Chapter 83.1: Time Passes

A couple weeks ago, an anniversary passed without notice. It wasn't important in any great sense. No parties were deserved. No parades planned. Barely a word was really necessary. But this blog turned five.

Life has been busy for me lately. Those who know me and my family understand why. The parties on that end were deserved, and parades of a different sort took place. As for words — nothing really quite captures the feelings. And blogs aren't the answer to such issues.

But still, it's true that I enjoy sharing the occasional thoughts or words here with the world of mostly strangers, and especially with those few, precious friends who stop by and leave word of their visit.

So happy fifth "blogoversary." And I'll see you as the spring and summer get even warmer.

Chapter 78.2: Old Friends

I've had a lot on my mind recently. Family. Past. Future. Money. Lack. Vacations. Staycations. Children (which kind of incorporates all the previous thoughts).

It's been hard to sit down and write about things like that on a blog, especially since I don't intend to bare my soul for the world to see here. I probably say too much already.

I'm meeting up with an old friend after work...today. It's been a couple years since I've met up with him. Basically, I want to catch up. Acknowledge my history. Hopefully laugh. But there are many old friends with whom I should do the same thing. It's difficult to restart one's past. You never know if it'll build momentum — and sometimes it was better off left in neutral.

But I try to be hopeful. We are nothing without history.

Chapter 76.6: Remembering Old Friends

I've been blessed with an abundance of friends -- though I'm not always the best at showing my appreciation of their positive influence in my life. It turns out that my friends may be helping me in ways I'd never dreamed of before. Apparently, having more friends helps a person maintain a strong memory longer. Not only that, but my having graduated college helps me in that regard too, though the study also suggests that I should avoid the fatty foods and cholesterol. Damn, and I was really looking forward to eating monkey brains!

The study was conducted over six years, which may mean little, I don't really know, though it seems to suggest a bit more serious research than something that's only studying effects over a 12-18 month period. Surely, the impact of good friends cannot be measured over so short a period.

While it is unclear how social isolation and disconnected from others could affect memory loss, the implication is that seniors should continue to engage in social activities and increase the number of people in their social network. I can see it now: Senior Facebook! [Full disclosure, I do not have a Facebook page]

To be serious for a moment, these types of studies could be incredibly important as we the largest generation enter their senior years. Indeed, many of them don't even see their sixties as being old -- and at this point they're probably right. The fact remains, however, that their health is more likely to deteriorate than improve as they get older, and if engaging in more social interactions with people, developing more friendships with people, will help as life moves inexorably forward, then we should all do our best to help.

So my advice is call your parents regulary. See if they're spending time with their neighbors, their church group, their bridge club, at the nudist beach down the shore, whatever. It will help their memories, and they'll have reason to remember. Encourage them to make new friends and keep the old. They're all gold.

Chapter 73.2: In Like a Drunkard

March has arrived. The old saying is that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb (I believe I have that right). Well, today, these lions are heading up to Hoboken for a little R&R.

These days, we don't spend much time in the town where we lived for many years. The demands of life in suburbia -- such as running a company, paying a mortgage and mowing a lawn or shoveling a driveway -- take up too much of our time. But it'll be nice to meet up with old friends that we haven't seen in too long. Appropriately enough, we're heading to Carpe Diem.

More to report, perhaps, later. After we've seized the day.

Chapter 69.3: Happy Halloween!

My wife and I, who both enjoy a good horror film or episode of Ghost Hunters, went with some friends to the Nightmare Haunted House in New York. It was a blast! The Lower East Side venue looked like an old church, though I don't believe that's what it was.

Groups of twelve were allowed into the haunted house at one time. We wove our way through cramped hallways, never knowing when a masked person might pop out. In many rooms the the looming presence was quite obvious, standing before us or waiting in a corner for the right moment to make a person jump or scream. Each room had a different theme. In one, we had to walk over a bed that looked like someone it had been the scene of a bloodletting. I was in the lead at that point, and a woman dressed completely in black jumped upon the bed; there was nowhere to go, so I had to follow her up over the bed. In another room, at least a dozen bodies in white shrouds stood blocking the path; the room was filled with them. I wasn't sure whether I was allowed to walk through them or if they'd eventually open up some space. When I tried to go around one of them, he moved into my direction -- several times. He wouldn't let me go. It wasn't scary so much as it was confusing. But it was fun.

Also a lot of fun was the bar. Once you had your ticket, you could pre-game in the bar and get a pleasant buzz before entering the haunted house. (In addition to the basic generic beer choices, a nice touch was the brand of wine they served: Gato Negro -- black cat.) But if you're looking for a nice scare, get your tickets soon; the house closes after November 3.

Chapter 68.1: Pizza!

I don't want to suggest that by feeding the blogger (and his wife), anyone can get words of thanks on the blog. But I do want to thank Cammy and Frank for their generous gift of pizza from Chicago. (Oh yeah, I believe there were cheesecakes, too, though I've not actually seen them. ;-) The package arrived at a perfect time -- as you know, Cammy -- and our cat is pleased to have another sturdy box to play in. By the way, the photo to the side is not the actual pizza (or beer, for that matter), just an incredible facsimile.