I have a confession to make: I am not as old as Joe Biden nor that other guy. But I stuttered as a child and had to endure speech therapy for years. Nevertheless, I still stumble over words … all the friggin’ time. When I’m tired I sound drunk. When I leave messages on people’s answering machines I sound drunk. And, given the fact that my mother was from Massachusetts, I say things like “take out the gobbage” and “woofs” instead of “wolves.” I also have math dyslexia and cannot write down a phone number properly. So I don’t judge people by how they speak or their occasional lapses in memory. Remember, the guy below was only 54 when he was elected president.
But my biggest problem has always been what they call “word retrieval difficulties.” Thus, my language is peppered with zingers like: “Bring me the whatchamacallit.” And “Dr. What’s His Name told me to use the thingamajig to take my … ah … what’sitcalled?” It’s not age related and it’s not getting any worse (or better) with age. It certainly hasn’t tampered me in anyway. I’ve managed to teach classes and give a speech once or twice without sounding like an idiot (or so I was told).
My husband, who is also not quite Biden’s age, has a mind like a computer. Or so I thought until … the other day he asked me to bring him the Stander On’er Thinger.
Well, I guess he won’t be running for president.
Happy Year of the Dragon!
Saying nothing in particular 
Why am I weeping as I listen to Gloria and read your words? Love. Duke
Maybe just the nasty state of the world … the cruelty of people.
thank you and happy lunar New year to you too.
I can remember my boss asking me where some promotion lealets were.
l opened my mouth and said, “der, thingy upper shelf in cardthingy” , She looked at me, walked straight into the cupboard and got the leaflets.
“The worse thing about that was ” , she said, ” I understood everything you said” As we both laughed! 💜💜
She was probably used to your shorthand speech!
Your right Jen she probably was 💜
Terrific post, Jan!
You make a great point about all the brew haha going on with whats his name?!.
I wonder if the families Bush was talking about managed to clean the food off their members… if they got the stuff in the first place?
Isn’t that reel of bloopers funny? Bloopers have nothing to do with age. We’re all capable of opening our mouths and saying stupid things!
YES!!
OH! Happy Dragon Year!
Oh, I loved this post. Made me smile and sounds like me. I do love the “Stander On’er Thinger.” I often use the word, “Whatchamacallit!” I hope you are enjoying a nice Lunar New Year and Superbowl weekend. :)
I am. Thank you very much! I suspect the next 24 hours are going to be quite wild down in San Francisco! A bit too much for me!
Exactly, Jan! All of this! Hope you have a happy Year of the Dragon.
xo
Thanks Mary – you too!
Did you know that using a word like “whatchamacallit” is an example of a ‘kadigan’ a term that means placeholder names? Yes, it does and everyone does it occasionally. Also, did you know I majored in English in undergrad? 🤓
No, I didn’t know the affliction had a name! Thanks! English – hey? Did you have an area of interest? I focused mostly on the English writers – Austen, Dickens, the Brontes.
I did not. I went to England to study as part of my degree, but it was about absorbing the culture more than focusing on any one writer. Liberally and artfully educated, ‘ya know?
I think we all have those moments. Thankfully we don’t have a world wide audience ….
😉
The press is using it to slam Biden’s age which is biased and wrong. Verbal blunders are not a sign of mental incapacitation – if they were, I would have locked away a long time ago.
OMG! LOL!
Ha! We have one of those too. Sometimes I call it a step stool. 😉
Well, now you have another term for it!
🙂 Yours and your husbands are more interesting, though.
Great post, Jan, and thanks for the term, Ally Bean.
While driving to Yosemite, my husband coped with squirmy, rambunctious grandkids by announcing, “Okay, settle down, check out the treats in the … in the … in the risey-high.” Without hesitation the young’uns opened that boxy thing between the front seats and found the goodies.
If there are treats to find, the youngsters have ESP!
Hi Jan, you made me laugh with this post. I sometimes can’t remember ordinary words. I think its because my mind is always in the clouds.
I think it happens to most people from time to time. The brain is not a machine!
No, and mine is always full of flowers and sunshine.
You know the Smurfs I imagine. The original name by Belgian author Peyo was “Schtroumpf”. The idea came to him when Franquin, another very talented belgian comic artist once told him at lunch: “Pass me the… schtroumpf”. (He meant the salt.)
Now you can say “Pass me the smurf”.
I didn’t know that – I wasn’t a huge smurf fan but from now on I’ll pass the smurf.
That would be so fun. Pass me the smurf please?
I love the word watchamacallit–it was the name of a chocolate bar I enjoyed when I was a child–not sure if they still make them, but the name is fun, and the chocolate is good!
We’re all flawed in one way or another. Never judging…
Unfortunately Americans tend to judge people by their appearances which is probably why we have such incompetent politicians.
You need a new political party.