These are signs of aging, and I have them all. I'm 64 years old and I have to sign up for Medicare before my next birthday, but somehow I've never thought of myself as being old. I may think of myself as still being a young man but my body is beginning to find ways to remind me of my advancing age. When I look in the mirror I see someone who looks pretty young (but I can't see the bald spot on the back of my head) but the signs of my bodily decline are apparent.
For starters I'm shorter than I used to be. In my prime I stood about 5'11" tall; at my last physical I measured just a little over 5'8" - so when did I get short?! Happily my weight is about the same so at least I haven't porked up the way some guys do - and I haven't developed "man-boobs" so that's a plus.
The hemorrhoids have been around a while - they're probably my own fault as I used to like to read on the pot so I probably stayed there longer than I needed to and aggravated the situation. They're not especially troublesome so I can tolerate them if they don't get any worse but they still remind me that time marches on and all that kind of stuff.
The hernias are a more recent development and also not too much of a bother. When I first detetected them I thought they might be swollen glands in my groin which kind of worried me because some serious conditions that affect men my age can cause swollen glands (at least that's what my doctor told me a couple of years ago.) So I was somewhat relieved to learn that it's hernias, not some dread disease, causing those bumps and unless I do something to aggravate them they can just be left alone. That sounds to me like a pretty good reason not to do any heavy lifting, which is something I try to avoid anyway, so maybe my hernias are no problem either.
Then there's the medicine thing. It seems like old people all have to take a lot of pills; I'm up to 4 a day - nothing very serious, but still what's going on with my body that I need 4 different kinds of pills to keep everything in balance and working right? The latest addition to the list was for high blood pressure, which has been creeping up for a while. There have been strokes on both sides of my family - not the kind that mercifully kill you quickly but the ones that leave you disabled and dependent on others for your daily care, and that prospect terrifies me. Since high blood pressure is a leading risk factor for stroke I guess one more pill a day is a small price to pay to reduce the risk - I may even make some "life-style" changes like exercising more and eating better to help lower my pressure. But seriously, what's up with all the pills?
So these are part of a long list of things that remind me every day that I may not be growing up but I am most certainly growing older, and I have reached an age that is not only past my prime but is indicated by a slow but inevitable decline in health and vitality. My health is still very good - almost excellent, in fact - and I think I am blessed with good genes for longevity as both of my parents lived into their eighties (but my dad had that stroke)so I am not complaining or worrying about my imminent demise. I am not a young man anymore, and I am most definitely OK with that. But still, if only I had known as a young man what I know now...
Oh, I almost forgot - there has been one major change for the better as a result of getting older (well that plus modern medicine.) I have worn glasses - really thick glasses - ever since I was a little boy. A little over two years ago I had surgery to remove cataracts from both eyes and now my distant vision is better than 20/20! I have to wear reading glasses (and for another $2500, not covered by insurance, they could have fixed that too)) but for everything more than an arm's length away I can see perfectly without glasses - this is truly a miracle of modern medicine!
Showing posts with label miscellaneous. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miscellaneous. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Am I still a sailor?
I have been a sailor most of my life. And by "sailor" I mean someone who ventures out on the water in boats propelled by the wind; being a sailor implies being on a sailboat as opposed to a powerboat (aka "stinkpot"). To sail is to be in harmony with the elements, to harness the forces of nature to propel the boat through the water without any other means of propulsion. Sailing is quiet and the experience can range from relaxing to exhilerating depending on the conditions; it does not require the burning of fossil fuels. Sailing is boating at its best.
For the last several years I have had a powerboat, but I have always thought this to be a temporary condition and I have always considered myself still to be a sailor. Now that the new boating season is drawing near I have begun my annual ritual of looking at sailboat ads and visiting boatyards thinking that this might be the year I jettison my powerboat and return to sail. There is even more incentive than ever this year due to the astronomic price of gasoline which my current boat gulps in obscene quantities. Plus my engine needs some work done to the tune of several hundred dollars before I can start the new season. There are lots of good reasons to make my move, and I have seen several boats that interest me - a couple of them are actually pretty affordable, probably not a whole lot more than the repair bill on my current boat will come to. Everything seems to point to this being a perfect time to go back to sail. So the question is, why haven't I made the move?
I've given this question a lot of thought lately, mostly while I'm looking at pictures of sailboats that I would love to own and wondering why I don't contact the seller for more information. And tonight while I was looking at a very pretty boat that's listed at a price I could probably afford I began to understand the answer, and it is this: I really love the boat I have now. It is in all important respects the perfect boat for me at this stage of my life. Yes, it's a stinkpot (just ask the LL Bean kayaking class I inadvertantly enveloped in blue smoke a couple of years ago) but she's just right for what I want to do on the water these days.
Most of my "boating" in recent years has consisted of sitting on the mooring, relaxing, reading and enjoying the sun and salt air, and when I do cast off the mooring pennant it's usually for a casual cruise around the mooring field or maybe a short ride around the local islands or up a nearby river, sightseeing, looking at the seals and osprey, just chillin'. Because I have a powerboat I can go where I want, when I want, so in the (unlikely) event I want to go to Portland or Boothbay or some other similarly distant port it doesn't have to be a weekend-long journey - a cruise there for lunch and back is completely within my capability. Sure, there are trade-offs - noise, gas fumes, expense of gassing up - but I've decided that for me the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
So am I still a "sailor"? Philosphically I think I am - from a purely romanticized point of view I will always regard sailing as superior to powerboating in every way. But from a practical point of view I've crossed over. To me, just being on the water is paramount, and honestly the convenience afforded by having a powerboat makes my time on the water easier and more enjoyable. So I guess I regard myself as a "sailor" in the same sense as anyone in the Navy is called a "sailor" regardless of the type of vessel they may sail on. But if you want to be a purist and say I am not a "sailor", I am a "boater" that's OK. As long as I can get out on the water I really don't care what labels we apply.
For the last several years I have had a powerboat, but I have always thought this to be a temporary condition and I have always considered myself still to be a sailor. Now that the new boating season is drawing near I have begun my annual ritual of looking at sailboat ads and visiting boatyards thinking that this might be the year I jettison my powerboat and return to sail. There is even more incentive than ever this year due to the astronomic price of gasoline which my current boat gulps in obscene quantities. Plus my engine needs some work done to the tune of several hundred dollars before I can start the new season. There are lots of good reasons to make my move, and I have seen several boats that interest me - a couple of them are actually pretty affordable, probably not a whole lot more than the repair bill on my current boat will come to. Everything seems to point to this being a perfect time to go back to sail. So the question is, why haven't I made the move?
I've given this question a lot of thought lately, mostly while I'm looking at pictures of sailboats that I would love to own and wondering why I don't contact the seller for more information. And tonight while I was looking at a very pretty boat that's listed at a price I could probably afford I began to understand the answer, and it is this: I really love the boat I have now. It is in all important respects the perfect boat for me at this stage of my life. Yes, it's a stinkpot (just ask the LL Bean kayaking class I inadvertantly enveloped in blue smoke a couple of years ago) but she's just right for what I want to do on the water these days.
Most of my "boating" in recent years has consisted of sitting on the mooring, relaxing, reading and enjoying the sun and salt air, and when I do cast off the mooring pennant it's usually for a casual cruise around the mooring field or maybe a short ride around the local islands or up a nearby river, sightseeing, looking at the seals and osprey, just chillin'. Because I have a powerboat I can go where I want, when I want, so in the (unlikely) event I want to go to Portland or Boothbay or some other similarly distant port it doesn't have to be a weekend-long journey - a cruise there for lunch and back is completely within my capability. Sure, there are trade-offs - noise, gas fumes, expense of gassing up - but I've decided that for me the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
So am I still a "sailor"? Philosphically I think I am - from a purely romanticized point of view I will always regard sailing as superior to powerboating in every way. But from a practical point of view I've crossed over. To me, just being on the water is paramount, and honestly the convenience afforded by having a powerboat makes my time on the water easier and more enjoyable. So I guess I regard myself as a "sailor" in the same sense as anyone in the Navy is called a "sailor" regardless of the type of vessel they may sail on. But if you want to be a purist and say I am not a "sailor", I am a "boater" that's OK. As long as I can get out on the water I really don't care what labels we apply.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
I'm considering dumping my cable company
I've had cable tv ever since it first became available in my neighborhood, which was sometime in the early 1980s. I don't remember what the company was called then, but it has subsequently been Susquahanna, which became SUSCOM, which was bought out by COMCAST, the current provider. I've always had the basic cable package, although for a while early-on I had HBO and Cinemax, too.
Sometime in the mid-1990s I added high speed internet to the package, since the "digital age" was in full bloom and my sons were coming to an age that necessitated speedier access to the "world-wide web" than my dial-up service could provide (good-bye, AOL.) And that's pretty much been the staus quo ever since; I have not added any premium services nor upgraded to HDTV or even digital tv. And yet my monthly bill keeps going up.
This winter, since I pretty much live by myself now, I basically moved into my kitchen/dining area, where the woodstove is located, in order to reduce my heating bill. I moved a couch into the area (the dogs quiickly claimed it as their own)and put a small TV, not connected to cable, where I could watch it while staying toasty warm by the stove. The TV has rabbit ears so I can watch the local "over air" channels but if I want to watch anything on cable I have to go into the (very cold) living room. This situation led to an epiphany for me: I don't miss cable very much.
Even before I moved out of the living room I had resolved to watch less political coverage (i.e., MSNBC) and honestly, there's not much else I care to watch even with all those cable channels to choose from. I do love "The Daily Show", but I can watch that on-line - so really, why do I have cable?
One day this week (Saturday, I think) there were two items in the mail that started me seriously thinking about dumping cable. One was a flyer from Fairpoint, the telephone company, advertising high speed internet service for an introductory rate of $19.99 per month. The other was a mailing from COMCAST detailing changes to TV and internet access effective on March 24, 2011. Now I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent consumer but honestly, I could not make heads or tails of the changes COMCAST is making. I'm pretty sure, though, that if I just keep the services I have now it's going to cost me more (I currently pay more than $115.00 per month.)
By my calculations if I dump COMCAST and switch my internet access to Fairpoint I stand to save about $95.00 every month. So the question is, do I watch enough cable shows to justify the extra expense? Oh, there will be some other "costs" associated with the switch, primarily the inconvenience of having to change my email address again (I just did it with the SUSCOM/COMCAST transition), but is that worth $95.00 a month? The answer is becoming increasingly clear: NO.
So I am pretty sure that in the next month or so I am going to "pull the plug" on COMCAST and be without cable television for the first time in 30 years or so. And I think I am OK with that, but if I go into total withdrawal there's alway Direct TV or Dish Network - they always advertise great packages for new subscribers.
Sometime in the mid-1990s I added high speed internet to the package, since the "digital age" was in full bloom and my sons were coming to an age that necessitated speedier access to the "world-wide web" than my dial-up service could provide (good-bye, AOL.) And that's pretty much been the staus quo ever since; I have not added any premium services nor upgraded to HDTV or even digital tv. And yet my monthly bill keeps going up.
This winter, since I pretty much live by myself now, I basically moved into my kitchen/dining area, where the woodstove is located, in order to reduce my heating bill. I moved a couch into the area (the dogs quiickly claimed it as their own)and put a small TV, not connected to cable, where I could watch it while staying toasty warm by the stove. The TV has rabbit ears so I can watch the local "over air" channels but if I want to watch anything on cable I have to go into the (very cold) living room. This situation led to an epiphany for me: I don't miss cable very much.
Even before I moved out of the living room I had resolved to watch less political coverage (i.e., MSNBC) and honestly, there's not much else I care to watch even with all those cable channels to choose from. I do love "The Daily Show", but I can watch that on-line - so really, why do I have cable?
One day this week (Saturday, I think) there were two items in the mail that started me seriously thinking about dumping cable. One was a flyer from Fairpoint, the telephone company, advertising high speed internet service for an introductory rate of $19.99 per month. The other was a mailing from COMCAST detailing changes to TV and internet access effective on March 24, 2011. Now I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent consumer but honestly, I could not make heads or tails of the changes COMCAST is making. I'm pretty sure, though, that if I just keep the services I have now it's going to cost me more (I currently pay more than $115.00 per month.)
By my calculations if I dump COMCAST and switch my internet access to Fairpoint I stand to save about $95.00 every month. So the question is, do I watch enough cable shows to justify the extra expense? Oh, there will be some other "costs" associated with the switch, primarily the inconvenience of having to change my email address again (I just did it with the SUSCOM/COMCAST transition), but is that worth $95.00 a month? The answer is becoming increasingly clear: NO.
So I am pretty sure that in the next month or so I am going to "pull the plug" on COMCAST and be without cable television for the first time in 30 years or so. And I think I am OK with that, but if I go into total withdrawal there's alway Direct TV or Dish Network - they always advertise great packages for new subscribers.
Monday, December 27, 2010
It's a "Snow Day"
Today is Monday, December 27 and what will surely be labelled "The Blizzard of 2010" is upon us. The snow started to fall late last night but the high winds and heavy snowfall didn't ramp up until after midnight (I guess - I was asleep by then) and by daybreak there were several inches of snow already on the ground and it was still falling and blowing at a pretty respectable rate; it still is as I write, a little after noon. All in all the conditions have created a personal "snow day" for me.
On a normal Monday I would spend most of the day driving a van to transport veterans to the VA Facility at Togus and return them home. It's a volunteer activity which I enjoy and I had two riders scheduled for today, so I was a little disappointed that the weather forced cancellation of the trip, but at least the decision to cancel was a no-brainer. I hate to call off a trip when conditions are "marginal" but today is anything but that so there was absolutely no doubt about the call.
I have not always appreciated "snow days". When my sons were still in school, storm cancellations necessitated making provisions for them to be supervised for the day. When they were very little that meant they went to their day-care provider for the whole day instead of just after school, which of course increased the expense, but I was still very grateful that the facility was there for us. Later on, when they were "too big" for day care but still too young to leave unsupervised I usually just took the day off from work to stay home with them, and we did some pretty fun things so it certainly wasn't all bad. Still a missed day of work had "costs" of its own so it wasn't something I hoped for when a winter storm was in the forecast.
I have to say that I am enjoying my "snow day" today, though. First, the timing of the storm made it certain last night that I would not be driving today, so I could "sleep in" knowing that I didn't have to be in Round Pond by 8:00am. So I got up at a very leisurely time, made a pot of coffee and just relaxed for a while - the morning paper had not come (it showed up at about 9:30, much to my surprise as the travelling looks really treacherous) so I spent a while just "puttering". Then I fired up the snow-blower to clear the driveway (I think I'll have to do it again, though) and retrieve the paper. Now, with the hard work done, I can just stay in and relax for the rest of the day and not feel the least bit guilty about it! It's like having a day off from my "day off", if you know what I mean - no plans, no schedule, no "to-do" list to work through. It's a "snow day"!
Winter storms can be dangerous and not everybody can just stay home and stay warm and safe until they pass. But for this storm on this day I am in a unique position to take advantage of the weather as an excuse to stay home and do absolutely nothing for a while, all the while knowing that I am doing the "responsible" thing by staying off the roads and out of harm's way. What could be better than that?!
On a normal Monday I would spend most of the day driving a van to transport veterans to the VA Facility at Togus and return them home. It's a volunteer activity which I enjoy and I had two riders scheduled for today, so I was a little disappointed that the weather forced cancellation of the trip, but at least the decision to cancel was a no-brainer. I hate to call off a trip when conditions are "marginal" but today is anything but that so there was absolutely no doubt about the call.
I have not always appreciated "snow days". When my sons were still in school, storm cancellations necessitated making provisions for them to be supervised for the day. When they were very little that meant they went to their day-care provider for the whole day instead of just after school, which of course increased the expense, but I was still very grateful that the facility was there for us. Later on, when they were "too big" for day care but still too young to leave unsupervised I usually just took the day off from work to stay home with them, and we did some pretty fun things so it certainly wasn't all bad. Still a missed day of work had "costs" of its own so it wasn't something I hoped for when a winter storm was in the forecast.
I have to say that I am enjoying my "snow day" today, though. First, the timing of the storm made it certain last night that I would not be driving today, so I could "sleep in" knowing that I didn't have to be in Round Pond by 8:00am. So I got up at a very leisurely time, made a pot of coffee and just relaxed for a while - the morning paper had not come (it showed up at about 9:30, much to my surprise as the travelling looks really treacherous) so I spent a while just "puttering". Then I fired up the snow-blower to clear the driveway (I think I'll have to do it again, though) and retrieve the paper. Now, with the hard work done, I can just stay in and relax for the rest of the day and not feel the least bit guilty about it! It's like having a day off from my "day off", if you know what I mean - no plans, no schedule, no "to-do" list to work through. It's a "snow day"!
Winter storms can be dangerous and not everybody can just stay home and stay warm and safe until they pass. But for this storm on this day I am in a unique position to take advantage of the weather as an excuse to stay home and do absolutely nothing for a while, all the while knowing that I am doing the "responsible" thing by staying off the roads and out of harm's way. What could be better than that?!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
My blog has a follower
In truth, I started this blogging enterprise strictly for my own entertainment. I like to write, mostly about myself as you may have noticed, and this space provides a forum for me to go on and on about whatever happens to be on my mind at any given moment. So I've been perfectly content to babble on whenever, about whatever for however long I felt like.
And that's still the way it is but maybe with some subtle differences. First and foremost, someone is "following" my blog. As I understand it, "followers" are notified of updates and posts to the blog they are following, so they can check in and see what's new. And this particular "follower", who (whom? - I think that's grammatically correct, but it sounds so wrong) I happen to know, says she is interested in my musings. Well first, I'm a little concerned about anyone who finds the workings of my mind interesting (except maybe in a clinical sense) - I know I'm witty and entertaining but I didn't think I'd ever convince anybody else of that. So the fact that someone would actually want to come back on a regular basis to read what I have to say is a little unexpected; plus now I feel obligated to write stuff that might actually be interesting/entertaining/informative to someone other than me - that's a lot of pressure for a hack like me! But I don't mind; in fact, I'm grateful for my follower and I hope I don't let her down. And comments would be welcome, too!
Also, I have discovered that I can track the number of "hits" on my blog and actually see the source of the "referring URL" (I'm not sure what that means but it sounds important.) So I know that some folks have come here via Google, which I guess I might have expected (you cannot be "invisible" on the internet with search engines like "Google" keeping track of every character posted) but I totally did not expect hits from Russia and Bosnia referred by some Russian English-language search site (I "Googled" it to find out what it was). And there's another website that refers its visitors to "web sites you might be interested in" (including this one, apparently), for what reason I have no idea - but I'm guessing it's not because they have visited here and found it to be worth recommending for the literary content.
So apparently in addition to my "follower" and the few other folks I have let in on the existence of this blog, I have a "world-wide" audience who have at least visited here even if they haven't actually read any of my posts. And to all I say, "Welcome - I'm glad you stopped by". But I intend to stay true to my original intent when I created this enterprise, and that is to write for myself, about whatever I find of interest and as often as I feel the urge. If someone else finds this to be of interest for whatever reason, then I am glad - you are welcome to visit as often as you like. Feel free to agree, disagree, or comment about anything you like - but just so you know, you probably won't change my mind about anything.
And that's still the way it is but maybe with some subtle differences. First and foremost, someone is "following" my blog. As I understand it, "followers" are notified of updates and posts to the blog they are following, so they can check in and see what's new. And this particular "follower", who (whom? - I think that's grammatically correct, but it sounds so wrong) I happen to know, says she is interested in my musings. Well first, I'm a little concerned about anyone who finds the workings of my mind interesting (except maybe in a clinical sense) - I know I'm witty and entertaining but I didn't think I'd ever convince anybody else of that. So the fact that someone would actually want to come back on a regular basis to read what I have to say is a little unexpected; plus now I feel obligated to write stuff that might actually be interesting/entertaining/informative to someone other than me - that's a lot of pressure for a hack like me! But I don't mind; in fact, I'm grateful for my follower and I hope I don't let her down. And comments would be welcome, too!
Also, I have discovered that I can track the number of "hits" on my blog and actually see the source of the "referring URL" (I'm not sure what that means but it sounds important.) So I know that some folks have come here via Google, which I guess I might have expected (you cannot be "invisible" on the internet with search engines like "Google" keeping track of every character posted) but I totally did not expect hits from Russia and Bosnia referred by some Russian English-language search site (I "Googled" it to find out what it was). And there's another website that refers its visitors to "web sites you might be interested in" (including this one, apparently), for what reason I have no idea - but I'm guessing it's not because they have visited here and found it to be worth recommending for the literary content.
So apparently in addition to my "follower" and the few other folks I have let in on the existence of this blog, I have a "world-wide" audience who have at least visited here even if they haven't actually read any of my posts. And to all I say, "Welcome - I'm glad you stopped by". But I intend to stay true to my original intent when I created this enterprise, and that is to write for myself, about whatever I find of interest and as often as I feel the urge. If someone else finds this to be of interest for whatever reason, then I am glad - you are welcome to visit as often as you like. Feel free to agree, disagree, or comment about anything you like - but just so you know, you probably won't change my mind about anything.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Bourbon
I've never been much of a whiskey drinker, or any "hard liquor" for that matter. Oh, I had a fling with Scotch when I was barely, or maybe not even, old enough to drink legally. And I went through a Tequila period during my first marriage, mostly due to Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville", I think. And my flirtation with Rum was Jimmy's fault, too, since every boater needs "boat drinks" at the end of the day. And of course St. Patrick's Day calls for an Irish whiskey (Bushmill is my preferred choice) to celebrate the occasion. But beer has always been my adult beverage of preference - I switch brands depending on my mood and budget, but basically any beer will do. Red wine is good, too - not the fancy "vintage" stuff, just a nice, smooth table wine, and if I'm listening to Jerry Jeff Walker, a Sangria seems appropriate. Whiskey though, not so much.
Until a couple of years ago (more or less) when I read an article in a magazine about good cheap booze; or maybe cheap good booze - I'm not sure which it was. Either way, it mentioned bourbon. I've probably had bourbon once or twice in my life (Wild Turkey comes to mind) but this article sang the praises of a brand I'd never heard of - Evan Williams. It spoke in glowing (bourbon does give you a glow) terms of it's taste and complexity, and lots of other stuff I didn't understand, and compared it favorably to much pricier brands. Well I love a bargain, so the next time I found myself in the booze aisle at Shaw's I looked for it, and sure enough - there it was for under twelve bucks for a fifth. Everything else was much more expensive and I knew, because I had read it in a magazine, the this stuff was good (and cheap), so I bought some.
Have you ever heard the song, "God's own drunk"? It's about a still and the whiskey it produces, and there's a man tending the still, and there's a bear and - well, if you've heard the song you know what I'm talking about and if you haven't, you just wouldn't understand. But when I took my first sip of Evan Williams bourbon, that song came to mind and I knew exactly what it meant. That Kentucky bourbon danced on my tongue and it warmed the back of my throat and then I felt it all the way down to my belly. And I fell in love, and I knew I had a new mistress.
Now I've had enough experience with women and booze to know that you have to treat them both with respect and enjoy them in moderation. But I'm pretty sure that I've found the whiskey that I'm going to stick with for the rest of my life; as for that woman, well I guess she's still out there waiting to be discovered.
Until a couple of years ago (more or less) when I read an article in a magazine about good cheap booze; or maybe cheap good booze - I'm not sure which it was. Either way, it mentioned bourbon. I've probably had bourbon once or twice in my life (Wild Turkey comes to mind) but this article sang the praises of a brand I'd never heard of - Evan Williams. It spoke in glowing (bourbon does give you a glow) terms of it's taste and complexity, and lots of other stuff I didn't understand, and compared it favorably to much pricier brands. Well I love a bargain, so the next time I found myself in the booze aisle at Shaw's I looked for it, and sure enough - there it was for under twelve bucks for a fifth. Everything else was much more expensive and I knew, because I had read it in a magazine, the this stuff was good (and cheap), so I bought some.
Have you ever heard the song, "God's own drunk"? It's about a still and the whiskey it produces, and there's a man tending the still, and there's a bear and - well, if you've heard the song you know what I'm talking about and if you haven't, you just wouldn't understand. But when I took my first sip of Evan Williams bourbon, that song came to mind and I knew exactly what it meant. That Kentucky bourbon danced on my tongue and it warmed the back of my throat and then I felt it all the way down to my belly. And I fell in love, and I knew I had a new mistress.
Now I've had enough experience with women and booze to know that you have to treat them both with respect and enjoy them in moderation. But I'm pretty sure that I've found the whiskey that I'm going to stick with for the rest of my life; as for that woman, well I guess she's still out there waiting to be discovered.
Friday, November 12, 2010
"When I'm Sixty-Four"
You know the song - it's by the Beatles. It begins, "When I get older losing my hair, many years from now..." It was released in 1967 which was the year I turned 21. So yes, "many years from now" semed entirely accurate. Being 64 seemed to be a lo-o-o-ong time away; in fact I don't think I could even imagine being 64 - that's REALLY OLD, right?
Well, somebody must have hit the "fast forward" button on the cosmic clock because now 1967 doesn't seem that long ago and all of a sudden I'll turn 64 on my next birthday - not that far away, as a matter of fact. The good news is, I still have all my hair (it has been rumored that there is a bald spot on the back of my head, but I can't see it so I deny its existence.) The bad news is, I'M GOING TO BE SIXTY-FREAKIN'-FOUR! Well, maybe that's not really bad news considering the alternative, but you know what I mean.
When I was 21 I graduated from college (UMO) and, it being 1968 by then and with the "police action" in Viet Nam escalating on a daily basis it was a pretty sure bet that I would be drafted into the Army (there was no mandy-pandy lottery system in 1968 - when you lost your student exemption your ass was going to be drafted into the Army!) So I did something that seemed like a good idea at the time: I signed up for a job in Military Intelligence, because that was as far away from the Infantry as I thought I could get (no offense to Infantrymen - it's an important, difficult and extremely dangerous job, especially in 1968.) And I have to say that as life-decisions go, that one worked out pretty well since I wound up with a pretty interesting job, in an area where nobody was shooting at me every day, and it actually was the start of a career path that served me pretty well for the next 35 years.
I was only 25 when I got off active duty, my whole adult life was still ahead of me, and 64 still seemed to be an eternity away. Well guess what, dear reader - 39 years is NOT an eternity! The job market in 1971 pretty much sucked (why does that sound so familiar?) so I spent a year job hunting and doing the kind of things that 25 year-olds did in the early seventies. I was married by then (for the first-, but definitely not the last-time) and we moved to Freeport so she could work in Portland.
In 1972 I got a job with the IRS - and that turned into a career that lasted for more than 30 years (32, to be exact.) And throughout that whole time I lived in Freeport, and I had what I guess was a pretty successful career considering that I only accepted jobs within commuting distance. I have to say that as I look back on my career it's all pretty much a blur. I'm sure there were some memorable moments but for the most part it's all just a fuzzy recollection, and that's probably a good thing. When I retired in the Spring of 2004 I was 57, and the prospect of being 64 still seemed pretty remote - 7 years is still a long time, right? By then I was married to wife number 4, and the prospects for a long and happy retirement (say what you will about government service - the retirement plan is sweet!) were looking good.
Then in 2006 (I think - I told you it's all a little fuzzy) I found myself suddenly single again, still living in Freeport with three dogs (the subject of an earlier post), a couple of cats and my younger son Alex. And that's the status quo in November, 2010 - except Alex has gone off to college (UMO, bless his little heart) and my 64th birthday is 10 days away - THAT does not seem like a long time!
So I guess I have to ask, before it's too late, the question that ends the song: "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?"
Well, somebody must have hit the "fast forward" button on the cosmic clock because now 1967 doesn't seem that long ago and all of a sudden I'll turn 64 on my next birthday - not that far away, as a matter of fact. The good news is, I still have all my hair (it has been rumored that there is a bald spot on the back of my head, but I can't see it so I deny its existence.) The bad news is, I'M GOING TO BE SIXTY-FREAKIN'-FOUR! Well, maybe that's not really bad news considering the alternative, but you know what I mean.
When I was 21 I graduated from college (UMO) and, it being 1968 by then and with the "police action" in Viet Nam escalating on a daily basis it was a pretty sure bet that I would be drafted into the Army (there was no mandy-pandy lottery system in 1968 - when you lost your student exemption your ass was going to be drafted into the Army!) So I did something that seemed like a good idea at the time: I signed up for a job in Military Intelligence, because that was as far away from the Infantry as I thought I could get (no offense to Infantrymen - it's an important, difficult and extremely dangerous job, especially in 1968.) And I have to say that as life-decisions go, that one worked out pretty well since I wound up with a pretty interesting job, in an area where nobody was shooting at me every day, and it actually was the start of a career path that served me pretty well for the next 35 years.
I was only 25 when I got off active duty, my whole adult life was still ahead of me, and 64 still seemed to be an eternity away. Well guess what, dear reader - 39 years is NOT an eternity! The job market in 1971 pretty much sucked (why does that sound so familiar?) so I spent a year job hunting and doing the kind of things that 25 year-olds did in the early seventies. I was married by then (for the first-, but definitely not the last-time) and we moved to Freeport so she could work in Portland.
In 1972 I got a job with the IRS - and that turned into a career that lasted for more than 30 years (32, to be exact.) And throughout that whole time I lived in Freeport, and I had what I guess was a pretty successful career considering that I only accepted jobs within commuting distance. I have to say that as I look back on my career it's all pretty much a blur. I'm sure there were some memorable moments but for the most part it's all just a fuzzy recollection, and that's probably a good thing. When I retired in the Spring of 2004 I was 57, and the prospect of being 64 still seemed pretty remote - 7 years is still a long time, right? By then I was married to wife number 4, and the prospects for a long and happy retirement (say what you will about government service - the retirement plan is sweet!) were looking good.
Then in 2006 (I think - I told you it's all a little fuzzy) I found myself suddenly single again, still living in Freeport with three dogs (the subject of an earlier post), a couple of cats and my younger son Alex. And that's the status quo in November, 2010 - except Alex has gone off to college (UMO, bless his little heart) and my 64th birthday is 10 days away - THAT does not seem like a long time!
So I guess I have to ask, before it's too late, the question that ends the song: "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?"
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Why "Dirigonzo"?
I'm a relative newcomer to this whole "blogging" thing. I'm just starting to understand how things work here and I know I have a lot more to learn before I'll even be at the "beginner" level of competence. So when I went to Blogger to start this enterprise ("why " I did is another story altogether) one of the first things I had to do was come up with a "display name".
It seems to me that a display name on the internet is a lot like a "handle" used to be when CB was all the rage; you remember: "Hey, Rubber Duck, this here's Rough Rider - what's your 10-20?" It's something to identify yourself to others without telling them who you are. Some display names are funny, some are punny, others are descriptive (but often misleading), obscure or confusing, some seem random and a lot are just lame.
So I gave some thought to what my display name should be. I wanted something distinctive, descriptive and maybe a little bit clever - after all, it's all anybody reading my posts or comments knows about me, and we all know how important "first impressions" are. I even floated a couple of trial balloons just to see how they felt, but nothing really clicked the way I wanted it to.
Then recently I read about a web site called "DirigoBlue" and I thought, "Wow, I can work with that!" It's a simple yet clever play on words. "Dirigo" (DEER-igo, NOT deer-EYE-go, please) is the Maine State motto (it means "I lead" or something like that); and Blue in this case was used in the Blue-state, Red-state political context. So taken together DirigoBlue tells us that the web site expresses the Democratic point of view. I like it!
I'm a Mainer so "Dirigo" became the focal point to create my display name. Diri-go, Diri-went, Diri-something. Then Dirigo became Dirigone(Crazy, Nuts, Stark-raving mad, etc., etc.) and then, there it was: Dirigonzo. GENIUS! Who doesn't love Gonzo, the weird looking critter with the big nose on The Muppets? And Gonzo journalism is pretty much my style of writing (I did not know this until I "Googled" it.) So Dirigo combines with Gonzo to produce "Dirigonzo" and there you have it - the perfect display name for me.
Then, because I'm starting to learn about these things, I googled "Dirigonzo", just to make sure it wasn't already being used by a porn-star or some other unsavory type and nothing - no hits at all! So I made it mine, and if you google it now all you will get is - ME; my blogs or other sites I've posted comments on. So I am Dirigonzo, and Dirigonzo is me and no one else!
That's why Dirigonzo - aren't you glad you asked?
It seems to me that a display name on the internet is a lot like a "handle" used to be when CB was all the rage; you remember: "Hey, Rubber Duck, this here's Rough Rider - what's your 10-20?" It's something to identify yourself to others without telling them who you are. Some display names are funny, some are punny, others are descriptive (but often misleading), obscure or confusing, some seem random and a lot are just lame.
So I gave some thought to what my display name should be. I wanted something distinctive, descriptive and maybe a little bit clever - after all, it's all anybody reading my posts or comments knows about me, and we all know how important "first impressions" are. I even floated a couple of trial balloons just to see how they felt, but nothing really clicked the way I wanted it to.
Then recently I read about a web site called "DirigoBlue" and I thought, "Wow, I can work with that!" It's a simple yet clever play on words. "Dirigo" (DEER-igo, NOT deer-EYE-go, please) is the Maine State motto (it means "I lead" or something like that); and Blue in this case was used in the Blue-state, Red-state political context. So taken together DirigoBlue tells us that the web site expresses the Democratic point of view. I like it!
I'm a Mainer so "Dirigo" became the focal point to create my display name. Diri-go, Diri-went, Diri-something. Then Dirigo became Dirigone(Crazy, Nuts, Stark-raving mad, etc., etc.) and then, there it was: Dirigonzo. GENIUS! Who doesn't love Gonzo, the weird looking critter with the big nose on The Muppets? And Gonzo journalism is pretty much my style of writing (I did not know this until I "Googled" it.) So Dirigo combines with Gonzo to produce "Dirigonzo" and there you have it - the perfect display name for me.
Then, because I'm starting to learn about these things, I googled "Dirigonzo", just to make sure it wasn't already being used by a porn-star or some other unsavory type and nothing - no hits at all! So I made it mine, and if you google it now all you will get is - ME; my blogs or other sites I've posted comments on. So I am Dirigonzo, and Dirigonzo is me and no one else!
That's why Dirigonzo - aren't you glad you asked?
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