Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Duh moments

Edited:  I don't know why blogger is changing my text size to this massive font...  Gonna try and fix.  Again.  Grrrr.

Have you ever been so absorbed in something that you lose the ability to process outside information?  I mean, like completely blanking out.  

First up, the Hub is speaking to me on the couch.  The subject of which is pretty important.  But this preview for a new show on Sci-fi comes on (Sanctuary, I think) and I watch it, thinking that I can hear and process both things at the same time.  But, no go.  The preview goes off.  I look over and he's just looking at me.  He knows.  I laugh.  Really, it can't be helped.  I tell him I'm sorry, I got distracted, and he says, "Okay, so what was the last thing you heard?"  And I say, "The part where you said, So what do you think about-  I didn't hear anything else after that."  He wasn't amused.  I find this odd, because his mouth was moving, he was speaking during the entire preview (at least 1-2 minutes) and I didn't hear anything.  Nothing.  :D  Oops.  

Second up and the thing that prompted this post.  I'm on the Mac writing, and I call my daughter (she's upstairs) to help me with the baby for a second so I can finish what I'm doing.  No answer.  I walk to the bottom of the steps and call.  Nothing.  I call again.  I bang the wall.  No response.  I go up the steps, irritated now (because I know she can hear me), and bang on her door, then run back down the steps so Baby Boy doesn't follow me up.  Nothing.  I pick him up, go back up the stairs and into her bedroom.  She is not there.  What the hell?  I stand there knowing I must have missed something.  And then it hits me.  I seem to remember her and her friend standing behind my computer chair and commenting on something.  Ah ha! They went to her friend's house!  I remember them asking and me saying yes. How I totally blanked on that, I don't know. 

I've been in deep writer's thought before -- you know, thinking of a scene or dialogue and putting the chips in the fridge and the milk in the pantry, or filling a pitcher of water for the dog's bowl and then walking over to the trash and dumping it in.  I'm usually pretty good at deep thought while focusing on my external surroundings and/or tasks, but lately . . .  

Please tell me I'm not alone.  :-/   


Michelle Miles said...

LOL you are so not alone. I think, as mothers, it's part of our process to tune out :)

Susan Adrian said...

I am like this All The Time. It must be very irritating to be around me. Especially if you're trying to speak. :)

LeeAnn Flowers said...

My husband thinks it's just me. As part of my job, I have to listen for the phone while tuning out other things selectively. I can literally tune out anything now.

And don't even get me started when I'm reading a book. I'm so gone.

Kelly Gay said...

LOL. Sounds like I'm in pretty good company! :D

S. E. Ward said...

Nope, not just you by a long shot. In fact, you've pretty much described my normal frame of mind. And people wonder why I say I should never have kids. ;)