I must admit defeat

I have spent the last hour or so looking for a round piece of blue plastic about an inch and a half long. It's really important! It's the valve for the water bladder for my hydration pack. Without it there's no way it will hold water. It's so important that I must have put it in a PLACE WHERE I WON'T FORGET. Dammit, I never remember where these places are. I've looked everywhere. I've tried every remembering trick. I've opened boxes, found all kinds of other stuff, and completely destroyed any neatness that was present in my room, and I still can't find it!

It's so important. I can't believe I lost it. I hate being defeated. I (almost) always find whatever I'm looking for. I have clutter, but it's my clutter. I know it and its ways. I kept thinking the piece would turn up in one of the caches of small important things stashed about. You know it's bad when you keep wandering around asking yourself, "If I was me, where would I have put this?" With the back pack or back on the water bladder are, of course, the smartest answers. I can think of a dozen safe places for it, but it's not there. And, of course, I need it in a couple hours.

The damn piece isn't expensive, and I could easily order it on the internet for the next time. That doesn't help me now, and I don't know if any of the local stores might happen to have a replacement in their camping gear sections.

Dammit, dammit, dammit.

...

Maybe I'll just take beer instead of water.