2014 - My New Old Self

What to do (more and less of) in 2015 2

Dec

30

2014

I figured out a few things in 2014 about how to improve life as I get older, which I aim to implement this year. So here are some suggested New Year’s Resolutions for older people: a list of what to do (more and less of) in 2015. Talk more, text less We don’t talk as much as we ...

10 Tips for a Mall-Free Holiday 2

Dec

17

2014

‘Tis the season…? To steer clear of shopping malls. ‘Tis the season of giving… stuff away. It’s nice to give gifts, but not so nice to shop for them in crowded malls. What’s more, I’m finding it ever more challenging to figure out what to give to family and friends who, like so many ...

Older is better to avoid internet dangers

Dec

10

2014

Check out this video on the down side of the net from philosopher Alain de Botton and art curator Sophie Howarth’s School of Life – and see how much older people are doing right. We’re better than young people at doing a lot of the things recommended here to keep a balance between our online ...

Not too old for Smartphone Neck 2

Dec

5

2014

I may not get Text Neck, that affliction mainly of slouching youthful thumb typists, but I am not too old to get Smartphone Neck. It can happen even when I do that thing young people have given up doing: talking on the phone. Unlike Text Neck, Smartphone Neck is not something brand new that has emerged in the digital age. It’s ...

LITO: Lucky I’m Too Old 1

Dec

3

2014

This is the first in an occasional series, LITO: Lucky I’m Too Old. (Yes, it is written in the dreaded “listicle” format, a list posing as an article, which has been proven to hook readers. I trust it’s working.) You may have noticed that internet and phone slang relies heavily on acronyms, the most common one ...

Stop lying about your age and live longer

Nov

19

2014

Have you ever heard of a Play-White? It was a term for a light-eckinned black person who “passed for white” during South Africa’s apartheid era. My New Old Self has coined a term: Play-Young. Meaning old people who “pass for young”. I’m not talking Mutton Dressed As Lamb. I mean people who look and act younger than their ...

Allergy making you sneeze more? Blame climate change

Nov

13

2014

You may be hearing “Bless you!” and “Gesundheit” more as you get older. And it may not be only your allergy to flowers and grass that is to blame. Scientists say that climate change could make your allergy worse, if that’s why you’re sneezing. If you’ve already found that that an allergy has got worse with age, sorry to tell ...

Alzheimer’s – your worst fear or the real you?

Nov

5

2014

I’ve got some bad news and some good news. The bad news is in this recent headline… Comedians could have a field day with that story. Young ones, that is. Older people may laugh nervously, but inside they’re probably worrying that something like that recent incident in a UK care facility could happen to them ...

Happy #InternetDay! May our treasured net stay forever free!

Oct

29

2014

Happy Birthday, dear Net. Congratulations on reaching 45 years of age! It was on the 29th of October in 1969 that two computers in northern California made a connection. A computer at UCLA connected to one at Stanford University and began to send an electronic message. It didn’t go that well. The first two letters of the ...

7 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know about The Paralyzed Man Whose Nose Helped Him Walk Again

Oct

24

2014

My New Old Self has succumbed to the reported pulling power of the Enticing List format. Apparently grillions more of you will read this article if you are lured by this kind of headline. The key is to start with a number – of things which are surprising, shocking, outrageous… The 7 Surprising Things I’m ...