2016 - My New Old Self

Y2K + Millennials 1

Dec

29

2016

The Not-so-new Millennium As 2016 nears its end, I’ve been thinking back to that famous New Year’s Eve when we welcomed the 21st century – and all the fearmongering leading up to it. You remember Y2K – which turned out to be Apocalypse Not. You remember the widespread hoarding of canned food and candles in response to dire ...

Family Tech Support Guy to the rescue 1

Dec

16

2016

“Do you have any games?” asked a boy of 5 who was visiting. Surrounded by grown-ups, lacking any kids his age to play with, he was understandably bored. I had to think a moment before responding, for it has been awhile since my home was geared for children’s activities. I was trying to remember where ...

Holiday shopping – Lucky I’m Too Old 1

Dec

2

2016

The year-end holiday shopping season is well underway, launched last week on the US retail calendar’s top-selling date. Black Friday seems to be colonising the world. So now is a good time to use that acronym I coined: LITO – Lucky I’m Too Old! Battle the crowds at the malls in pursuit of bargains? LITO! ...

I’m with Stupid – that’s the post-truth 2

Nov

19

2016

You have probably seen that T-shirt with the words “I’m with Stupid” and an arrow pointing to whoever is walking next to you. Now there’s a new version of that joke online, a satirical response to the US presidential election results that flummoxed the pollsters and shocked the world. This comparison of the June referendum ...

What should we get for free?

Nov

3

2016

“I got it for free!” How we love to boast about this. For me it’s a rare claim, usually born of luck. In contrast to those younger than me, who seem to see non-payment as the norm. This is yet another of the many differences between my generation and the one below. The youth have ...

Lifelong love affair with paper 1

Oct

20

2016

Top of my list of things never to leave home without? (Aside from the obvious, like keys, phone and wallet.) Pen and paper. I always try to be in close proximity to a notebook and a pen or two. This is a habit I maintain, despite the fact that writing on paper seems to have ...

Youth tell Mandela era elders: Shut up! 1

Oct

7

2016

There’s a joke about the alumni of an elite South African boys school that poses this question: “How do you know if someone went to…?” The answer: “They tell you.” There’s a similar joke now doing the rounds: “How do you know if someone was in The Struggle?” Fighting apartheid used to be something to brag ...

Get old, get happy 2

Sep

17

2016

Do we really get happier as we get older? A new study shows this to be true – more than ever. My New Old Self is on record as being a sucker for any claim that starts with the words “A new study shows…” I also confessed in a past blog post to being unduly compelled by ...

Mythbusting – not a bad thing 1

Sep

1

2016

Mythbusting originally came from the name of a TV science show but now It’s a Thing, and not a bad one. In the past 20 years medicine has adopted an evidence-based approach to decision-making. This requires interrogating whether there is irrefutable proof for our beliefs – and busting the myths. This seems a good approach to ...

Much ado about a view 1

Aug

18

2016

I always enjoy a view. I like getting a wide angle perspective of a landscape or seascape – whatever stretches out before my eyes. Especially of natural surroundings, and ideally all the way to the horizon. My favourite viewing position is parking off at a window or an outdoor outlook. My idea of a good ...