LR-ADHD, Serious and Very Real (Post #323) 3/8/2013

We have all had moments when this scenario has happened to us.

You are working on a task on your Land Rover, let’s say an oil change, and you notice there is a badly corroded wire on the coil. Those wires are flimsy and prone to corroding. You stop to inspect it and notice the wire to the connector shows signs it will probably break off on the next armadillo you run over. So you get a wire cutter and nip it off and go to the shelf to get another connector end and some heat shrink to minimize the chances of this happening again.

When you get to the shelf you see the light bulbs you bought last week when your neighbor told you the left back-up lamp was out. So you go to the tool chest to get a Phillip’s screwdriver to put the bulb in, after all, it will only take a minute. Right?

When you get to the tail light you notice the rhino-lining on the rear lamp guards has faded to gray. You remember you have a can of flat black left over from the “pirate ship Halloween project” you made for your neighborhood Trunk-or-Treat. As you reach for it you see the pre-measured tubes of CV joint lubricant you bought two months ago after you heard what you thought was the tell tale metal knuckle sound coming from the front when you were leaving the camp ground. And just then you remember you need to put the away the camping gear that still litters the garage floor.

Do you even remember what it was you were working on? Throw in a refrigerator full of Boddington’s and you probably have forgotten why you were in the garage in the first place.

This is LR-ADHD, Land Rover – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Sadly, it is mostly incurable. You have so many “little” tasks to do on your Land Rover that you get overwhelmed. And like the proverbial dog being distracted by a squirrel, you will forever be side tracked by another task the minute you start a new one.

To aid me in battling this terrible disease, I am going to install a white board in the garage where I can write down the projects I need to do on the Range Rover. If I use a little bit of my project management skills I can probably maximize my time in the garage drinking Boddington’s and watching sports working on the things that will help Mrs. OkieRover and I to circumnavigate the great state of Oklahoma this summer or early fall.

I have also started a list of the items I should pull off any Classic Range Rovers I find in the breakers yards. It will also help me keep track of any items I decide to buy off eBay when I see the weekly email of the Land Rover stores I am following.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been in a hardware store and failed to buy something I need. Getting old is brutal. The first thing to go is the mind. I used to think it was from all the booze I drank as a young man. But that sadly doesn’t work as a theory because my friend who seldom drank to excess has memory problems as well.

So if you are like me and afflicted with LR-ADHD go down swinging and employ the memory aiding devices available to you.

Thanks for ummmm, what ever it was you were doing a minute ago and Happy Rovering.