Senior Moment

[noller9]

Got outside this morning and turned around to go back into the house to retrieve my morning Big Gulp of Diet Coke. Got all the way in the house and gave my wife a funny look:confused2: - she said what is wrong "I Told her I came back into the house to get my pop - it was in my left hand the whole time"

Wow - only 54 and can't wait to see what I forget to do at 74:laughing:

Dang I am 54 too and i cant remember what I forgot today either

 

[RoMo]

Guys, I have the answer to all of our problems. Well maybe the reason. Our brains are like the older computers. Some were with 20 GB's and some have 40GB's. they are filled and the only way to add new memories is to dump the older ones. I don't want to clean up my hard drive. I just hope the younger generation is getting the larger hard drives installed!

 

[bcp]

My brain is full. I have to delete stuff in order to learn anything new. The new information overwrites the old.

Bruce

 

[Gunny]

For those wanting to clear out old information in their brains and help build stronger beer cells.

From Cliff Clavin on the show Cheers:

A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

 

[newbury]

So many truths put forth as humor

After 80 it gets worse. I many times sense a need to go get something, I get there and then wonder why I am there. I now have 3-4 of everything instead of 2 because I cannot remember where I used or put it last. Getting old is expensive.

Ron

Many years ago I decided this is the way to go if I can afford it. Very glad to have Harbor Freight. Whereas my Grandfather got by with 1 square, I've got 4. He had a couple of tape measures I've probably got a dozen.

Yes, that can play some part in it all. I'd heard, and I'm not sure it was a ruse or not, that as we age we have taken on a LOT more information and retrieval of information becomes a bit more difficult as our brains have to rummage around through a lot more stuff.

I believe this is true. Unfortunately I've not found a method to forget things on purpose. I need a defragger for the mind.

Oh, yeah. Been there, done that - a lot! Have a big long list on the "NOTES" app of my iphone - but then I forget to check it!

And speaking of dropping tools, try working off of a 8' x 14' floating dock section, while working on stuff inside the boathouse! I have to get my scuba gear on one of these days and go "hunting" for all the stuff we dropped over the past 5 years. (Most of it has probably sunk into the mud, never to be seen again, and the one cordless drill we dropped....)

Get some heavy duty magnets and drag the bottom.

What's MUCH worse is when your wife "tidies up" the garage or boathouse, especially if she cleans up the work bench. That can set you back months!

On the other hand, I often discover that I have several copies of a particular tool.

Yes, wives are wonderful. That's why the first thing I do when looking for something where she "operates" I ask her if she's seen it. I can put a screwdriver in a toolbox and she'll move it to a shelf.

But what's wrong with several copies of inexpensive tools? I've got 4 tablesaws.

Guys, there is nothing wrong with your memory. The problem is that as we get older all of us have so much junk stored away in our brains that it is like an over stuffed filed cabinet where it is hard sort through all of the mess! You are not forgetful, you just have too much information to sort through! :laughing: Willie Jones

A file cabinet with items stuffed in with no filing.

My brain is full. I have to delete stuff in order to learn anything new. The new information overwrites the old.

Bruce

And how do you "delete stuff"?

 

[kf4uda]

My problem is that I seem to forget the things that I need to remember but can retain "useless information" forever. :confused3:

 

[MF283]

I hear ya newbury, wife has me remodeling bathroom this week, 3 tape measures, one in the bathroom, one in my pouch & one at the sawhorses & can't find one when i need it

I managed a flyshop for 15 years until i left it last week, i used to laugh at the guys with notes & later on with their phone notes. After taking home dark brown thread 5 times, i finally remembered i need black thread & therefore my dive into the note thingy.

Ronnie

 

[PILOON]

I installed velcro cloth on the car dash and velcro hooks on the backside of some clips to display my 'to do lists', that helps some as long as I post the list.
On the inside of my front door I have a clothes pin like thing that has a magnet attached, This I use to remind me of something important next day (like doctor appointment or other 'to do').
Generally I don't remember what I did yesterday but can recall smallest details of things that occurred 50 years ago.
And yes, I probably only need 10-12 novels and keep on reading them.
I now sign the inside flap of any book once finished reading as it is frustrating to have re read the first chapter some 3-4 times only to discover that the plot is familiar.
My wife and I both have taken to rate novels on a 1-5 basis so as to not waste time on crappy ones.
My mom passed at 98 and had a horrible memory but she sure could make up some hilarious tales. Unfortunately I did inherit her memory, I believe. Dad's was simply fantastic which probably explains my recall of many trivial childhood events.

Fact is we simply need some more RAM and ROM I guess, surely they will someday invent a memory stick of some sort that we can simply plug in to an orifice. Shucks they have invented pacemakers so maybe memory sticks are next, and isn't a pacemaker merely a calibrated CPU?

 

[k0ua]

isn't a pacemaker merely a calibrated CPU?

More like the crystal oscillator for the reference timebase. Sort of...

 

[oosik]

I don't think my memory has ever been what it should be OR I intentionally try to forget certain things. Anyhow - I have a dry-erase board in the kitchen that I leave notes to myself on. It really helps - if I can remember to write on the board.

 

[hawkeye08]

We use the write it down on a list method, sometimes paper, sometimes in memo on smartphone. You have to remember to check list though. I was telling my wife about someone on the forum that had a "view tax" on their tax bill... which caused us to remember we have to pay our taxes this week or suffer penalties... I am starting to use phone more and more, put a reminder in last night for April and October to pay taxes.

 

[Bird]

I keep one of the desk pad calendars on my desk and write all kinds of reminds on it; birthdays, doctor appointments, etc. And we keep one of the little 3 x 5 memo pad booklets on an end table in the living room to write down shopping lists; primarily grocery. And if we forget to take the list, there's no way we'll remember what to get at the grocery store, even if the list only has 2 or 3 items on it.

We have a next door neighbor who is 86, lives alone, and in poor health. He quit driving and sold his pickup a year or so ago. I take him grocery shopping once or twice a month. Each time he buys well over a hundred dollars worth, fills more than one cart, and he NEVER has any kind of written list!:shocked: I could no more do that than I can fly to the moon.

 

[bcp]

And how do you "delete stuff"?

I don't know. My subconscious does it.

Bruce

 

[newbury]

Well it happened to me today.
Went to use the bullet food grinder. It consists of a base unit, a chopper head, and a plastic container.

Moved the base, grabbed one of the plastic containers, started looking for the chopper head for the container. All the tops for the containers were in 1 big plastic cup but not the chopper head. Looked ALL over the kitchen. Gave up, got a cup of tea. Sat down, went back to start the search anew, grabbed the base and the chopper head had climbed out of it's hiding place and nested itself in the base.
DOH!! Definitely a Homer moment.

 

[robertm]

I'm 48. I'm on board with the "overstuffed file cabinet' theory. My problems are with teen aged kids having us run 5 nights a week plus working 50-60 hours a week, I can't get organized, let alone things done. I always try to get organized. I've built shelves, storage doors, vertical drawers, all to organize my things to find them when I need them. The very few things I get put in their place, I look for over hours because my norm is "disorganized". Then, after wasting hours looking, I think "I'd never have put that thing where it belongs", and there it sits waiting.
Last month, I decided to line my tool box drawers. I swore up and down I had a roll of liner. Looked for an hour. Didn't find it. So, on my next trip, the spiral notebook said "DRAWER LINER". I grabbed a roll. Promptly upon my return, I took it to my workshop, set it down by a roll already there. I thought "wow... I knew I had a roll. So I moved them to another location, where TWO additional rolls were waiting to keep them company. Now I have enough to line my own underwear as I forget to go inside to use the bathroom.

 

[MossRoad]

I keep one of the desk pad calendars on my desk and write all kinds of reminds on it; birthdays, doctor appointments, etc. And we keep one of the little 3 x 5 memo pad booklets on an end table in the living room to write down shopping lists; primarily grocery. And if we forget to take the list, there's no way we'll remember what to get at the grocery store, even if the list only has 2 or 3 items on it.

We have a next door neighbor who is 86, lives alone, and in poor health. He quit driving and sold his pickup a year or so ago. I take him grocery shopping once or twice a month. Each time he buys well over a hundred dollars worth, fills more than one cart, and he NEVER has any kind of written list!:shocked: I could no more do that than I can fly to the moon.

About 2.5 years ago I started doing all the weekday cooking and most of the grocery shopping.... I don't need a grocery list very often anymore! :laughing:

About the only time I write something down is if I'm trying a new recipe.

 

[noller9]

I'm 48. I'm on board with the "overstuffed file cabinet' theory. My problems are with teen aged kids having us run 5 nights a week plus working 50-60 hours a week, I can't get organized, let alone things done. I always try to get organized. I've built shelves, storage doors, vertical drawers, all to organize my things to find them when I need them. The very few things I get put in their place, I look for over hours because my norm is "disorganized". Then, after wasting hours looking, I think "I'd never have put that thing where it belongs", and there it sits waiting.
Last month, I decided to line my tool box drawers. I swore up and down I had a roll of liner. Looked for an hour. Didn't find it. So, on my next trip, the spiral notebook said "DRAWER LINER". I grabbed a roll. Promptly upon my return, I took it to my workshop, set it down by a roll already there. I thought "wow... I knew I had a roll. So I moved them to another location, where TWO additional rolls were waiting to keep them company. Now I have enough to line my own underwear as I forget to go inside to use the bathroom.

It is the same for me. All those shelves and nonsense and i still have to go and buy what I own and cant find. And the wasted time searching!!!! When I was in my twenties I could find all my tools and my old electric bills.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I forgot what I was going to type. But I didn't want to forget this thread...

Oh yea, Grocery list, when I call my wife from the store to ask if there's anything I need to get, if she rattles off more than 2 things, I tell her to take a pic and text it to me. No way I can remember 3 things, that's more things than I have arms to count with.

 

[bcp]

It is the same for me. All those shelves and nonsense and i still have to go and buy what I own and cant find. And the wasted time searching!!!! When I was in my twenties I could find all my tools and my old electric bills.

When I was in my twenties, all I owned would fit in my car when I moved. Now I would need a train.

Bruce

 

[GregP27]

Here's one: Senior Moments by Golf Brooks w/cc - YouTube