Dealing With Aging
So, my 28th birthday was one of my most memorable. My birthdays were not always the most lively because it falls three days after Christmas. People often are out of town, too busy with family, resting up for New Year's or burnt out by the time the 28th of December comes around. So, maybe there was some kind of numerology in play that year.
The Bridge Lounge in New Orleans had just opened and hadn't become a hot spot yet. So, we went there, and our group of friends took over the bar. And we got shitfaced. We got shitfaced all the time back then, but during birthdays we did it with more gusto.
The next year, I don't recall what we did on my birthday. I do recall that I was devasted that I was turning 29. It seemed like I was getting so old for not accomplishing anything that I assumed I would have done by year 29. My 30th birthday wasn't quite as bad because I was already over the shock of turning 30, having a year to deal with it.
And then Katrina happened. And then we moved to San Diego. For the month or so before we moved to San Diego, we were living under a curfew. Early on in our return to New Orleans, curfew was at nightfall. No one was supposed to be on the streets after dark. This was so contrary to the culture of the city. After power was restored, and business were opening, the curfew was moved to midnight. Some businesses like grocery stores were still closing early though, so I didn't really go out much past dark if it weren't for work or going drinking.
Going To Bed Early
So, when we moved here to San Diego, it took us a long while to adjust to the time change. We were waking up anywhere between 4 - 7am, and so we were going to bed by 8pm. The stark contrast of the two cities was unsettling. But, I still couldn't get past the habit of not leaving the house after dark. I'm not saying we never set foot outside after nightfall, but we did start drinking early, so we usually fell asleep a little after dusk.
My schedule when I worked at a french cafe here was 6am - 2pm, unless, of course, when the other cook showed up late. I worked Monday to Friday. The daily grind. I hated waking up early, but I sure loved getting off early (insert sexual innuendo here). If the FP were off, we would go to the local bar for happy hour, and be in bed (optional sexual innuendo insert here) by 9pm. The FP usually is home by 9pm, and back then, I would be asleep in front of the TV by the time he walked in the door.
So, I've established, in several paragraphs that I have kept the hours of the stereotypical elderly and enjoyed it. And I also established that I've dealt with the feelings of getting old. In fact, right now, I'm going through a midlife crisis. I've come to a standstill, an intersection in the road of my life. I'm self doubting and I have no idea which road to take, or which vehicle to use to get me there, and whether or not there will be a toll and if I have exact change for that toll.
Eating Habits
The other thing I will enjoy about becoming a senior citizen is the early bird special. I don't even know if this really still exists. I do however, like going to eat early, before the rush. Unless it's a special occasion, (why do I always have trouble spelling that word, occasion?) we like to sit down, eat and get out.
Also, on the point of food preference, we like a lot of the same food that the elderly enjoy. When I worked at the retirement community, I loved taking home the leftovers. I mean, we had to serve certain items once a month or week - prime rib with horseradish sauce, brisket, corned beef, spaghetti and meatballs. We had to also have Hebrew National hot dogs on hand all the time. The sides were all those typical comfort foods; mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, corn off the cobb.
Often, when we discover a new restaurant to add to our rotation or on our travels, we will look around the dining room and realize we are the youngest ones in the room. Take Lido's for instance. This is an old Italian joint. On weekdays for lunch, the specials are so that we can spend $18 + tip. Who else likes to go there? Old people. You can tell, a lot of them have been going there for years. Retired couples, old men, maybe military buddies, widows or widowers, or a whole table of 15 of them will flock to the place. By 12:30, the whole place is packed. But, we usually get there around 11am when they open. We like to avoid the rush. Although, there's usually someone already there before us.
Also, we enjoy going to our usual restaurants and have them anticipate our needs. At Lido's, one server will guess our order. I have a few things on my rotation there, but I definitely have the one default dish, rigatoni and meatballs. The FP gets spaghetti and meatballs, of course.
Sitting at Home Watching TV All Day, Talking To My Cats
Well, I have always watched a shitload of TV, but now that I'm not working, I watch even more. Of course sometimes, like when I'm writing a blog and having trouble concentrating, I will turn off the TV. I don't watch soap operas, but I find plenty of series, stories, if you will, that I get into and I have to watch.
And, of course sitting at home all day goes along with constantly talking to my cats. What am I supposed to do, talk to myself? That would be crazy.
Discussing My Digestive Tract and Other Ailments
I worry about fiber in my diet. I have a regular poo schedule, and if it changes, I wonder why. I check out my shit before I flush, to make sure it doesn't look abnormal. I describe weird ones to the FP as soon as I walk out of the bathroom. If I have a persistent medical issue, I worry over it and research it on the internet. It would have to be extremely dire though, before I would go to urgent care or set up an appointment with a doctor.
I Will Have Dentures Before I'm Eligible for Social Security
I haven't been to the dentist in ages. It shows in my teeth. I'm pretty sure they will fall out of my mouth if I don't go to a dentist soon. I think my teeth are getting to the point where they are a lost cause, and when I finally go to a dentist, he or she will yank my teeth out and give me dentures then and there. It's kind of embarrassing because people get veneers and stuff these days, so that makes my teeth seem even worse. But, it's one of those cases that I have put it off for so long that I don't know how I would even go about setting foot into a dentist's office.
I Like To Complain
So, things bug me, and I harp on them forever, but I don't take action. In our apartment complex, we have an assigned parking space. This space though, is behind the building. To get to it, one has to drive down the alley behind the building. It's kind of shady back there. Once a scary van was camping back there. Also, one would have to walk up twice as many stairs to get to the apartment if coming from the back lot. So, we park on the street out front. And other tenants do too. Often, late at night (around 9pm!) there will be very empty parking spaces on the street. The curb directly in front of the complex can accommodate three cars. As long as they all park economically. Most of the time, one car has parked selfishly, only allowing space for one other car to park there. This pisses me off. I always threaten to go out late at night, (say 10pm) and spray paint parking lines on the street, so people will get the picture. I don't know if they will, but it would be worth a try.
I already put an application in at Wal-Mart to be a greeter. I would like that job. Saying hi to people, putting stickers on their drinks. Or even better would be to check receipts. If I saw someone with a cartload of crap looking like they were in a hurry, I would take my time, be thorough, and make sure I saw everything in the cart accounted for on the receipt. After all, it's just killing time.
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