January 31 , 2020
Dear Everyone:
I like having a list to remind me of things I need/want/have to do.
Things like, “take the morning medications”, “order more postage
stamps”, “reboot the modem once per month”.
Some things happen almost automatically, but checking them off the list
gives me a feeling of satisfaction, plus confirming that this, that, or
the other was done as needed.
Others let me know about something that might have started quite
some time ago, but needs to be done, like replacing the filter in the
heater/air-conditioner every three months.
Or a reminder to print out a new list of my current medications
before going to visit the dentist.
“Any change in your medications since the last time we saw you?”
(Here’s the latest list.)
They love that.
There’s also a Reminder to start thinking about what to write about in
the Weekly Letter. Not
surprisingly, it’s coded with the color for “Family” and starts on
Wednesday of each week.
I even have a reminder to export the To Do List once each month, just in
case my primary computer crashes.
(Actually, it’s not a question of “if”, it’s only a question of
“when”.) That way, I still
have a record of things that might not happen for a long time, such as
when my primary credit card gets replaced in 2022.
Some things actually need an official Reminder that pops up on the
computer at a set time, like the one that goes off at 7:30 each evening,
in case I got busy and forgot to brush my teeth.
In fact, there are occasions when I will race to complete a task
before the Reminder pops up, as if I’m actually competing with the
computer. A kind of mental
“Got there ahead of you this time!”
This is what comes of growing up in a highly competitive
environment, with six brothers and sisters all trying to outdo each
other.
However, there are times when I might not be home to see or hear the
Reminder on the computer. In
those cases, I use my smartphone, “Bianca”.
Bianca has a To Do List somewhere, but I found that the little
chirp it makes is much too discrete for me to hear it, especially in a
noisy restaurant, or such place.
Instead, I use the Clock Feature.
Every smartphone has a Clock Feature.
This is one reason why wristwatches have gone out of style.
Like most Clock Features, Bianca’s clock includes an Alarm.
I can set an Alarm, giving it a name, date and time to go off.
And I discovered that Bianca allows me to import anything I like
from my phone’s music library as a “ringtone” to use instead of the
usual “chirp” or “tweet” or “ring!!!”
So the Alarm that I use the most is a Reminder to take a certain
medication every six hours.
Taking it in the morning is a given, since it allows me to get through
the day with less pain than without it.
But the next dosage is six hours after that, and that time can
easily change from one day to the next.
So I set up an Alarm for it.
One which sounds off with the last movement of Beethoven’s Fifth
Symphony. Anyone familiar
with this symphony knows that it starts with a crescendo of brass
instruments, fit to wake the dead.
It certainly gets my attention in a hurry.
Another thing I like about it is, if for some reason I can’t get to the
task immediately, I can hit the “Snooze button”; and Bianca will quell
the music for a quarter-hour, then start up again, in case I forgot.
Again.
Once the task is accomplished, I can reset the Alarm to go off again in
another six hours. Or the
next morning, if that’s more appropriate.
I can even choose different pieces of music to “code” which task is
which. Bianca doesn’t mind.
She’ll carry as many Reminders as I need, as long as the “name”
of the Alarm doesn’t get too long, or repeat another.
I can even set an Alarm to remind me to look at a list of Reminders to
add to the ones in the computer.
Ain’t life grand?
Love, as always,
Pete
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