Marcus-Berkmann (Your Sinclair writer) about gettimg old

[MatGubbins]

Marcus-Berkmann, one of the many Your Sinclair writers, about gettimg old and invisible....

From the Daily Mail website...it will have an annoying pop up video in the bottom right of the screen, just wait for the white X to kill it off.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/arti ... y-book.htm

[PeteProdge]

One of my friends knows Marcus Berkmann. He says Marcus never seems to age at all. And yeah, despite working at the Daily Mail, he most certainly does not share its politics.

[HEXdidnt]

Interesting read... I can relate to bits of it, certainly (eg. unease over hair loss) and, on a good day, can kid myself that I feel about as good as I did at 17.

I'm at the stage where, looking at myself in the mirror, I can see signs that I'm not as young as I used to be, and sitting on the floor leads to more of a struggle to get back on my feet than I'd prefer. I have about the same amount of grey hair as my parents, my sister has been luckier on that score, despite being 2 years older and with the added stress of a child (now teen) with a heart condition.

I can remember, back in my 30s, working with a bunch of people in their 20s, most of whom were surprised to learn I wasn't 'their age', while the older staff - managers, generally - assumed I was closer to their age. I was rarely asked for ID when buying alcohol, even on holiday in the US, where the legal drinking age is higher.

My girlfriend is a fair bit younger than me and, in the ten years we've been together, just two people (both checkout staff in shops!) have asked if I'm her father... The weirdest part is that she's now in her 30s, but still regularly gets asked for ID when buying alcohol.

This is probably where I should add something about larking around on the Spectrum and the SAM Coupé helping me feel young or "recapture my youth" or somesuch... but, to be brutally honest, most of the time it just makes me wish I'd done more with either/both, 30-odd years ago.

[5MinuteRetro]

Marcus-Berkmann, one of the many Your Sinclair writers, about gettimg old and invisible....

Not badly written but a bit of a hack piece, IMHO (I'm an ex-hack, and responsible for plenty of hack pieces myself, so I don't feel too bad about identifying the same). That aside, I struggled with both the photo of Marcus and the fact he's 62. I mean, he certainly doesn't look bad for 62 but... he's 62! When I used to read Your Sinclair I guess he'd have been 22. He's simply not allowed to be 62 now.

[MatGubbins]

There's a part 2 article to the book plugging on the Daily Mail site

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/arti ... kmann.html

after reading both pages I feel that I've read most of the book and don't really need to buy it. Cheers Marcus.

[zx1]

Hi, my first post here guys. Some people might know me from 'the other side'.
On getting old, my hair is starting to get seriously thin but i wouldn't suit a shaved head. My hearing is still ok despite decades of listening to loud rock music but i've started making a noise when i sit down or stand up but i'm only 49.
I deal with elderly people in my new job every day so i'm more patient with them and i can see what's coming.

[Oloturia]

My main problem on getting old is that the cohort of "friends" gets thinner and thinner every year. They're not dying (yet) but they just don't hang out any more. Those who have children, those with an absorbent partner, those who work in another city, those whose interests changed radically (I had a friend who became a far-right sicko during the pandemic). Every time I met them we always say "don't let so much time pass 'till our next meeting" and then... it passes. That's for me my "becoming invisible".

That made me search new connections. Initially I did it on Facebook and Twitter, but with the enshittification of both the social networks (Instagram became dirt as well, though I never tried it seriously) I quitted 'em even if afterwards I felt... a bit alone (I suffered a lot of FOMO, those days). The feeling made me get in this forum, for example. Talking about good ol' days smooths the pain of solitude, as I feel part of a much bigger net of geeks, even if I don't know anyone of you personally. It seems that owning a ZX Spectrum leads to an array of common experiences, which is both funny to remember and anthropologically interesting to analyse.

Side effect: my English is getting better.

Fortunately, recently some geeks brought up a local mastodon instance, so now I have quite a few new connections.

[Timmy]

Hi, my first post here guys. Some people might know me from 'the other side'.
On getting old, my hair is starting to get seriously thin but i wouldn't suit a shaved head. My hearing is still ok despite decades of listening to loud rock music but i've started making a noise when i sit down or stand up but i'm only 49.
I deal with elderly people in my new job every day so i'm more patient with them and i can see what's coming.

Hi zx1, so glad you're here. I've been here for a while now since my previous computer broke down and I lost the password and the email connected to the other side.

How are you doing? I hope your health is getting better now.

[stupidget]

Having turned 50 back in June I did find myself reflecting on the previous half century. After a bit of navel gazing I had the blinding realization that:

• I was waaay passed the halfway mark in my life and had, at best, 30 more years on this mortal coil

• My group of friends, many of whom I've known since I was 5 yrs old, will start to dwindle

• My folks are seriously doddery now and slowing down

• I've known my wife longer than I've probably got left on this spinning rock, but it feels like it was yesterday when we met at JB's in Dudley

• I've lost 5 really close friends over the past 10 years

Upon realizing all the above I had an epiphany and I though:

• I'm going to seriously enjoy the next X number of years

• I'm going to do what I want, when I want as long as nobody gets hurt along the way

• I'm going to keep my midlife crisis car, and probably get another one

• I've got a great job, but the moment I start to not enjoy it, then I'm out of there

• More festivals, more gigs, more weekends away, more of everything that I enjoy

It's a cliche, it sounds naff and I hate to say it, but life really is too short. Grab it by the scruff of it's scrawny neck, shake the Bas**rd, wake it up and bloody well enjoy it.

[worcestersource]

Totally with you Stupidget. I’m a few years younger and am glad I came to the realisation a little sooner. Life is too short and it goes by in an mmmmbop.

I’ve always been a bit of a go-getter but there were things I kept putting off. Work and music (been in a lot of bands) were my two big things but I had always planned to go back to playing football. And then suddenly, my 30s were gone. After losing my uncle a few years back, that kicked me into finding a team again as he was still playing walking football at the ripe old age of 72!

That was a few years ago and I found that whatever muscle I may have once enjoyed had wasted away, so now there was an additional mountain to climb as I had to build my strength back up again. Glad I have, though. I’m now playing twice a week, running a youth team and am two stone lighter!

I’d bought myself a classic car when I turned 40. It’s a great hobby but it’s not something that I can rely on daily as it continually wants to self destruct. I’d been hankering for another more modern classic, something 90s, but was again too sensible to do it. Then I suddenly lost two friends I’d known from school and I thought ‘sod it’ and did it again. Fortunately, I have an understanding other half. At least this one’s reliable, in very good shape and sailed through its last MOT. The car’s decent too! Boom boom!

[zx1]

Hi zx1, so glad you're here. I've been here for a while now since my previous computer broke down and I lost the password and the email connected to the other side.

How are you doing? I hope your health is getting better now.

Yeah i'm fine at the moment. Got a new job so earning money again. Seems to be a lot of ex wossers on here.

[Vampyre]

Hi, my first post here guys. Some people might know me from 'the other side'.
On getting old, my hair is starting to get seriously thin but i wouldn't suit a shaved head. My hearing is still ok despite decades of listening to loud rock music but i've started making a noise when i sit down or stand up but i'm only 49.
I deal with elderly people in my new job every day so i'm more patient with them and i can see what's coming.

Hey zx1 - welcome to SC!

[Vampyre]

One thing I've realised very recently with getting older is music - particularly live music. Now I've never really been mad about going to gigs until about the last five years. I was talking to the missus, during one of our evening walks, and I mentioned that I regretted never seeing Queen - I was too young really for their final gigs. She said to me why don't I go and see them with Adam Lambert - well, my reply to that was it's not Freddie, nor John. "But it's still Brian and Roger and you do realise how old they're getting?"

That's when it hit me. How much longer have we got to enjoy these bands? Those from the 70's are now in their mid-70s, 80's bands are well into their 60's and even 90's bands are approaching 60. Once they're gone, and yes I'll be around 70 by then, who will be left to go and see. I've no interest in any band post-2000. So I'm getting my arse into gear and trying to go and see as many as possible whilst I still can.