By Roz Rogoff
About this blog: In January 2002 I started writing my own online "newspaper" titled "The San Ramon Observer." I reported on City Council meetings and other happenings in San Ramon. I tried to be objective in my coverage of meetings and events, and...
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About this blog: In January 2002 I started writing my own online "newspaper" titled "The San Ramon Observer." I reported on City Council meetings and other happenings in San Ramon. I tried to be objective in my coverage of meetings and events, and saved my barbs for my Commentary page. I had some political differences with the City Council at that time and particularly with the majority dubbed "The Gang of Three," by the San Ramon Valley Times. In 2003 new Council members were elected and the Council was more balanced and fiscally conservative, but I continued to write the Observer until 2009. At that point I decided I wanted to concentrate on my commentaries. So I requested a meeting with the editor and publisher of the Danville Weekly about taking over the San Ramon Observer. My timing was very apropos since the parent company, Embarcadero Media, was planning to release an online San Ramon Express that April. I was offered a "blog" under the name "San Ramon Observer" for my commentaries. I like to inform residents about what is happening in San Ramon, especially on city government and local politics. When I don't have anything to write about on those topics, I just write about anything I am doing or thinking about.
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I was at the new Safeway in Dougherty Valley this afternoon. After I checked out and put all the groceries in my car, I noticed my wallet wasn't in my purse. So I went back into the store to see if I left it there. It wasn't there. I was starting to worry, so I left my name and phone number with one of the clerks in case they found it or someone turned it in. I went back to my car to see if I put it into one of the shopping bags. I found it on the passenger seat under the bags. I went back into the store to let the clerk know I found it. I got a lot of exercise this afternoon because of chasing after something I forgot where I put.
I've always been forgetful. I put things down and forget where I put them. Now that I'm getting older it seems to be getting worse. I can lose something in less than a minute. I put something down and then I can't find it. I asked my Doctor if there's a medication for this kind of forgetfulness. He said it's only for Alzheimer's patients. It slows the progression of the memory loss, but he assured me my forgetfulness isn't Alzheimer's. At least that's a relief.
I put my new glasses on the Dining Room table last week. That's the last place I remember putting them down. A few minutes later they weren't there and I can't remember where I moved them. I've been looking for them for over a week and can't find them. I'm using an older pair of glasses to write this right now.
I almost threw away a new Master Card, which I just received in the mail. I couldn't find it. I looked everywhere. Finally I emptied the waste basket in the Living Room and it was there. I had accidentally thrown it away with the empty envelop. I hope I didn't throw my glasses away.
At least I was lucky and found my wallet and Master Card. I've been missing some things for years. My house looks like a cross between messy and hording. I plan to start cleaning up everything before the end of the year. Then maybe I'll find my glasses, a second set of car keys, a china cat a friend gave me for my birthday five years ago and a bunch of other things that are missing, but I can't remember what they are anymore.
That's why I like using a computer. I've been storing emails and documents on my computers for years. I have ten-year old emails still stored on Yahoo. All of my Observer columns from 2002 until I merged with the Express are saved in PDF format on an Observer webpage that's part of the Express. So whatever disappears in my personal life, my historical memories of San Ramon can still be found.