What's the secret password?

I have a lot of different online "accounts" for a lot of different types of web sites. I try to make them very similar so that I don't forget them, but some sites ask for a certain amount of letters or a certain letter/number combination. I have my regulars, but every now and then I stray in order to meet the guidelines, or because I've watched too many episodes of 20/20 on identity theft and I therefore swing to the other side of the pendulum. Ofcourse none of these passwords are written down. How can my secret security clearance password be 'for my eyes only' if I've written it down somewhere? In the last few days I've tried to log into a few of said "accounts" to try and do different things; check the balance on my student loan, upload a new picture to be left with my blog comments, the really important things of life. Sadly I've forgotten the password.

I'm not sure if it's pregnancy brain or just because I set them up one day thinking I'd never use them again, or if my sleep last night was so restless because random bits of information were being sucked from my brain in order to help other life forms overtake the earth. That's a question we'll leave up to the experts.


Usually I'll just create another account when I can't remember. I'm one of those people with four logins for sites like Baby Fit and iVillage. A few of the accounts are for financial purposes though and those ones I need to actually prove my identity in order to attain access. I called up the NSLC yesterday to have my password reset. They gave me my username and it was clear that I must have created the account while in the throes of labor because seriously it was completely irrelevant to anything in my life ever. Feeling rather sheepish for having to even call someone to let me reset my password I chose to look at my security questions to get my old password instead of just resetting a new one. Could the questions be any more ambiguous? 'An important date.', 'An important person in your life. Hint: It's a family member.', 'What was your favorite subject the third and sixth weeks of grade four?'.

Oh my word. I'm going to have to hang my head and call back tomorrow to reset my password entirely. Perhaps this time I'll write it down.

Except I do have some nosy neighbors and every now and then I forget to lock the front door.

What if they discover that I know the secrets to life's burning questions- and I keep them hidden in a password only accessible web site?

Hmmm, maybe they know the answers to my security questions.......