I did have a period when I was having very vivid dreams that continued after I woke.
I do take statins, but I think the dreaming started a considerable time after I started taking them and it is only by reading about the phenomenon here that I realised that I have not knowingly dreamt for months, possibly not at all this year.
As my sleep is broken, and nowadays I wake after about 90 minutes, maybe I'm never asleep long enough to enter into the dreaming phase?
I take statins in the evening (as recommended by my doctor) and I have very vivid, serial dreams.
As do I. However, from childhood, my dreams have always been vivid, colorful, and usually accompanied by orchestral music. You would think one or two would have organ or piano music, but no. How very dare my brain do that!
I keep hearing the name Tana Umaga, a boy I taught in a Junior class in my second year of teaching. He is now coaches the All Blacks - (the NZ Rugby team),
Yesterday I bumped into one of my former pupils- I taught her 20 plus years ago.
She is now 36 and proudly introduced me to her partner and their brand new baby which made me feel very old.
I was slightly encouraged by the fact that she had instantly recognised this older me!
I was 13 when my paternal grandma died, and in my twenties and away from home when paternal grandad died.
Maternal Nan, lived to 97 and we have a photograph of her holding elder Son as an infant.
I could have been no more than 3 or 4 when my maternal grandfather died. I only remember him, seated, just as a pair of knees in dark trousers. Presumably I didn't even make it onto his lap, as he was very ill with cancer at that time.
By a consequence of estrangements and being born to older parents I never knew my grandparents.
One of my aunts managed to make contact with my dad after over 20 years, so we had contact with both Aunts and two great aunts on my father’s side. I’m sure my mother had some sort of intermittent contact with one of her brothers and his children. After my father died I met an elderly uncle and some very odd cousins. Just the once.
You know you’re getting past it when people don’t understand, to your consternation, what you thought was a universal cultural reference in your conversation. For example. Recently, I had to go to the Dr’s surgery. They have, bless them, a new, automatic, method for signing in. On entry, one comes face to face with a large green computer screen with an alphabet along the bottom. ‘Enter the first letter of your surname’, it demands. That I do. ‘Enter which month you were born’. Ditto. ‘Enter the day you were born'. OK. It then asks, ‘Are you RR ? YES/NO ’.
I succeeded, but, passing the real live receptionist, I jocularly quipped, ‘I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition!’ She, a pleasant lady, looked at me blankly. I repeated myself. She was obviously confused. I didn’t explain and sat down
Mortifying.
When I was re-enacting, I was chatting to two young girls once and telling them about the sword-fighting demonstrations that were coming up later - "You know, like Errol Flynn!"
Blank looks - they'd never heard of him!
When I was re-enacting, I was chatting to two young girls once and telling them about the sword-fighting demonstrations that were coming up later - "You know, like Errol Flynn!"
Blank looks - they'd never heard of him!
I’m a driving instructor. One day, while driving along a road in Croydon, I mentioned to my pupil that Ronnie Corbett used to live along that road. Her response was “who’s Ronnie Corbett?”
Early in my teaching career (1967, to be exact), I mentioned George Burns and Gracie Allen to a class. They had no idea of who I was talking about. (Gracie Allen died in 1964, but George Burns held on until 1996.)
But I think that has less to do with age and more to do with background. I am always amazed at reports that tell me that "an influencer" has died...and I have never heard of the person. I guess I have never been under the influence. My liver will be amazed to learn that.
Burns & Allen had some brilliant comedy routines, as did Jack Benny and his crew. Those routines were all done before I was born, but I know of them. Charles Dickens died before I was born, but I know of him. Somebody not knowing famous people has nothing to do with your age, but everything to do with their cultural knowledge.
You may have a point. The Burns & Allen Show was an immensely popular TV sitcom, but the last episode aired in 1958. The students in the class where I made reference to Burns and Allen were probably born around 1950. But even so, this was a Catholic high school, and the students had to pass an entrance exam and their families had to pay tuition. I would have expected them to be familiar with the TV show even at their young age.
A lot of old American TV shows were broadcast in Oz years after they ended in the US; telly in Oz didn’t start until 1956 (Sydney & Melbourne) and did not reach Canberra till 1962 & then only for a few hours a day for several years. I do recall George & Gracie from the early 60s after we came back to Canberra after 2 years in (TV-free) Singapore.
I think cultural references are longer lasting than the people who they refer to. I mean, I know the Errol Flynn references, and he died before I was born. And I have not seen many of his films (probably a few, but nothing too memorable).
I think the thing is that culture has moved on and changed - maybe more rapidly than we like, or than it should.
I remember being in High School in the late 50' and the teacher was talking about consumption. We all must have looked confused as no one in the class had any idea what she was talking about. When someone raised their hand and asked, she said TB and we all understood. I am guessing now most would know the word tuberculosis, but perhaps not by the letters TB.
Vast numbers of TV shows are preserved and can be watched on places such as Peacock, Youtube, etc. There are nonetheless many that seem to have disappeared. I don't know where I would find episodes of "The Tracy Ullman Show" (which is where "The Simpsons" got its start). I can name others, such as "Providence" and "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd", Blair Brown's signature role.
In the old days, most shows had a single sponsor. In lieu of commercial breaks, the sponsor's product would be "pushed" as an integral part of the show.
In the case of Burns & Allen, I remember that their sponsor was a certain brand of nonfat dry milk. During the show, Gracie would stir a spoonful of nonfat dry milk powder into a glass of water and drink it down. Managing not to grimace as she did so. Only the most highly skilled actress could manage that.
I only knew about George and Gracie because that was what the whales were called in Star Trek: The Voyage Home.
And when I was a kid, old Hollywood swashbucklers were Saturday afternoon entertainment on TV, so I knew all the old stars!
Gracie: "They found that virus that makes you drunk."
George: "A virus that makes you drunk?"
Gracie: "Strepto-cockeyed?"
Seriously, it is easy to find Old Time Radio on the internet and listening to Gracie Allen is one of the great pleasures in life. There is one episode where, at the last moment, Gracie could not appear and they gave her lines to...well, I can't remember. Maybe Jane Wyman, who was a close friend. But Jane could not deliver the lines like Gracie. Such a talent for comedy!
I remember being in High School in the late 50' and the teacher was talking about consumption. We all must have looked confused as no one in the class had any idea what she was talking about. When someone raised their hand and asked, she said TB and we all understood. I am guessing now most would know the word tuberculosis, but perhaps not by the letters TB.
I remember reading stuff about people dying of consumption and assumed it was something to do with alcohol abuse
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I do take statins, but I think the dreaming started a considerable time after I started taking them and it is only by reading about the phenomenon here that I realised that I have not knowingly dreamt for months, possibly not at all this year.
As my sleep is broken, and nowadays I wake after about 90 minutes, maybe I'm never asleep long enough to enter into the dreaming phase?
Ensuring I take my meds on time is something my wife watches and in part qualifies me for Attendance Allowance.
As do I. However, from childhood, my dreams have always been vivid, colorful, and usually accompanied by orchestral music. You would think one or two would have organ or piano music, but no. How very dare my brain do that!
She is now 36 and proudly introduced me to her partner and their brand new baby which made me feel very old.
I was slightly encouraged by the fact that she had instantly recognised this older me!
I wonder if I will be around long enough for them to remember me.
I remember my paternal grandmother who died when I was about 4, but no other grandparents.
Maternal Nan, lived to 97 and we have a photograph of her holding elder Son as an infant.
I could have been no more than 3 or 4 when my maternal grandfather died. I only remember him, seated, just as a pair of knees in dark trousers. Presumably I didn't even make it onto his lap, as he was very ill with cancer at that time.
One of my aunts managed to make contact with my dad after over 20 years, so we had contact with both Aunts and two great aunts on my father’s side. I’m sure my mother had some sort of intermittent contact with one of her brothers and his children. After my father died I met an elderly uncle and some very odd cousins. Just the once.
I am doing some ancestor research Pizzler, and I had the same thought.
I succeeded, but, passing the real live receptionist, I jocularly quipped, ‘I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition!’ She, a pleasant lady, looked at me blankly. I repeated myself. She was obviously confused. I didn’t explain and sat down
Mortifying.
Blank looks - they'd never heard of him!
I’m a driving instructor. One day, while driving along a road in Croydon, I mentioned to my pupil that Ronnie Corbett used to live along that road. Her response was “who’s Ronnie Corbett?”
Burns & Allen had some brilliant comedy routines, as did Jack Benny and his crew. Those routines were all done before I was born, but I know of them. Charles Dickens died before I was born, but I know of him. Somebody not knowing famous people has nothing to do with your age, but everything to do with their cultural knowledge.
I think the thing is that culture has moved on and changed - maybe more rapidly than we like, or than it should.
In the case of Burns & Allen, I remember that their sponsor was a certain brand of nonfat dry milk. During the show, Gracie would stir a spoonful of nonfat dry milk powder into a glass of water and drink it down. Managing not to grimace as she did so. Only the most highly skilled actress could manage that.
And when I was a kid, old Hollywood swashbucklers were Saturday afternoon entertainment on TV, so I knew all the old stars!
George: "A virus that makes you drunk?"
Gracie: "Strepto-cockeyed?"
Seriously, it is easy to find Old Time Radio on the internet and listening to Gracie Allen is one of the great pleasures in life. There is one episode where, at the last moment, Gracie could not appear and they gave her lines to...well, I can't remember. Maybe Jane Wyman, who was a close friend. But Jane could not deliver the lines like Gracie. Such a talent for comedy!
I remember reading stuff about people dying of consumption and assumed it was something to do with alcohol abuse