Editor’s note: This is another in a series of occasional columns by long-time Ann Arbor resident Robert Faber on what he describes as his most recently acquired area of expertise - growing old.

Old age is not so bad -- it’s just the aches and the ailments and the deterioration that define and accompany the aging process that can be so disconcerting.

Among the more serious complaints of the procedure is the loss of small pieces of memory that plague us at the most inopportune moments. It may well be, for instance, the confusion of trying to figure why I came here to the supermarket - what was I instructed to buy.

Or those blue-jeans on my list - I know the size was 30 x 34, but which figure represents the pant leg length and which the waist?

The good news is that as seniors we are given access to sporting events and music performances and movies at greatly discounted prices, but our fading memory - forgetting the names of the performers and details of the production - makes it difficult to discuss the evening with our friends or family. For example, we know that we liked a certain movie and can highly recommend it, but have since forgotten the plot - or the title - or the names of key members of the cast.

But take heart - relief is on the way. Not that those critical lost brain cells can be restored, but there is now a way to take advantage of the anxiety - to make a game of this deficit, to find a new source of pleasure in our pain. It’s a new pastime that promises to eliminate the panic of memory loss and substitute an exhilarating new sense of competitive accomplishment.

It is called, “Name That ... ??? ... Whatever!”

It can be applied to any topic in which the participants are interested and it has no designated starting point, but depends instead on the drift of the discussion.

During some casual conversation, for example, one participant might refer to an old movie -- it was about this guy in the French Revolution, but I don’t think he was actually French, he may have been English, and he was really handsome (what was his name?). He was a kind of quiet actor (yes, I’m sure he was English), always seemed reserved and very mature (no, not Victor Mature) and he played in a lot of American films and had a deep, well modulated voice (Oh, come on, you know who I mean), he died some years ago. I think he played opposite that Swedish actress (What’s her name?) who always “vants to be alone.” She’s the one who played in that old classic in which she takes a long time dying (Carmen? No. Chamomile? No, that’s a tea -- can’t be that).

Meanwhile, the other player can occasionally join in with such well-placed and thoughtful responses as, Oh, you mean that picture where the lady keeps on knitting whenever somebody falls to the guillotine? Yeah, I know who you mean, but I don’t think he was really English, I think he was American, but he had a really cultured English accent (Oh, come on now, what’s the matter with me?). It wasn’t Melvin Douglas? No, he was the one in that picture with that Swedish actress who never talked. I can’t remember, but it’s on the tip of my tongue, he was always serious and was always the hero and . . . . I think it started with an R -- Raymond? Roger? Roland? -- darn, I’ve almost got it.

One of the great features of this game is that it has no time limit and can occupy hours, even days, without ever going stale. You might call your opponent at one o’clock in the morning, for example, and triumphantly explode “Ronald Coleman” or “Camille,” then go back to sleep, happy in the realization that you have conquered still another threat from old age.

But nothing of consequence comes without a price. Be prepared for a counter-call -- perhaps that same night when you’ve just gotten back to sleep -- with an equally triumphant, “Tale Of Two Cities” or “Greta Garbo.” After all, what’s good for the goose, or something, is something for the something -- what in the world is that expression?

Bob Faber has been a resident of Ann Arbor since 1954. He and his wife, Eunice, owned a fabric store and later a travel agency. He served a couple of terms on the Ann Arbor City Council. He may be reached at rgfaber@comcast.net.