Recently a piece of news is widely spread on internet. It announces that NASA scientists have found mysterious characters on rock of Titan and it might be sign of civilization having existed on planet. Bob Rowntree received this URL link (http://www.uuswap.com/ecard_titan.php) from her girl friend on MSN this morning. When he felt suspicious about trueness of source, with an accidental click on picture, Dave saw his name and a josh message!

Some who know me suggest I might be a wee bit absentminded at times. I prefer to think of it as simply being actively engaged in processing thoughts; giving tiny gray cells a good workout. My motto: Don't hate me because I'm thoughtful.

I must admit to a certain aura of preoccupation at times. However, it is not as severe as Gracious Mistress of Parsonage seems to think. I just have many things on my mind and at times, I am not fully conscious of my immediate surroundings.

I admit it, but I refuse to accept thought that I am absent-minded. I always know where my mind is and what it is doing.

Of course, I will accede to certain instances where it might appear on surface to resemble absent-mindedness, but appearances can be deceiving.

Case in point. Several times when my wife sent me to grocery store around corner for a few items (which doesn't happen often, due to what she calls my absentmindedness) I ended up across town not knowing what I was doing there.

I cannot explain this activity, but it is not empirical evidence that I am absent-minded. It's just one of those things that happens every once in a while to a person like me.

Sometimes I will meet a friend, and he or she asks why I did not wave back other day when they saw me. Sheepishly, I admit that I did not see them.

It could happen to anybody.

With this in mind, an incident happened last week bearing explanation.

As it happened, my wife was going to accompany our granddaughter on a school field trip. There was one thing needing attention. Someone needed to pick up our grandson from school that afternoon.

That someone turned out to be me.

In preparation for my "assignment," my wife lectured me on necessity of picking up our grandson by 2:30 that afternoon. "It is extremely important," my wife said to me as I gazed out window, "that he be picked up no later than 2:30."

Then she added something that terribly insulted me. She said, emphatically, "Do you think you can remember to do it?"

As far back as I can remember, my memory has served me quite well, thank you. I could not believe she could believe I would forget something that important. It just goes to show how little some people know some other people. I'm not mentioning any names.

The morning of field trip arrived and I was in fairly good spirits, as I recollect. As my wife went out door, she threw in my general direction words, "Don't forget to pick up our grandson at 2:30."