The Mind is a very strange thing.

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Or at least mine is.

Writing out a character description and I started getting a fuzzy image of a face of an actress from the 80s or 90s. No real detail and only in a crowd or promo shot it seemed. Murky at best. Kept trying to think of shows she'd been in, but I couldn't remember any starring rolls, only that she'd done bit parts and guest appearances. Searched terms that might find actresses or models of that era and found many, but not this one. Look at dozens of faces, some came close like Kim Alexis, Shelley Hack and Susan Smith, but not the one I was trying to pull out.

All of a sudden the name Shelley Smith came to me.

Search pulled up a still from a 1979-80 TV series called The Associates that was almost exactly the shot of the face I'd been imagining. Wiki listed a few of the roles I remembered, minor series, guest roles, bit parts.

Was it the combination of Shelly Hack and Susan Smith that did it?

I haven't watched TV in more years than I can remember. I wouldn't have seen that face or heard that name in 10-15 years at least. Why did I picture her to begin with?

 

[AG31]

Or at least mine is.

Mine is too, and now that I'm experiencing age-related cognitive decline I'm fascinated to have a clearer picture of how the mind works. I was a terrible elementary school teacher because I was always the smart kid and had no notion of what it is like for the brain not to see connections immediately. Now I can watch myself make stupid decisions because I only make one connection (like, I need to get that to the Post Office) and then when I make the connection that it's Memorial day, I still haven't made the connection that the post office isn't open. This all happens quite fast, but slow enough for me to watch it.

I sometimes think I could write a pretty good book about cognitive decline and shine a light on how a cracker-jack-brain actually works.

 

[MrPixel]

I don't buy into "cognitive decline" for things like forgetting that the post office is closed on some friggin' holiday. Who has time for such silliness as keeping track of holidays?

Life in the 21st Century is complicated. Way too many interests are demanding your undivided attention, at all hours. We are as a society being subjected to a fire hose of information, most of it irrelevant, all of it mental clutter. Engineered distraction rules.

Assessing true cognitive decline has got to be a nightmare for geriatric neurologists. How do you distinguish between actually forgetting something important, or having that bit of relevant information pushed behind a mountain of mental clutter and outright deception shoved down your throat by self-serving interests? Or even remembering that you needed a question mark after that long question?

 

[AG31]

I don't buy into "cognitive decline" for things like forgetting that the post office is closed on some friggin' holiday. Who has time for such silliness as keeping track of holidays?

It's a matter of change in mental behavior. In years past the connections necessary to remember that the post office wasn't open on Memorial Day would have been instantaneous. I'd take your point if I never knew when it was a holiday, or, more to the point, if I never knew that post offices were closed on federal holidays.

Life in the 21st Century is complicated. Way too many interests are demanding your undivided attention, at all hours. We are as a society being subjected to a fire hose of information, most of it irrelevant, all of it mental clutter. Engineered distraction rules.

No doubt it's harder to be an old person than it used to be. Tell me about getting 90 yr old hubby to learn just enough about the damn smart phone to be able to answer it and to call home or kids. WHY did they make the steps to answering an incoming call different when the phone is asleep and when it's awake???????

Assessing true cognitive decline has got to be a nightmare for geriatric neurologists. How do you distinguish between actually forgetting something important, or having that bit of relevant information pushed behind a mountain of mental clutter and outright deception shoved down your throat by self-serving interests? Or even remembering that you needed a question mark after that long question?

We don't need a neurologist to see it happening. The change over time is the key.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

WHY did they make the steps to answering an incoming call different when the phone is asleep and when it's awake???????

Why does a timer alert make a different sound if you're in a voice call? And you have to do a totally different action to dismiss the alert, too.

--Annie

 

[NuclearFairy]

I had a story with a score of 4.3 with 43 votes that made me giggle every time I glanced at it. But then someone went and voted on it and even though the score has technically improved, it now makes me sad to look at it.

So yeah, minds are weird twisty things.

 

[AG31]

Bumping in hopes of hearing about more strange minds.

 

[Craighalbert]

I blanked on trying to remember a password online a few weeks ago, just stumped. Eventually a number popped into my head. I tried it, it was wrong, and later I remembered that was the landline number of my childhood best friend 20 years ago.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I don't buy into "cognitive decline" for things like forgetting that the post office is closed on some friggin' holiday. Who has time for such silliness as keeping track of holidays?

Just what I'd expect a forgetful old geezer to day.

 

[Carson19820]

I compare the brain to a computer (or at least my brain): you have only so much memory and after a while you (unknowingly) dump data to make room for more. Used to I could tell you the line up of every class during the day from first grade to college senior. Now I'm lucky if I can remember which years I graduated. I know in my case, I just try to hang on to the important pieces. When it comes a time I can't remember the day to day things, I may have to search out a railroad track to lie down on. That is, if I can remember what a railroad track is.

I agree with MrPixel in that we are bombard with an endless stream of information, most which is useless to actually survive. If the grid ever went down, how much of this stuff we are subjected to everyday going to help one survive?

 

[MrPixel]

Just what I'd expect a forgetful old geezer to say.

A retired forgetful old geezer, thank you! Once you cross the retirement bridge, every day is Saturday. Who gives a flyin' fart about Monday holidays?

("What day is it, dear?" "I dunno. Check your pill minder.")

 

[SkyBubble]

Mine is too, and now that I'm experiencing age-related cognitive decline I'm fascinated to have a clearer picture of how the mind works. I was a terrible elementary school teacher because I was always the smart kid and had no notion of what it is like for the brain not to see connections immediately. Now I can watch myself make stupid decisions because I only make one connection (like, I need to get that to the Post Office) and then when I make the connection that it's Memorial day, I still haven't made the connection that the post office isn't open. This all happens quite fast, but slow enough for me to watch it.

I sometimes think I could write a pretty good book about cognitive decline and shine a light on how a cracker-jack-brain actually works.

This is one of the reasons I'm a regular viewer of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, plus a couple of other game show that run sporadically. It's a reason why I continue to play the word game in the paper that my wife and I used to play together. It keeps the mind agile.

 

[SkyBubble]

I compare the brain to a computer (or at least my brain): you have only so much memory and after a while you (unknowingly) dump data to make room for more. Used to I could tell you the line up of every class during the day from first grade to college senior. Now I'm lucky if I can remember which years I graduated. I know in my case, I just try to hang on to the important pieces. When it comes a time I can't remember the day to day things, I may have to search out a railroad track to lie down on. That is, if I can remember what a railroad track is.

I agree with MrPixel in that we are bombard with an endless stream of information, most which is useless to actually survive. If the grid ever went down, how much of this stuff we are subjected to everyday going to help one survive?

I can recite the Presidents in order, FWIW.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

Every time I see this thread title, it reminds me of this scene (and since we were just talking about this movie in another thread, it was already front of mind).