=========================================================================== Being 50 means wondering: WHAT THE L IS THAT WORD?!? As I entered the doctor's dark, almost ––––L––––L office, I –L–L– checked out his diplomas. Then he entered and he asked me a few questions. Past use of –LL–––L drugs? Nope. ––––L––L history of early–onset Alzheimer's? Nope. Did I find my work ––L––LL–––? Yes, I did (although the commute to UMass L–––LL was a bit of a drag). Speaking of commuting, was my driving still good? Oh yes, no problems there; and I'm as –––LL––L as ever when it comes to ––––LL–L parking. He asked if I tended to talk on my ––LL–L–– phone while driving (since there's been a lot of ––LL–––L–– about that recently), but I quickly steered the conversation back to my word–finding troubles. I used to be able to find words –L––L–––L–, but now I can't, I told the doctor ––L–––LL–; if he could remedy this, the benefit to me would be ––––L––L––L– (and that's really saying something, since I'm a mathematician!). "Your problem is by no means ––––L––L–," the doctor said cheerfully. "But you must change your life immediately; you mustn't ––LL–––LL–. Exercise is the main thing. I suggest you take up a sport, like ––LL––––LL. Or, if you're more solitary, buy an –LL––––––L trainer for your home (and don't worry about the –L–––––––L bill). Also, you might want to take up new musical instrument, like the –––L–L– or the ––L–L––––." These ideas weren't new to me. Then the doctor made three other suggestions, and I remember that they were brilliant ––– but by the time I got home I couldn't remember any of them. "I should have written them down," I told my wife L–––L–––L–. ===========================================================================