Staving Off Dementia

I am 67 years old, so Staving Off Dementia seems like a good plan for me. Since dementia is primarily about thinking—or thinking clearly, at least—this blog will concern how I stay mentally fit, how I think and what I find interesting. Dementia also implies physical frailty, so I will write about what I do to keep myself physically fit as well.

Who am I? My name is Terry Brown. I was born in Pennsylvania, but raised in Oregon. I attended Oregon State University and earned a psychology degree. After a few years of social service work, including a stint as a psychotherapist in a community mental health clinic, I returned to Oregon State and earned a degree in Computer Engineering. I spent the next 32 years working at a variety of high tech firms in Eugene and Portland, doing hardware design, then chip design, primarily in computer graphics and computer vision. I have been married to the same woman for 32 years now and have two grown children, twins, now age 30.

I designed computer systems and peripherals and wrote software for more than 30 years. I loved my work and found it challenging and interesting. I used a variety of very complex tools in my work, both hardware and software. I worked for small companies until the end of my career and I did everything from design work to testing and IT management. Today personal tech is a hobby for me and I will write about it here. It is another way of Staving Off Dementia.

In my 20s, I spent some time writing fiction, mostly science fiction and published a short story in a hardcover anthology, Orbit 20 edited by Damon Knight. I wrote lots of stories back then, including one novel, which is probably the worst novel ever written. I still have the manuscript—228 typewritten pages. It is typed on the backside of scrap paper that I recycled from where I worked at the time. That was the Mid-Columbia Center For Living, a mental health clinic in Hood River, OR. I have recently started writing fiction again. It is another way of Staving Off Dementia.

I have ridden a bicycle for exercise for 30+ years. I have raced competitively on my bicycle for 25+ years. This has kept me fit except when I fall off. It is another way of Staving Off Dementia.