Tag Archives: memory

Finding the upside–and humor–in a health scare

A recent health scare has reaffirmed two truths for me. First, the universe has a really twisted sense of humor. Second, you can almost always find something to laugh about, even when things seem pretty freakin’ bleak. To wit: In my last blog post, I ruminated about aging, writing and memory, concluding that because I’m […]

Some reflections on aging, writing and memory

Does this ever happen to you? Lately I’ve noticed that I’m having difficulty retrieving words. Not always, but often enough to be aware of it. It happened just the other day, when I saw the word “ribald” in something I was reading. I know what the word means, but I couldn’t think of synonyms to […]

54 things I never thought I’d say

One recent Sunday, a friend asked if I’d seen a certain skit on SNL the night before. I heard myself reply, “No, I can’t stay up that late, but I’ll check it out online.” Then I thought: OMG, did I really just say that? Have I turned into an old fart who nods off after […]

Baby boomer brains benefit from sex, maple syrup and extra weight

Raise your hand if you worry about getting dementia. Yeah, me, too. And we’re not alone. A recent U.K. study says more people are scared of getting neurological disorders like dementia than cancer (45% vs. 35%). Apparently, the people polled would rather endure physical pain and die quicker than have a condition like dementia. There’s […]

How to solve tip-of-the-tongue syndrome

We’ve all had those frustrating moments when we can’t retrieve a word from memory. This phenomenon even has a name: tip-of-the-tongue syndrome, or TOT. The good news is that an occasional bout of TOT is normal at any age—although it does become more frequent as we get older. But rather than beating ourselves up about […]