January 27--Two away from the end

[zyzyly]

I was reading an article in the New York Times online this afternoon and a pop-up asked me if I would be willing to do a readership poll, and I said "ok". The first page was demographics, and the age demographic startled me. I realized I am only two selections from "we don't care how old you are any more".

I have been thinking about getting old and old age recently. I'm not really afraid of getting old. I'm afraid of becoming debilitated, but that's not the same thing as getting old. I want to live to be 80 so I can say whatever I want, whenever I want.

I pretty much wasted my long adulthood, but don't really regret it anymore, because it was kind of fun, and I learned a lot about what not to do with my life. Early middle age was great. Late middle age has been great too. I was fortunate to have an unasked-for but very meaningful mid-life crisis, and just as fortunate to emerge from that intact.

When I was a teenager, I loved staying up late listening to music. I still love doing that. When I am not working anymore, I can regress to being a teenager again. Smoke dope, listen to music, stay up late. Sounds pretty good.

********

I had a fairly uninteresting day that produced almost nothing in the way of photographs. I spent some time at the office meeting with students, then took off to go buy a toilet, some office supplies, and some groceries. I came home and had some lunch then took a nap. Naps are one of the best things about late middle age. I love having a nap.

After the nap I did some reading before a video conference with my doctorate group for the group project we are working on. We spent an hour figuring out what we were going to do and how to meet the vague requirements. Someone asked one of the professors why the instructions are always so vague, and she responded that they expect doctoral students to figure it out.

After that I started emptying out the living room so that the flooring people will be able to work in there. I cleared off the dining room table. It is always full of all the stuff we bring into the house and don't quite know how to process into a permanent spot.


The cats, unused to an empty table, decided to walk back and forth all over it.

Comments

[pasticcio.livejournal.com]

I'm still 3 selections away from "we don't care how old you are any more"... for a year and some anyway ...

What kind of flooring are you getting in your house?
Pictures, right?

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

Young whippersnapper!

We are getting plank tile in the living room, family room and halls, regular tile in the bathrooms, and carpet in the bedrooms. I'm not looking forward to the disruption, but am looking forward to the end result.

Pictures--oh good idea! ;)

[katbyte.livejournal.com]

I am in the last category of the poll (almost), I am 70, 71 this year. Good luck staying up late, lol. You will fall asleep, wake up then go to bed late.

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

Haha yeah. I won't mind going to bed late as long as I don't have to get up early. My grandfather loved the late hours. He would read and work on his art, after my grandma had gone to sleep. It was his magic time.

growing old

[crookedfingers.livejournal.com]

I will be 64 years old this year. I do not mine growing old, but I do find it a strange experience. When you get my age people who know are dying. Death is always on my mind these days. I want a heavenly hope. I also fear in old age losing my mind. I live the life of the mind and love being able to think and read/communicate. I pray all the time that if I was to lose my ability to think/remember that I would remain heavenly minded to the end-peace

RE: growing old

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

I think the only thing that scares me about the possibility of losing my mind is if I am conscious about it happening. I would not like that.

[thoughtsbykat.livejournal.com]

Why do you have to wait until you are 80 to say what you want? I thought when you get to 60 you can do that. I'm over that now and I do & say what I want.

The cats look lost, must be all that space.

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

Haha--maybe so! I am following my grandma's path. When she turned 80, she announced that she would henceforth say whatever she pleased, and she did. It was so interesting.

[amaebi.livejournal.com]

Those cats are daring you to process them.

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

They should enjoy their freedom while it lasts. They don't know it yet, but they are spending next week in the guest bathroom.

[amaebi.livejournal.com]

Lords of the taps.