It’s like leaving the house and realizing you’ve forgotten to put on underwear. (Or not). That hasn’t been an issue for me since 1982.

A pot of water boiling unattended? Not that serious. More like leaving your lunch sitting on the kitchen counter, or getting to work and realizing you’ve left your uniform in the dryer.

Yes, the horror of horrors happened today. I left the house without my cell phone.

As I finished the half-mile walk to the bus, I reached for my cell phone and saw the unzipped compartment. (A place for everything, and everything in its place.) I knew exactly where I’d left it; on the chair in front of me, so I’d see it on the way out and not forget it. D’oh! What shocked me was not that I’d left it behind, but my reaction to leaving it behind.

I’m a little late to the cell-phone game. I didn’t have one until a year ago, and was recently upgraded to a snazzy model that takes pictures and stuff. I’ve also discovered text-messaging, which at twenty cents per, can turn into an expensive habit. I can sing Nine Inch Nails lyrics in code (” i 1 2 4 Q lyk & N-M-L…”) or send teases to the only girl I know that doesn’t have e-mail, but after the last bill I’m trying to show some restraint.

Weekends are free, so I tend to get my money’s worth. I go to exotic places (quiet corner of the mall) and catch up with my relatives back east, or kill time waiting for the bus by calling chatty friends that I can never get off the phone otherwise. (”Gotta go, bus!”) I couldn’t do that today.

I use TriMet’s Transit Tracker religiously, it’s on speed dial. I’ve memorized a bunch of bus stop codes. Today it was “I’ll get there when I get there” mode. Lo and behold, I waited no more than three minutes for any of the buses. Since it’s Sunday, we’ll give credit to faith over technology.

The part that worried me: I’d sent out a couple of e-mails and made a couple of phone calls, inviting friends to come out and play, should they be able to get away on a hot Sunday afternoon. Halfway through my journey I called home. Everything was fine, and no blinking red lights on my phone. Screw it, I’m going stone age! If they wanna find me, they’re gonna have to look for me.

And now? The phone is fully charged and ready to rock. If I can only remember to take it with me tomorrow. I feel kinda naked without it…