[Excuse you, Mammon. You don't need to stare at him so. It will get you nowhere, for this isn't even his original vessel.]

Indeed. Nowadays there's hardly anything worthy of my anticipation. No new discoveries, no more "firsts", no increase in responsibility or power as one ventures further into adulthood. Only old age - and even that has become utterly meaningless.

[The only thing he had to look forward to, recently, was the day he was finally allowed to retire - unfortunately, said retirement had been woefully short-lived.]