Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Always check the couch

We've all forgotten to bring items that we need with us. How many of us have gone on a trip, only to realize that we didn't bring enough changes of clothes, even though we know we set out plenty? Or how about heading out to a bar, and realizing that you forgot your ID? And we've all, at one point or another, forgotten to leave the house with necessary keys, either for work, the car, or our storage facilities downtown.

But how many of us can ever say that because we forgot something, someone else ended up under arrest? Our guess is not many, but that number recently went up by one.

For this, we really have to thank a German police officer, who was demonstrating how easy it would be to arrest someone to a class full of six- and seven-year-olds. In fact, it's so easy that, once the officer had handcuffed the teacher (to cheers from the students, mind you), he realized that he'd forgotten the keys to his cuffs, and was forced to call back-up to arrive with a spare set. The real prize for this story? The teacher didn't notice that something was amiss until the second officer arrived. We guess that the radio call for help didn't set off any alarms.

Given our own sometimes spotty memories, we actually feel for the poor officer. Not only did he forget his keys, but then he had to endure the heckling of young children as their teacher was released. They must have thought that a field trip was imminent (or at least a day of movie-watching with a lackadaisical substitute).

Of course, we also try to keep our easily forgettable things in easily searched (and frequently viewed) places. After all, who amongst us has never lost something in a couch cushion, ranging from keys to loose change (and possibly Jimmy Hoffa, but no evidence can be found for that). That's why we tend to check those places vigorously. Saves us the trouble of having to put together some sort of hanging spot for these items, and it keeps others from having to bail us out in our times of need.

Oh, and for those playing at home, we can't be certain, but we're guessing that the teacher was under "arrest" for longer than Lindsey Lohan was in jail. Just a hunch.

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