A friend keeps a little notebook in his breast pocket. He writes down things that I forget. Such as the names of people to whom he has been introduced. The departure time for the next train. The items he is going to pick up at the store. I don't have any shirts with breast pockets. I recommend his little notebook. I add my own advice:
Assign a place for everything you care about.
Always put the item back in its place - immediately.
Empty the pockets of coats and jackets before you rehang them.
With my friend's notebook, and a place for everything and empty pockets, you will save yourself time and gain considerable peace of mind.
While you were hard at work earning a living your government was demanding 20 years worth of documentation in pursuit of evidence of anticompetitive business practices. The "perp"? The Music Teachers National Association. The absurdity of this investigation is not apparent to the FTC. Alert agents learned that the Music Teachers' Code of Ethics, followed dutifully by members since their incorporation in 1876, contains language which could create coercive monopolies to the disadvantage of prospective music students. Here is the language in which danger lies: "Members....will respect the studios of other teachers...(and refrain from) actively soliciting (their students)". You can learn more about the MTNA here. You can learn more about the consent decree from the Music Trades online Journal. I feel especially well protected knowing that an anti-trust disclaimer will be read at every future MTNA event. There may be a recital in your future. Will you be comforted to know that your grandchild, seated at the large piano, legs not touching the floor, tiny fingers bent in concentration, has entered a musical community that has been cleansed by Federal vigilance? In case you don't have a music student in your life, here is a video which I particularly like.
