BajaNomad - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

Bob H - 11-27-2006 at 04:00 PM

Now I know why I'm so tired at the end of the day and need to get away to Baja!

Do you know someone who was diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder?

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mailbox earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox, when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only 1 check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the Pacifico thatI had been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pacifico aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the Pacifico is getting warm, and decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Pacifico, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the Pacifico down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

----the car isn't washed,
----the bills aren't paid,
----there is a warm Pacifico sitting on the counter,
----the flowers don't have enough water,
----there is still only 1 check in my check book,
----I can't find the remote,
----I can't find my glasses,
----and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC.

P.S. I just remembered. I LEFT THE WATER RUNNING IN THE DRIVEWAY!

Bob--------

Barry A. - 11-27-2006 at 04:10 PM

--------how painful!!!! You just described my day-----most of my days-------amazing!!!! And I just remembered my pool is overflowing from the hose I left going in it an hour ago----

Oh My God!!!!!!! :lol:

Diver - 11-27-2006 at 04:19 PM

I don't know what it's called or what causes it but my under 50 wife has the same thing. If you find a cure, please let me know ! :lol:

David K - 11-27-2006 at 04:22 PM

Bob... for us men, this is what is known as 'NORMAL'... :light:

Age has little to do with it... Many projects get shelved based on a priority schedule and we simply run out of daylight. The problem is that we men put such a high priority on everything we do, that just one project may never get finished... Instead, we take pride in the fact we can actually affect change on dozens of projects in just one solar day... It really is amazing, don't you think?

There is a solution for this multi tasking nightmare we are faced with... It's called 'WOMEN'! :spingrin:

Women are so wonderful in that they are able to put nearly no priority into those projects we consider important. The end result is these (high priority to us and low to them) projects actually get completed!!! Woman know that we men are incapable of doing so much of that we attempt, and instead direct us on a concept of 'just one thing at a time' until each project is done.

Beware that women will require projects THEY deem high priority to be completed BEFORE yours, however!!:moon:

Women are the greatest!!! :cool:

Don't have one?

Then the only solution to avoid mental meltdown is to pack up the fishing tackle or hiking boots and head to Baja! :coolup:

toneart - 11-27-2006 at 04:28 PM

Bob,

Don't worry! The syndrome you describe is called Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder. It affects people of any age.

A sure cure: Just say NO! and get back to Baja. :yes:

and be 40 again, like me. :cool:

Oh, and by the way, I was your age before I discovered Baja and fishing. :coolup:

DianaT - 11-27-2006 at 04:35 PM

David, ----nice things you say about women, but I am afraid we too, with advancing age suffer from this.

In my younger years, I could multi-task like crazy and things were completed, now it is just like Bob discribes, except he seems to remember all the things not completed. :yes:

Thanks Bob----well stated, and just too true.

Diane

Bruce R Leech - 11-27-2006 at 04:46 PM

THE REALLY NICE THING ABOUT A. A. A. D. D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder? IS IN 5 MINUETS YOU WONT REMEMBER YOU HAVE IT

spike - 11-27-2006 at 04:56 PM

Bob H,
The sad part of this story, is that Pacifico getting warm on the counter.
Spike

TacoFeliz - 11-27-2006 at 04:58 PM

Have what?

puff puff

k1w1 - 11-27-2006 at 04:59 PM

this sounds exactly like me after a puff puff !! :lol:

Bruce R Leech - 11-27-2006 at 05:05 PM

what the heck is a puff puff? :?:

Lee - 11-27-2006 at 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob H
Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC. !

I've been that way since childhood. I can actually multitask better now than back then. Add dyslexia to that and aging seems to make things better.

:cool:

Sallysouth - 11-27-2006 at 05:17 PM

Geez, thanks Bob! I am very much a woman, but as Diane pointed out, we seem to suffer from this strange thing also! It is just different tho, as I forget what I am doing, or what I was about to do, I'll tackle another thing and actually complete it!(what was I doing before I came in here?)So after wandering thru the house and seeing things out of place or seeming to be in transit, suddenly I remember what I was doing!! So, you see, it is not a gender based disorder but maybe a distracted mind thinking about Baja!(of which I am very guilty)...Thanks for the laugh and it was a good one!

DanO - 11-27-2006 at 05:22 PM

I've got a related problem -- PDPD -- Poorly Designed Project Disorder. This involves making a series of ad hoc, on the spot decisions about your project that make the project take far more time and energy than it should. Here's an example:

Over the weekend, I decided to finally install the permanent mount Sirius satellite antenna I bought months ago (it was in that box filled with project stuff that never seems to get emptier). It has to be mounted on a north facing exterior brick wall of a section of the living room that extends above the tile roof covering the rest of the house, with the antenna cable running though the brick and dropping down the inside wall to a big armoire below that contains the radio.

To do this I need (1) the antenna, mounting hardware and instructions (check), (2) a ladder, to get up to the roof outside the house (check), and (3) my fully charged portable drill and a long masonry drill bit to drill the hole for the antenna cable. I get started a bit after noon.

Simple? An easy less than one hour project? Not the way I do it. I don't have a long masonry bit, just standard length bits. So I go to a neighbor, who has a 3/16" and and 3/8". I take the 3/16", figuring if I need a bigger hole, I can just use the smaller one to ream it out. The neighbor then leaves town, locking up his place.

Next, it seems I've forgotten to properly charge my portable drill's two power packs. Drilling through a brick requires (duh!) a lot of power, and my drill dies 2/3 of the way through. I could go over to my neighbor's and borrow his corded drill but . . . he's gone! Not only that, I'd have to borrow his generator to run it, since I forgot to replace the completely disintegrated starter cord on my generator (my solar doesn't supply enough juice to run a drill). But hey, I don't have the corded drill, so what difference does it make?

Instead, I nurse a little more juice from the solar into the two dead power packs and alternate them back and forth over a two hour period to get within a half an inch of daylight through that %!@#ing brick.

At that point (around 3:00 p.m.), my wife comes out and peers up at the roof and says, "remember, we have some friends coming at 5:00 today for drinks and dinner, and you haven't started preparing any of the stuff you said you'd handle. And you're filthy from climbing all over that roof. How long does it take just to install an antenna?" I, of course, have completely forgotten about the dinner.

I therefore am forced to finish boring the hole by hand, using my hands and the aforementioned drill bit. Did I mention that I'm doing this while laying prone on the roof tiles to avoid breaking them? This exhausting process comes to a merciful end when I start pounding the end of the drill bit in frustration and it punches through the brick on the other side, showering the kids in the living room with masonry shrapnel and leaving a very unsightly crater on the surface of the brick on the inside wall.

Think we're done? Not so fast. I now attempt to thread the cable through the hole. Problem is, the cable itself is indeed 3/16", and would fit just fine in the hole I've bored. However, the cable fitting at the end is 3/8" and I HAVE NO POWER DRILL TO REAM OUT THE HOLE USING THE 3/16" bit. This must be done by hand again, first from the outside and then dragging the ladder into the house and finishing the job from the inside, balancing precariously with one foot on the ladder and another on the armoir (which is so fricking heavy that I can't move it without at least four adults assisting).

Sweating and muttering to myself, I finally finish the job and cleanup at 4:45. There's now no time to shower and still have any of the food ready at a reasonable hour. So the dinner guests (who have the temerity to show up on time), find me in the kitchen, dirty, sweaty and cursing, scrambling around to get some appetizers on the table. Fortunately, somebody remembered to stock enough Corralejo to keep everyone occupied and happy. Now there's a project I can plan correctly!

[Edited on 11-29-2006 by DanO]

:-) ADHD / ADD / AAADD Joke !

djh - 11-27-2006 at 06:25 PM

"GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC."

All right, then..... My one and only ADD / ADHD / and now AAADD Joke....

Q:? How many ADD kids does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Wanna go ride bikes?

:bounce:

Don't ask my wife about finding my running shoes in the fridge.... PUH-leeeeese !

djh

Lee - 11-27-2006 at 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by djh
"GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC."

All right, then..... My one and only ADD / ADHD / and now AAADD Joke....
djh

Here's my one short anlogy: I walk down a flight of stairs at home on my way out. Half way down, I realize I've forgotten my car keys. I turn around and head back up and at the landing, can't remember what I came up for. So I turn around and head down. Half way down I realize I don't have my car keys. So I turn around and head back up. On the landing, I can't remember why I'm back upstairs, then.....

OK. My one dyslexia joke -- and forgetfullness is not age related. That's a stereotype.

Dyslexic's at a demonstration with a placard: Dyslexics of the World, Untie!

:cool:

BajaWarrior - 11-27-2006 at 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bruce R Leech
what the heck is a puff puff? :?:

Mary Jane

Sharksbaja - 11-27-2006 at 07:33 PM

I'm very tired...........NOW!

Bruce R Leech - 11-27-2006 at 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaWarrior

Quote:

Originally posted by Bruce R Leech
what the heck is a puff puff? :?:

Mary Jane

Oh Ok I guess I forgot :lol:

Bruce R Leech - 11-27-2006 at 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
I'm very tired...........NOW!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ :lol:

Bruce------I never heard of a "puff-puff" either

Barry A. - 11-27-2006 at 09:12 PM

Marie-Rose - 11-27-2006 at 09:30 PM

Fred and I just loved your story... it sounds TOO familiar!!! Fred tells me he is looking
to set himself up with some tools so he can "do a few projects"!!!! I say "here we go"!! :bounce:

Osprey - 11-28-2006 at 10:12 AM

I was a lucky one. I passed right by AAADD, went to the next level.
First Things First
Almost every time I learn we are expecting guests at our house who we have not met before I am careful to shower, shave and dress before they arrive. Most of the time I chalk this up to common courtesy -- once in a while I think there may be a little vanity in it.
On these occasions of self exam I think about that silly saying "you never get a second chance to make a first impression". That old chestnut may not always be true. People might well forget meeting you or they may mistake you for some other person they once met. So I have debunked that one -- you may get a second chance to make a first impression.
There are lots of things to be said of "firsts". Carlos Castenada, Peruvian born anthropologist, student of the Mexican mystic Don Juan, learned to experience the world without internally verbalizing. He calls the exercise "stopping the internal dialog". His theory is that if you or I could experience a beautiful sunrise without our brains recording "gee, what a beautiful sunrise", in whatever language our brain usually employs, we take in unaltered sensations. Free from the need to verbalize and describe the event, it can be experienced in a purer sense, almost "for the first time". I have tried and tried to "stop the internal dialog" but, at least when I'm sober, I have not been able to do the exercise justice -- no more than a few measly seconds...not nearly enough time to blot out the "gee, what a beautiful sunrise, with all the deep reds and yellows and bla, bla,bla".
At my age, I am beginning to lose some of my faculties but I am, at the same time, beginning to be more sensitive to the feelings of others...less judgmental. You have probably already noticed that I have not gone into any crude and thoughtless "Alzheimer's jokes" about Easter egg hunts. I think seeing the house you lived in for 20 years for "the first time" as an Alzheimer's victim might, could be something Don Juan might have known about but did not want to divulge. I have never studied the French language, but this occurrence might have a name to mirror Deja Vu.

Maybe Don Juan and Carlos stopped short of something more promising. If adult humans could train their minds to selectively choose which objects or experiences one wished to view "for the first time" we could enjoy the thrill of "firsts" every day. The trick is, you know the thing in front of you is a "house" -- you just don't remember that it is "your house"-- where you have lived for 20 years. Your intimate familiarity with the place and all the things in and around it would be replaced by brand new colors, textures, smells, etc.
In the interest of science I am attempting to selectively forget my house. Each morning, when I arise, I stumble from room to room hoping there is a bathroom. Ah! There is. What a nice surprise. In the afternoons I look for kitchens and garages. When I have time I rummage through drawers and poke around in closets. I do most of my forgetting at night, in the dark and begin each new day thrilled at the sight of my new things in my new home. I have been so consumed by this experiment that I have not stepped back to ask myself some important questions. Are there others living in the house? If I leave the house and move about the city, can I find my way back? Why would I leave such a nice place? Do I have obligations elsewhere, a job, a boss, employees, vacation schedules?
Well, there is plenty of time to sort all that out. Looks like the pantry is well stocked. The new fridge holds some mysteries. The contents are pungent – I see some bronze leaf lettuce. Not bronze exactly, almost a chestnut brown.

Capt. George - 11-28-2006 at 10:42 AM

i'd add to this but i gotta go wash my car, i think? geor? vikin? buffa?

ahh crap, just me!

Cypress - 11-28-2006 at 12:38 PM

Osprey!! You're getting down to basics!! Fundamental realities.

Don't get any better than that. :bounce:

Bruce R Leech - 11-28-2006 at 12:50 PM

Oh I forgot why a came here :?:

Diver - 11-28-2006 at 02:52 PM

I haven't read any Carlos since college.
I think maybe they'll make good reading for relaxing in Baja.
I wonder if the used book store has them all ?
Thanks for the memories.

Any "buttons" in your area ??? :biggrin:

.

[Edited on 11-28-2006 by Diver]

Osprey - 11-28-2006 at 03:18 PM

Diver, mucho peyote around these parts. Did you know.... the SW U.S. Indians used them but they cause serious stomach cramps so they learned to take them anally. Though the buttons are distinctive, grow very low to the ground sometimes the Indians chose the wrong cacti which did not bring them the halucenogenic visions they sought: Hence the espression: "For all the good they did me I might as well have shoved em up my A**."

Capt. George - 11-28-2006 at 05:12 PM

oooooooooooooooh! said the commanche, I'd rather stay sober.

Bob H - 11-29-2006 at 09:10 AM

Very interesting responses.... really enjoyed your response DanO and Osprey, well, and everyone else's too!
Bob H :yes: