Going Slowly Mad

Happy Old Man

I am now the ripe old age of 27. Gosh, you don't look a day over 26, I hear you say. Well.....I am getting old. I'm not old yet, but I definitely feel like I'm getting there. I didn't feel old until my last birthday, at which point almost everyone I know decided to tell me that I'm getting old. I'm still in my twenties, the late one's perhaps, but my twenties none the less, and I shall hold on to that for my own sanity. It isn't the number that makes me feel old, or indeed my so-called friends tell me that I am, but it some of the things I have started doing, or not not doing.

Once upon a time, I could remember conversations verbatim and recall them at any time. I only ever had to hear something once and I knew it. Those days are gone. An example of the change is a call I took the other day. The person on the phone (I have forgotten their name) asked to speak to one of my colleagues, so I took her name. Literally 5 seconds later, when I told my colleague there was a call for her and she asked who it was, for the life of me, I couldn't remember their name, or indeed where they were calling from. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time. Fairly sure my colleagues think I'm an idiot at times. I'm not sure that they're wrong.

Derren Brown: A Trick of the Mind

I am a massive fan of Derren Brown, and have read his books. In one of his books there were memory techniques spoken about. I used these techniques for my degree and was the only reason I passed (too many drunken nights, I'm sure you can imagine). I actually got quite good at using them at one stage. I could remember lists of any length, in any order and repeat them back weeks later. As time has passed, I have lost this skill. Unfortunately, I have become so old and lazy, I now can't be bothered to put in the practice to get good at it again.

This new air of laziness extends to most other parts of my life now. I am kept reasonably busy with the different things that I do, and when I joined these activities I was happy to be busy, but now, I almost resent being away and not being able to relax in front of the TV. I can now think of nothing better than vegetating in front of the TV, pizza on my lap and a beer or coffee by my side. Any deviation from this annoys me.

What really concerns me though is that I feel old already and I'm not married, don't have a mortgage or kids!! The future looks bleak. The future looks like..........

Man with zimmer frame