No, this doesn’t show dementia. It’s just an image that was in the public domain.
My wife brought this graf to my attention when she was reading in the NYT about a “new” form of dementia:
He used to have a “wonderful vocabulary,” he said, “but now, my field of words is far reduced.” He still reads books, exercises at a gym and socializes with friends, but he increasingly forgets names and details. He was particularly distressed when he immediately forgot the minister’s homily at church one Sunday, though he’d been listening avidly. “That’s really scary,” he said…
My wife’s reaction was to say she’d had this since she was 4 years old. I don’t want to brag or anything, but I think I had it earlier. Whenever it started, I’ve had it ever since, no matter how well I might have done in school or in my working life.
He forgets names and details? Been there, for about 72 years. He forgot the homily? Hey, I’m lucky when I hear it! And even before my hearing loss began back in 2012, I had a terrible time “listening avidly,” unless it was a really engaging sermon. I felt bad about it, but there it was. It happened, a lot. I’d set out to listen, and the priest would make an interesting point, and I’d start thinking about that point, which would remind me of something else, and I’d think hard about that, and next thing I knew we were reciting the Nicene Creed.
(It’s not that religion bores me — quite the contrary. I’ve long been that way in a lot of secular situations, even when I’ve been well paid to listen. It would occasionally happen in editorial board meetings. Somebody would say something really interesting, and I was off to the races, thinking about what a great column topic that would make, and how it reminded me of something I’d read previously, and … fortunately, Nina Brook and Cindi Scoppe got spookily good at recognizing that look in my eye (Nina in particular seemed alert to it), and would call me back to my duty. At which point I would have to beg the board’s pardon and try to catch up. And I was the guy presiding. I’m not making this up.)
Not that every point the man was making was silly. I, too, have an extensive vocabulary, but there are some words that have eluded me for many years. Take “futon,” for instance. I can usually recall it after a moment or two, but if I need to refer to one in a hurry, I have to change the subject, or fall back on something lame like “one of those pieces of furniture like the daybed thing I have in my office.” Which doesn’t fool anybody.
I don’t know why it gives me trouble. Maybe because I’d never heard of one until I was well into adulthood. Or maybe because, even though it sounds kind of French when you first hear it, it’s not from any of those Latin-derived languages with which I have some passing familiarity. (Of course, even if it had been French, well… that’s the Western language I understand the least.) Futon is, in fact, Japanese. I might know a handful of words in Japanese — sushi, zori, kimono, hai and banzai, for instance, but I can’t explain the etymology of any of them. I just know if a bunch of guys who are hopped up on saki (hey, another word!) are running toward you yelling “BANZAI,” you might have a problem.
Another such word is “yogurt.” Again, I don’t know why.
OK, I’m avoiding the subject.
The truth is that lately, I’m forgetting more words. Names, too. I’ve never been great at names, but now I’m worse.
This might be about aging, of course. But at the moment, I’m taking something for an old spine injury (dating to when I was 17) that has made me goofier than usual. Gabapentin helps me sleep while this is acting up, but I’ll be glad to stop it. It’s not just forgetting words. It’s also remembering why I just walked across the kitchen. If I think about it a moment I’ll remember, but it’s still not fun.
And sure, I’ve done that sometimes when I was young as well, but now it’s much more common. Which is tiresome. I’m really hoping it stops when I’m not on the drug anymore. Otherwise, in another few years, my vocabulary is likely to descend to Trump level. On the bright side, maybe that means I can go into politics, and win.
The first time I ever had a memory lapse that I felt sure was age-related was something I’ve mentioned before: About 20 years ago, I suddenly realized that I no longer knew all of the lyrics to every Beatles song. This was a shock, but I got used to it. It’s not really something that comes up much anymore.
Anyway, I’m curious what y’all have experienced. For my part, I think I’m going to post more on the subject of aging from a first-person perspective. Might as well make use of whatever new expertise that getting old brings…
A less-subtle meaning of ‘banzai’… (screenshot from a clip I’m having trouble finding now)
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As I said in the cutline, that’s a less-subtle meaning of “banzai.” For a more subtle, etymological interpretation, I refer you to Google AI:
Of course, I don’t know how reliable that is, because I don’t know where the algorithm got it. It’s slightly interesting that it entirely omits the meaning understood by U.S. Marines in the early ’40s. But as I say, that’s the less-subtle version. I guess the AI is trying extra hard to be subtle…
Once again, I really miss old friend Burl Burlingame. He knew about that stuff. If you doubt that, see if you can get your hands on a copy of his alternative history novel, Black Ocean…
Once again, I really miss old friend Burl Burlingame. He knew about that stuff. If you doubt that, see if you can get your hands on a copy of his alternative history novel, Black Ocean…
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Black_Ocean/bIyjAAAACAAJ?hl=en
The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following definitions:
1. 1893–
A shout or cheer used by the Japanese in greeting the emperor, and also as a cry in battle. Also as n.
2.a. 1929–
attributive or as adj. Uproarious, lively, celebratory; exuberant, rowdy. slang.
2.b. 1945–
With reference to daring, fierce, or reckless attacks by Japanese servicemen.
And as for its etymology: Japanese, literally, ten thousand years.
So Google A.I. is pretty reliable in this case
Yes. Thanks, James. I meant to include the info I got when I Googled “banzai etymology,” but forgot. I also Googled “yogurt” and saw that it was Turkish…
Something else I forgot — those were examples of words I’ve always had trouble remembering. I should have included examples of words I normally don’t have trouble with, but do NOW since I’ve been taking gabapentin.
Here’s one from yesterday. My earworm yesterday was “Irene, Goodnight.” I was contemplating that, and it occurred to me that was a Hank Williams song. But I couldn’t for the life of me remember Hank’s name. Not for several minutes, anyway. So I looked up the song on Wikipedia, hoping to find the songwriter’s name, and the problem got worse. It was a Leadbelly song. Not a Hank song at all. He never even covered it.
He did, however, have a sister named Irene. Not that I knew that.
But I do have an excuse for my mistake. Do y’all know the Leon Russell albumn “Hank Wilson’s Back?” I used to listen to that a LOT about 50 years ago. There were several Hank Williams songs on the album, and I seem to recall having read at the time that the pseudonym “Hank Wilson” was a sort of homage to Williams.
Anyway, there’s a cover of “Goodnight Irene” (one of the two titles by which the song is known) on that album.
So there… although the problem that it took me a while to remember the name is still bad…
What a great commentary on what I suppose might be described as part of the natural cognitive processes. Some people experience it more than others. I experience it often and always have. A friend in my book discussion group recently spoke of how his thoughts lead him from one subject to another. Most in the group laughed and seemed to think of it as “cosmic” thinking. I don’t know what it is. Could be daydreaming, attention deficit disorder, or something else. But it is not dementia. I suspect some people have interests that might make them more susceptible.
I wonder whether it’s an Intuitive trait, in the Myers-Briggs sense. Maybe Sensing folks (the opposite on that scale) tend to pay attention and recall what is said in an organized manner, while intuitive types hear something interesting and rocket off in infinite directions? Sounds like something we’d do…
Have you taken that test? Are you one of us undisciplined (according to Sensors) folks?
Whatever the explanation, I don’t think it’s a “natural cognitive process” for everybody. I’ve gotten enough dirty looks from other folks for y mmental wandering that I have a feeling it’s unfamiliar and inexcusable to them…
I’m 72 and I’ve always had a problem remembering proper nouns, whether they be names of people, plants, food, or places. I don’t think it’s getting any worse, but it certainly hasn’t gotten any better. Either way, it’s aggravating and I share your annoyance.
Well, you’re making me feel so much better. But perhaps this feeling is a form of Schadenfreude. See there? I remembered that word right off — although I double-checked the spelling. I was worried maybe it should have an umlaut or something…
My theory is that with the amount of information we are bombarded with via the internet and TV that our brains are only capable of retaining a certain amount and starts to replace older memories with more recent experiences and what we’re exposed to. There’s a finite number of brain cells.
i judge my mental facilities on how well i do playing along with jeopardy at night and doing the NY Times crossword puzzle every day. Usually finish the the Sunday puzzle in under 40. minutes and Monday in about 7 minutes.
Do i remember the names of everyone I’ve come in contact with in my 40 years of work? Nope. Probably because they made no impression on me.
Well, you’re faster than I am. I take 14 or 15 minutes on the Monday crossword, and don’t even bother with them after Wednesday. There’s just too little time left in a day after I’ve done Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections…
1199 puzzles solved:
Monday avg 7:24 best: 4:12
Tuesday avg:10:26 best: 5:41
Wednesday avg: 14:50 best:7:36
Thursday avg 21:56 best: 10:38
Friday avg: 23:54 best: 13:11
Saturday avg: 25:01 best:15:11
Sunday avg: 38:57 best: 21:13
I don’t cheat until I get completely stuck (usually on friday/saturday) and that just means doing the check puzzle to see if I got any wrong … rarely have to reveal a letter or word.
I have a friend who is on the asperger’s spectrum who is a trivia wizard and his times are typically half of mine.
Well, that’s very good.
I, too, occasionally turn to the “check puzzle” option, which I suppose is essentially cheating. But my conscience tells me to do it, because I’m always feeling guilty about the time I spend on these games — the crossword, Connections, Spelling Bee, Sudoku and the king of them all, which I make sure to do every day, Wordle. And I just won’t keep trying to work out a puzzle if I suspect that I’m trying to make it work with errors I’m not spotting. “Check puzzle” fixes that.
As long as I’m confessing, those are not the only games I waste time on. I got really tough on myself over the weekend and deleted Bricks ‘N’ Balls and my oldest addiction of all — Snood. Of course, I’ve deleted “Snood” multiple times before. But then I’m sitting in a doctor’s office or something and truly have time on my hands, and back it comes. I’ve got a Snood jones…