Sunday, August 23, 2026

Preface To Indiepop A To Z # 81: Off-Topic Observation

A screen capture of some television show sees a wide shot of a diner with several people in booths & staff at the counter. The subtitles indicate a Christmas song is playing, quoting "What a bright time" from Jingle Bell Rock. Under that, in brackets, is the note Gary chuckling.

No idea where that screen capture is from. It has nothing to do with what I am about to say. I just saved it because it says "Gary chuckling."

Also nothing I have to say has anything to do with this week's show. Or maybe a little. It's just something I have been noticing, not just recently, but all the work I had to do this weekend reminded me more forcefully than simple reminiscing.

Here's the observation: the older I get, the longer it takes me to do things.

& yes, I know, even if someone has told me forty years ago that would happen, I probably would not have paid much attention. When I was eighteen, people my age looked & acted much older. I can't say if I look my age, but I certainly don't feel my age. My mother, though, who was almost exactly forty years older than me, told me when I was a senior in high school that had never felt worse than how she felt at that time.

Maybe she was trying to warn me? I didn't matter, I wasn't paying much attention.

But it's true. Things that used to take me, say, ten minutes to do, it's now fifteen to twenty minutes. Maybe not driving places - I'm pretty speedy - but let's say, oh, I don't know, what can I think, how about writing in a dumb blog? I bet I've been working on this - yes - twenty minutes now.

TWENTY MINUTES? Was I dozing between sentences? Nope. It just takes me that long. One day I won't be able to finish a radio show in the time I have set aside for me, & maybe I've already set aside more time & didn't even notice it.

Also maybe there's something to do about it but at this point I don't think so. I consume as much caffeine as I can handle, & Uhink meth & cocaine would just make me tired. With lots of things involving age, it's best to accept that it's just something you have to get used to.

Speaking of getting tired, why should writing this have tired me out. Oh jeez I'm so old.

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