Can I be the only one suffering from this?
There are moments when I’m as angst-ridden & angry as I ever was in my teenage years. Maybe even more so. Little things can irritate me. Sometimes a lot. Am I just mad about my own physical & mental decline? Or are the actions of those that irritate me justifiably irritating?

I’m so grumpy now that I’m restricted to back office work. I’m not allowed to engage with the public. My family? They pretend they don’t know me. Well … more than they did before. Even the dog goes next door for some friendly human interaction now. We do still have a dog, dear, eh!?!

What could possibly irritate me to this extent?

How about people on TV or on online channels!
I’m weary of interviewers who like to think they’re asking the tough questions. It’s worse when they turn a question to an expert guest into an endless ramble. To demonstrate their own expertise first, I guess. I’m a little exasperated with the talking heads on the financial & business channels too. Do they, or their guru guests, really know what comes next? When the commercial break finally rolls around, there is no respite. Because that’s when I get yelled at. With great & rapid intensity. Look, I’m not going to buy the gadget, the gimmick, not even the useful tool, nor the wonderful item of very special clothing, because you’re yelling at me. Please stop with the yelling!

These days we have politicians of all stripes & flavours who don’t seem to have an agreeable bone in their bodies. Is it just my ageing brain that thinks things were better in the good old days? Did more people float a little closer to the political center back then? And were we all just a little kinder to each other not too many years ago? I really don’t know any more. Perhaps it’s just my rose tinted rear view mirror.
Click!
Change that channel.

Finally, there are the commercials designed for us older people! You know the ones where the older actors have these silly smiles plastered across their faces. It comes across like the geriatric equivalent of mini movies based on dime store romance novels. But instead of love, they’re pitching mobility aids, insurance, diapers & drugs. Actually, sometimes they’re pitching love too! I’m glad the older actors are getting paid but really, are these commercials made by young marketing graduates or what?🙄

All of these things, and more, encourage me to mute & change channels way more than ever before.

Unfortunately, and for a while, I sought escape in social media. What a bad idea that was! Didn’t all our grandmothers tell us that everything was okay? But only in moderation. I forgot the last bit. My bad, eh!

On the bright side, I have found some useful alternatives to screen time. Or rather to certain screen content. I find scenery & nature channel screen savers, for example, a good alternative to much “real” programming. But that’s not enough. I’ve been forced to look elsewhere for engagement.
You’ll never guess what I found!

I’ve started reading more again. I’ve gone back to learning French. Again! I’m planning some trips to places I’ve seen on those screen saver channels. I even started an exercise program that will hopefully help keep me doing it all for a little longer. I’m reluctant to admit this, but I kinda like chatting with AI bots too. All of this is preferable to fuming at the other stuff.

I’m probably going to regret chatting up these AI bots eventually. But meantime, they have helped me find some good books to read. One pointed me toward a great French course that I’m quite enjoying. They helped me put together a simple calisthenics program. Although that’s as likely to kill me as help me. For the most part, the little bots are doing a decent job of encouraging me to do things that are probably better for me. Especially the one that’s encouraging me to go out more! It even suggested that I check out a new cafe that is soon to open. It is conveniently close to me. Maybe these things are kinda smart after all.
Or are they just sucking me into their web?
With some evil intent in their little digital minds for when I’m hooked?
I don’t know, but I’ll go with it for now.

Ironically, a lot of the new stuff I’ve engaged with is happening on screen too! LOL
I’m reading the recommended books on my phone.
I’m doing the French course on the phone & tablet. Here’s a little hack if you’re interested in language learning btw: the writing bit of the French course is way easier on a small screen because of the predictive text. Very conveniently, it has all the accents already attached to the right letters! 😂
I even cast my calisthenics graphic from the little screen to the TV screen for my exercise program.
And I download my AI produced spreadsheets, widgets & tools to my laptop so I can spend even more time at the screen. In my defence, it’s for real work that!

But I’d like to think that all of this new approach to screen time is time well spent. Better spent? Better spent screen time? Whatever, you know what I mean, eh!

Am I the only one going through this trauma?
Does it get better or worse over time?
Help me out here!

TGIF & enjoy your weekend!

If you want to learn more about saving & investing, please check out Double Double Your Money, available at your local Amazon store.

Important – this is not investing, tax or legal advice, it is for entertainment & conversation-provoking purposes only. Data may not be accurate. Check the current & historical data carefully at any company’s or provider’s website, particularly where a specific product, stock or fund is mentioned. Opinions are my own & I regularly get things wrong, so do your own due diligence & seek professional advice before investing your money.