Absent-Minded Professor

Once again, Pete can be glad he's a professor since he has an excuse to be absent-minded!

The other night after the kids had gone to bed, I became rather alarmed.  Pete had been fiddling around in the kitchen, and then I noticed it had gotten pretty quiet.  After calling his name a few times and getting no answer, I went into the kitchen and found this:

I seriously started to wonder if the rapture had just taken place!  His slippers were still there, the fridge door was wide open.... Where was he? 

After a few strange moments during which I questioned my salvation and frantically started praying...  Pete walked in the door.  He had gone over to our neighbor's house to take them some food.

Let me repeat that:  He had gone over to our neighbor's house!  And left the refrigerator door wide open!  When I told him that, he just kind of smiled and said, "Oh, I did?"  He was not nearly alarmed by this as I was!!

Then a couple of days later, he vacated the kitchen leaving this:

What is going on around here???!  I mean, Pete has never been accused of being a hard-core, tree-hugging conservationist, but these events are over the top, even for him. 

His absent-mindedness has been noticed by others lately, as well...  Yesterday, as they were driving in the car, Strider and Pete were talking.  But finally Strider had to say, "Dad, by the time you answer me, I've always already forgotten what the conversation was!"  The professor is so busy with his high-level thinking that carrying on coherent (and real-time) conversations with the rest of us is quite a challenge!

I think I should be worried...  At least I would be, if I wasn't so absent-minded myself....  But we won't go into that right now.