(diaryland) May 13, 2009 - 9:51 a.m.

When I try and be organised, it's bad.

More than once, I've written the time of an exam in a diary, and then completely forgot to look in the diary ever again. And didn't go to the exam. Then an elaborate story must be invented.

This morning, I had a similar experience. I rocked up to the barriers at the train station in the city, and put my ticket in the thing, and it said that I was using a concession ticket. But I'm a full grown-up. SHIT. I have all kinds of tickets for all kinds of situations lying around in my wallet because I thought it might make me organised. It doesn't. A few months ago, I got to the city only to find that I'd used the wrong zone ticket and I nearly got busted then.

This time, there were some ticket inspector heavies to meet and greet me. I was shuffling through my wallet, mumbling something like, "Wrong ticket. Goodness." Right at the back of my wallet was the ticket I should have used, and THANKS BE TO GOD that it was there, plus also thank Christ I hadn't thrown out the grown-ups ticket I used yesterday so I could show it to the serious guys. They thought about it, and said, yes. We see you accidentally used the wrong ticket. One of them said that if I'd come out on the other side of the train station, a guy would have fined the shit out of me.

I told you this story so you'd know why I'm shaking.