Time Taking Its Toll.

Just a few minutes ago, I had a great idea for the next post. I sat down at my little desk, turned on the Mac and . . . and I couldn’t remember the great idea I had had just minutes earlier!
 
The creeping erosion of my faculties—physical and mental—is frustrating and annoying. I have always had a good memory, but every so often there are signs it’s starting to fail me. In fact, it happened ten days ago on the Coast Starlight. It was well after the other passengers had gone to bed and I was enjoying some interesting conversation in the Pacific Parlour Car with a PR executive from Hong Kong and a pilot for FedEx.
 
After the second round of drinks, for some reason the conversation turned to stupid things each of us had done as much younger men. My contribution was about the time, right out of college, when I was offered an entry-level job at NBC in New York by the president of the entire damn network himself . . . and I turned him down!
 
My two companions allowed as how that was pretty dumb, all right. Then one of them asked the name of the NBC president. And I couldn’t remember!
 
I’ve recalled that incident probably 500 times in the intervening years and never before had a problem remembering the name of Robert Kintner. Not once. He was, after all, a towering figure in broadcasting at the time. In fact, a week or so after I declined his job offer, Kintner appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.
 
Actually, this new stage of my life does have a few benefits. For example, my wife has finally agreed that from now on we will hire out the miserable task of digging out and replacing any of the rotted wooden posts along our pasture fence. I wish I’d thought to try that years ago.