Kids do hit the sleep. I remember that well. Couldn't handle that caper now.

Lol

@sleepetc Think of all the money you'll save on alarm clocks.

Rev wrote:

I'm getting an appointment to find out about early onset dementia. My memory is so bad it upsets me how often I can't remember the simplest things. I have trouble sleeping and organising things and often just forget what I'm meant to be doing. I used to pride myself on being pretty sharp and quick witted in conversation. I'm 47 ffs.

Best of luck with this. Hopefully there's a more agreeable explanation.

41 here.  I can't seem to lie in past 7.30ish these days, especially with a hangover, but that's probably due to getting up at 5am most weekdays for twenty years (six days a week for close to ten of those) and getting into an enjoyably vicious cycle of afternoon naps.  I'm home in time to slot a good one in before school pick up every day now, and I can't shake the habit.  I've never been fit, but I don't think I've ever been particularly unfit either.  Maybe I am, but I rarely move fast enough to really test it.  I walk maybe three miles a day (closer to seven during lockdown as I had to walk almost two miles to get a lift to work/back from the drop off).  There's no dog walking to top it up these days either.  I did boxercise for almost a year recently, which I kind of enjoyed during the lessons but always dreaded and I'm quite happy it fizzled out.  Nothing has been too much bother in terms of aches and pains (I did have sciatica for about three months a few years ago, which sucked), but pretty much everything is gradually deteriorating.

The other day I was wondering if I was kinda losing my chin definition and asked B if he thought it was because of getting older or just getting fatter. He replied with, "I don't think there's any big change happening with your chin it looks fine. If anything, you've lost the innocence in your facial expressions and it has all become more stern" and I'm still trying to recover from that.

It could be a compliment since stoicism is all the rage now.

One thing I've noticed since entering the 40s along with friends of a similar age is people are much more comfortable talking about mental health issues than we were 10 years ago.

My dad didn't want any kids and my mum somehow roped him into having 5

Roped into having kids by your mum.

Pretty sure that laugh just put my back out. Fucking hell, Kow.

47.  No kids (that I'm aware of).  Entropy is a bitch.

Changing my drinking patterns has the been the one action that has made the biggest difference.  I'm now way more selective in what and when I drink.  I'd be surprised if I drink more than 4 times a month.  This is a far cry from back in my 20's when my friends used to affectionally call me The Machine.  No more cheap beer or spirits, instead I drink nice single malts, the odd negroni, beer I make myself or something German/Czech (is it Czechian now?). 

My body is frankly deterioriating.  Eyesight is going and I need both distance and near sight glasses.  Food labels are a fucking nightmare, who designs these things?  Shoulder is knackered from a sports injury 25 years ago.  Neck is crunchy.  Blood pressure and cholesterol are not great.  I wake with a headache most mornings.  The specialist diagnosed this as persistent daily headaches with migrainous tendencies.  I told them that was a description not a diagnosis.  No-one tells you about the constant daily niggles that accumulate over time.  For example, right now I have a weird pain in my thumb and a swollen gland in my neck.  Doctors say these are benign but they are painful and annoying.  Every day I take a cocktail of medication that keeps me alive.  I suppose its working because I'm still here.

I can't remember which comedian it was that summed it up quite well (maybe David O'Doherty).  To paraphrase badly: when you are younger you go to a doctor with a problem and they give you a pill and it fixes the issue right up.  Then there comes a time in everyone's life when you go to the doctor and they tell you that you now have this thing forever and here is a pill that will make living with it less worse.

I recently joined the local wheelchair rugby league team as the downward spiral needs to be slowed.  I'm the oldest guy out there and recovery from training takes a few days.  I already notice the difference in my body shape and fitness levels after a short time.  One day I might not be half as slow as the rest of the team and I get to ram disabled people with a wheelchair.  No regrets, will repeatedly do it again.

However, getting older does have its advantages.  Knowledge accumulates.  I know more than I did before and can act and behave smarter.  I can make better contributions at the pub quiz.  I also know what I do and don't like and can avoid the shit stuff.  There's still room to try new things and grow and develop as a person.

Love grows.  Every day that passes is another day I get to spend with the mrs.  She's awesome and I count myself lucky we get to be together.

Age also allows my hatred of tories to mature like a fine whisky.  Getting older allows you to really focus on grudges, hatred can sustain and nourish you in the same way that love can.

In summary, getting older sucks in many ways but in other ways its awesome.  I can't do much about the inexorable march of time but I can have fun while doing it.

Other than getting reading glasses about 6 months ago, I'm still thankfully firing on all cylinders.  

I run loads and lift weights which I reckon its what's keeping my body from starting to feel like a true 45 year old!  I can knock out a 20min 5k (sub 20 is proving allusive!), I'm in the gym 6 times a week, and I ride all over the shop so lots to be happy about from a fitness/mobility perspective.  When the 32Inch jeans start to get tight is when I'll start to worry me thinks!

Being a single Dad does bring it's moments of tiredness though; it can be a little relentless at times.  But, even when I feel at my most stretched, I try to remind myself just to enjoy the moment as such moments when he wants to spend time with his old man won't last forever.

36. Back sucks. No kids, and they ain’t coming.

Minnesänger wrote:

36. Back sucks. No kids, and they ain’t coming.

Is that because you’re never coming?

What I love now is getting drunk at the dinner table. A decent meal with friends that goes on longer than it should. Rising and tottering from the table is such a pleasure now.