The Referral

At the eye doctor

A week ago Monday, I walked around all day with a nagging feeling that I had to pick something up somewhere. I even mentioned it to a couple of people. However, after going through a whole checklist of what it could be, prescription, Home Depot on-line purchase, dry cleaning, I figured that I was just imagining it. Maybe I had a dream the night before where I had to pick something up and it stuck with me. After much searching of my memory bank, I wrote it off as just a dumb feeling and forgot about it. One week later. At five o'clock in the morning, I awoke with a sudden dread. It popped into my head the minute I opened my eyes. I forgot to go pick up the referral for my foot doctor. I have an appointment this week and because of the stupid insurance company rules, I have to be referred to that doctor by my primary care physician. Why didn't I just have them mail it to me? Because the last time they said they would mail it, it took over two months for them to get it to me. I did go pick up the referral yesterday, it was there waiting for me. Now I have to go back again, because I just remembered that I have an eye doctor appointment next Monday, and again I need another referral.

I'm starting to worry about my memory and so is Mark. I am forgetting a lot of words lately. This results in Mark and me sitting around playing word association games, trying to get Mark to figure out just what word I need to finish a sentence.

"Mark, what is it when somebody makes you like them?"

"Huh? I don't know. You give them money?"

"No, don't be ridiculous. I'm trying to remember a word. You know, celebrities have it."

"Popularity?"

"No, but that is good. I'll have to remember that word. Try again, it's when you can't resist somebody."

"Magnetic personality?"

"Ooooh, again so close. I think it starts with an 'S' or maybe a 'T'....  "

"I don't know what the hell you want. You really need to go see a doctor about this memory thing. You constantly forget your wallet, and you're always forgetting your keys."

"Yeah, sure. That's right, I 'forget' my wallet when we go out to eat."

"Ah ha! So you do, do it on purpose."

"Can we get back to my word? Think about it. What do you call it when people like you a lot. When just your presence in a room draws everybody's attention."

"A hot body and a cute face?"

"Arrggghhh.... "

"Do you mean charisma?"

"Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding... you win! Yes, that's the word."

Which brings me back to the doctor's referral. I think maybe I should ask him for a referral to a... uummm... what the hell do you call them? You know, a doctor that deals with memory.