I seem to have lost the fire in the belly

[brewer12345]

I am wondering whether this is just me, or if others have run into the same thing. I recently bought a text, "Maritime Economics.". It is a fat, heavy, well written textbook on a subject near and dear to my heart (I have a large stake in shipping companies). In years past I plowed through many a graduate level finance and accounting textbook (for business school and then the CFA) as I rode the train to work. Now I open the book, get a few pages in, and... Meh. My mind wanders and I lose concentration.

Maybe it is just the winter blahs. Or maybe its that there is nobody waiting to test me on the book. Or perhaps I am just getting old and intellectually fat. Anyone else run into this?

 

[ls99]

Maybe it is more along the lines of an old cartoon.

Kid in the class raises his hands, when the teacher calls on him, he says: My brain is full.

I went to college in my mid thirties, one of the problems I had was reconciling the new material to be learned with the stuff already in my brain and past experience.

Let it sit a few months, then look at it again. Maybe by then it will be irrelevant or more interesting.

 

[freebird5825]

I oscillate between 2 finite states - I devour several books and then I couldn't care less about reading at all.
I normally use winter months to do heavy duty reading but it hasn't happened yet. Too busy flitting off to FL beaches, I guess.

Go with the flow...

 

[audreyh1]

Take Vitamin D!

Audrey

 

[brewer12345]

Take Vitamin D!

Audrey

Been doing that, 2000 iu a day, and it has made a world of difference. Within a week of starting the pills I had a much better outlook, did not have deep doldrums, etc. Yet I am beginning to struggle with the winter blahs for sure. Part of it is undoubtedly the month-long out of state business trip staring me in the face that will consume all of Feb.

 

[Gone4Good]

Part of it is undoubtedly the month-long out of state business trip staring me in the face that will consume all of Feb.

Ick

 

[NW-Bound]

... Or perhaps I am just getting old and intellectually fat. Anyone else run into this?

Yep! And it is not going to get better.

 

[GoodSense]

Like FreeBird, I also go in phases. In November/December I read a lot of books. Right now my eyes are tired of books, so I do other things to keep myself entertained, like singing and playing the guitar.

I don't have much of a habit of reading just for fun; fictions are a waste of time to me. I also find it much easier to read/absorb when I have a reason to (like tweaking my investment, a sudden interest in history, etc.).

 

[bbbamI]

In years past I plowed through many a graduate level finance and accounting textbook (for business school and then the CFA) as I rode the train to work. Now I open the book, get a few pages in, and... Meh. My mind wanders and I lose concentration.

Do you still ride the train to work?

When DH was still working, he rode the train and read a lot...and I mean a lot of books to pass the time during commute. Now, he reads some but not as much.

 

[brewer12345]

Do you still ride the train to work?

When DH was still working, he rode the train and read a lot...and I mean a lot of books to pass the time during commute. Now, he reads some but not as much.

Yup, still training it.

 

[bbbamI]

Yup, still training it.

Hmmm...well I'd say your brain needs a rest. Nothin' wrong with letting it wander from time to time...

 

[NW-Bound]

When DH was still working, he rode the train...

YouTube - Sheena Easton - Morning Train (Nine To Five)

 

[bbbamI]

I bet he'd love it if I looked like Sheena! ....well, when she was younger that is.....

 

[NW-Bound]

I never heard of Sheena nor knew her look until I searched youtube for this song. I remember hearing this on the radio non-stop some years ago. Just found out that this song was a hit in the early 80s (OMG, has it been that long), and that Sheena is Scottish.

So, this video is old. Who knows what she looks like today? (Does she look good in boots?)

 

[bbbamI]

I never heard of Sheena nor knew her look until I searched youtube for this song. I remember hearing this on the radio non-stop some years ago. Just found out that this song was a hit in the early 80s (OMG, has it been that long), and that Sheena is Scottish.

So, this video is old. Who knows what she looks like today? (Does she look good in boots?)

I found this pic...don't know how old it is. As for her looking good in boots, don't ask me...



Sorry brewer...for the highjack....

 

[W2R]

I am wondering whether this is just me, or if others have run into the same thing. I recently bought a text, "Maritime Economics.". It is a fat, heavy, well written textbook on a subject near and dear to my heart (I have a large stake in shipping companies). In years past I plowed through many a graduate level finance and accounting textbook (for business school and then the CFA) as I rode the train to work. Now I open the book, get a few pages in, and... Meh. My mind wanders and I lose concentration.

Maybe it is just the winter blahs. Or maybe its that there is nobody waiting to test me on the book. Or perhaps I am just getting old and intellectually fat. Anyone else run into this?

Any vision problems? If you wear glasses and need a new prescription, perhaps that could result in reading less.

 

[Poundkey]

Part of it is undoubtedly the month-long out of state business trip staring me in the face that will consume all of Feb.

I find that I have trouble concentrating when I have things on my mind. Sounds like the business trip isn't something you're looking forward to. I'll bet things get back to normal when the trip is done.

 

[Dawg52]

Now I open the book, get a few pages in, and... Meh. My mind wanders and I lose concentration.

Hell.........I've always been like that.

 

[Nords]

Anyone else run into this?

All the time. Some possibilities:
1. You're getting presbyopic, although IIRC you might still be 5-10 years away from this, um, blessed event. One symptom is that you have to focus farther and farther away from your nose, until your arms run out. But the eye exam can tell you if your lenses are making you 1.25... 1.50... 1.75...

2. You've OD'd on non-fiction. Read one or two trashy novels in your favorite genre. For example Jim Butcher has just put out his latest fantasy novel "First Lord's Fury", concluding a six-volume butt-kicking swords&sorcery drama.

3. If all else fails you could read the latest issue of "The Economist".

 

[brewer12345]

Heh, let me tell you about vision problems...

I had bifocals when I was 12 and switched to contacts when I was 16 because glasses were so cumbersome/heavy. Contacts are a minus 8 in one eye, minus 6.5 in the other. A bit of presbyopia would be great because it would offset the extreme nearsightedness.

 

[donheff]

I wouldn't worry about it. The urge to dig into such tomes will undoubtedly return, although maybe not for that particular book.

Edit: I should explain that comment. I read a wide variety of stuff including a lot of hard science books. Once in a while I will reserve something at the library but it happens to come in at a point that I just am not up for a dense read. I usually take it back and never return to it. I have a few books I own that the same thing happened with. For one reason or another I wasn't up for reading them when I first picked them up and now they are tainted - they still sit on the shelf.

 

[Nords]

Heh, let me tell you about vision problems...
I had bifocals when I was 12 and switched to contacts when I was 16 because glasses were so cumbersome/heavy. Contacts are a minus 8 in one eye, minus 6.5 in the other. A bit of presbyopia would be great because it would offset the extreme nearsightedness.

Yikes!

 

[brewer12345]

Yikes!

Can you say "4-F?"

 

[Texas Proud]

Heh, let me tell you about vision problems...

I had bifocals when I was 12 and switched to contacts when I was 16 because glasses were so cumbersome/heavy. Contacts are a minus 8 in one eye, minus 6.5 in the other. A bit of presbyopia would be great because it would offset the extreme nearsightedness.

Uhhhhh... from someone who is in the 9s.... it wil NOT help...

They make your glasses or contacts where you see 'normal'... so the presbyopia is there to mess you up... just like everybody else... sorry...

 

[harley]

Uhhhhh... from someone who is in the 9s.... it wil NOT help...

They make your glasses or contacts where you see 'normal'... so the presbyopia is there to mess you up... just like everybody else... sorry...

Not always. I'm pretty nearsighted, and when the presbyopia set in my prescription lightened up a little. For a while, anyway. I think there's definitely a level of diminishing returns. I was thinking of lasik, but discovered that over a period of a few years I'd end up wearing reading glasses, even if they undercorrected one eye. Since I spend as much time reading as I do ogling, it didn't seem like the trade off was worth it. I can wear my prescription sunglasses when I'm at the beach so the girls (and DW) can't tell that I'm leering at them.