of occasions called SWMBO "Mum" though (there might be a time when that isn't really bad / awkward, but I haven't found one yet).

[tabbypurr]

Fed up with being unable to find tape measures, I bought another 9. I still often can't find one

NT

[S Viemeister]

Scissors. I buy extra, but they still disappear.

[Tim Lamb]

In message , [e-mail] writes

Often a freebie with an ITS London order:-)

The one I can always find is kept in the house by senior management!

[Peter Parry]

On a visit to the Pentagon myself and three BAe engineers went in for a meeting, visited several offices and came out again. The car didn't seem to be where we expected so I said "How can you lose a Green Ford (whatever)" to which engineer No1 said - "no it was a blue Chrysler" and engineer No2 said "no that was yesterday - today was a red Dodge". Engineer No3 couldnt remember but was adamant it wasn't a Green Ford, a blue Chrysler or a red Dodge.

The key didn't help as it was an anonymouse one. We then resorted to wondering around pressing the button on the key fob in the hope something beeped. After a bit it became clear we were attracting an audience of large gentlemen with guns. Deciding it was better to ask for help before being shot and having no female with us to be sent to do the asking we gave in and declared we had lost our car.

"Which car park was it in" said gunman1 "The only one - we didn't get a choice" said we. " There are 5 car parks" said gunman2, "one for each door. Which door did you go in?" "The main one" said we. "There are 5 main doors - one in each wing". Lots of looking at each other and shrugging ensued. Eventually gunman 1 and 3 agreed to take us to each car park in turn (so their mates wouldn't shoot us as we wandered around pressing the key fob.). 2 hours later we found it (and it was a green Ford).

[T i m]

How long were you with the first Mrs Bonner though (IIMA)? My first was 7 years, this one 27 so far (I think)?

Now I don't think I've done that. I did call a complete stranger 'Mum' in the supermarket the other day (doing some shopping for one of her friends) and that only because mine swapped places with (potentially) someone else's when my back was turned. ;-)

Luckily, that was just embarrassing / funny for us.

Cheers, T i m

[Martin Bonner]

I have been with the first Mrs Bonner (or functional equivalent) for 31 years so far (no previous girlfriend could stand me for more than six months).

[Huge]

Another good idea, but my incident predated smartphones & digital cameras.

[Huge]

That was what I was going to resort to. Fortunately, there were no people with guns.

[T i m]

Ah, then that explains your comment. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Blanco]

Makes a lot more sense to take a photo of it with the phone now.

[Brian Reay]

On my first trip to the US, I arrived to discover I'd not packed any underwear. I jumped in the hire car, drove to the local shopping mall, stocked up, and returned to the car park. Of course, I couldn't remember what the hire car looked like (it was some strange model).

I wandered around for ages clicking the remote.