Results of the "How You Keep Your Brain Young" Survey

As a person who is getting crazier every day and may or may not be developing adult onset ADD, I think losing my mind is probably going to happen in the near future. However, volunteering with older folks with Alzheimer's and dementia has made me think that maybe if I "exercise my brain" I can stave off the inevitable for a few extra years (weeks? days? hours?). I love doing crossword puzzles and any sort of game that involves word-play. I have even been trying to learn jazz music to make my brain do math without thinking that it is doing math.

So I asked you, friends and strangers, to tell me your favorite way to "exercise your brain".

Which type of "brain exercise" do you prefer?

Crossword Puzzles	(14%)
Sudoku	(28%)
Jigsaw Puzzles	(0%)
Jumbles	(0%)
I prefer to sit and stare at the wall, slowly allowing my brain to turn to mush.	(28%)
None of the above	(28%)

I am not terribly surprised that just as many of you enjoy sudoku as like to sit and stare at the wall, allowing your brain to slowly turn to mush. Interestingly, the same number chose "none of the above". What does that mean? What do you do? How are you keeping your brain young?

I already told you what I do. It doesn't seem to be working, though. I am constantly walking into rooms and forgetting why I went in there. I can't figure out why everything is blurry if I don't put my glasses on right away in the morning. Most alarmingly, however, I find myself muttering under my breath about teenagers. What are those kids doing, out at the mall at 8pm on a Wednesday night? Damn kids! Riding their skateboards down the side of the highway! Why are they blocking the entire sidewalk? Why?

But my growing sentiments of frustration towards teenagers aside, I think my brain works pretty well. I haven't done any irreparable damage to myself yet.

Speaking of irreparable damage, next Thursday I have a four hour (Yes! That is 4 hour!) appointment at the Mayo Clinic. Hopefully some of the best doctors in the world can help me get this breathing thing under control. When the woman on the phone asked me if my appointment had to do with some sort of work environment or injury thing, I responded, "Nope. This is just the way I am." And she laughed. Nothing funnier than making a joke out of something not funny at all.

I have to go. A bunch of cars are sitting outside my apartment honking at each other. I bet the cars are full of teenagers! Humph!