From the November issue of Glamour magazine:
…staying mentally sharp. The best brain-boosting activities:
reading, playing cards or board games and playing a musical instrument. A study found that doing these things three or four times a week reduced the risk of developing memory problems later in life by at least 35 percent.
Hmmm, maybe that explains why my memory in college (despite any partying I might have done and the lack of sleep that goes with it) was so much better than it is now. I thought it was just a part of getting older but maybe I can get back some of my memory edge if I get back to playing my horn! I’m actually playing in the school musical in January so I need to work now on getting my chops up between now and then. And, I’ve played a couple of times with the band lately and it sure feels good to play again. I think I really need to make time and take up Josh (the trumpet private lesson teacher at our school) on his offer of getting together and playing gigs with him.
Benford's Musings 
….Yikes I haven’t done any of those thinkgs in a long time…What are we talking about agian? ;oP
Read something besides Glamour. Some literature reduces your mental capacity.
I play and read all the damn time and my memory is still pretty much crap. Glamour lies.
I don’t have orchestra rehearsal this week, so I think I’ll be at your contest. But I might be wearing a disguise. Look for the girl in a black wig, oversized sunglasses and a Groucho Marx mustache.