I used to be really smart, now I think I'm only pretty smart. Definitely slower than before, and increasingly noticing that I have a hard time focusing. I think it's a combination of chronic sleep deprivation, marginal dietary habits, poor self-discipline, Internet-based attention span erosion, and mild lead poisoning from years of soldering without any kind of protective gear or safety precautions other than "wash your hands when you're done".

I wonder if ritalin or something of the sort would help me focus better. I can't just experiment with stuff because my job (which I otherwise like) does drug screening pretty regularly. Then again, being able to focus properly would make probably the single biggest quality-of-life difference I can think of.