Musings of a 70ish writer, reader, and opinionated observer determined to understand life before it’s all over. Seems the older I get the less I know. There’s a story in there somewhere.
I volunteered recently to help teach seniors how to use computers. Basic. First steps. As in, this is a hard drive, this is a monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc., and here’s the button to turn it on. Don’t be afraid of it – it can’t do anything without you. Relax.
The gentleman currently teaching the class brusquely confronted me, first thing, and asked, “What’s your background?” Dumbfounded, I said, I was self-taught, had been using computers for almost 30 years, and was good at working with people who were new to, and afraid of, computers.
I’ve seen this before, some time ago, but when I ran across it again yesterday I was suddenly struck by the thought that it’s The Zimmers singing about me and my generation now, instead of The Who.
It’s entertaining to realize that as kids we thought we rocked the world, and we were blamed for the country’s social ills. Now we’re at it again, this time we’re blamed for ruining Social Security and Medicare and a slew of other things.
Every generation has something to be proud of, and something they wish would fade quickly into oblivion. Me? I’m sad we gave our returning Vietnam vets such an unconscionable “welcome” home. But, I take pride in being part of a generation that fought hard to end the war so no soldiers would have to go. Now? I’m sad many of us didn’t continue to fight for those same ideals, but I’m proud to be part of a generation that has made such a ruckus – at both ends of our lives.
So, sing it Zimmers! I’m off to join a picket line. I’ll be the one screaming “Hell no, we won’t go!” because I may be the last of a generation to remember a time without war.
Children gathering potatoes on a large farm, vicinity of Caribou, Aroostook County, Me. Schools do not open until the potatoes are harvested. (Personally, I think a post is better with a photo. That said, I have no idea what this has to do with my post, but strangely it appeared in the suggeested photos list. Go figure.) Photo credit: The Library of Congress
I had the thought a couple of days ago that what makes me feel my age more than I think others do is that I didn’t have children. I never shared those milestones of a child’s life that make you think, “wow, they are getting older … and so am I.”
I don’t think I was aware of my aging self until about four or five years ago when it seems that suddenly everything just seemed to break down. A knee injury, a foot injury, crinkles at the corners of my eyes, and yes, this is gross, chin hairs. Continue reading “Spinning out into a bigger world”→
Let’s face it. I’m getting older. I’ve got some gray hair, some “crinkles” and some extra weight. My knees bother me some. I’m given to fits of nostalgia. (And, hissies, but that’s for another post.)
I’m listening to some ’60s music and just heard “Hey Jude” by the Beatles. A great song which got me to wondering about it.
Paul with Julian on Magical Mystery Tour set.
It’s widely believed to have been written by Paul McCartney to comfort Julian Lennon, the son of then-divorcing parents, John and Cynthia Lennon. But some critics believe that Paul wrote it about John, saying Jude is short for Judas, the traitor, and that Paul was referring to the end of their long partnership, and maybe, friendship, as well as John’s relationship with Yoko Ono. (The Beatles did split, just a couple of years later in 1970.) It sounds a lot more like the latter me, written with lyrics far too old for a five-year-old. Still, even Julian (who claims to have been closer to Paul than his own dad) wrote “It’s very strange to think that someone has written a song about you. It still touches me.” A strange, sad story, no matter how you look at it.
Just so you know, “Hey Jude” was released as a single in summer 1968 and spent 19 weeks on the American charts, nine of them at #1. It set records — the longest time a Beatles tune spent at the #1 spot, the longest single to ever top the charts, and commercially. It was #1 in at least 12 countries. By the end of 1968 it had sold more than 5 million copies.
Which is all a long-about way to say, I’m amazed that “Hey Jude” is not listed among the top ten hits of the ’60s! The Beatles didn’t even make the top ten!!??
1
Good Vibrations
Beach Boys
2
When A Man Loves A Woman
Percy Sledge
3
Reach Out, I’ll Be There
Four Tops
4
Gimme Some Lovin’
Spencer Davis Group
5
Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
Temptations
6
Eight Miles High
Byrds
7
For What It’s Worth
Buffalo Springfield
8
Paint It Black
Rolling Stones
9
You Keep Me Hangin’ On
Supremes
10
Wild Thing
Troggs
I know all those songs, remember them well. But more popular than “Hey Jude?” *shrug* Go figure.
This is not the best version available I’m sure (a live performance on the David Frost show in 1968) but it’s a great snapshot of the ’60s! Check out the hairstyles, clothes and the eyelashes on that one girl with the sky-high blond hair near the beginning. OMG. I AM old!!
What was tops in music when you graduated from high school? Check out Digital Dream Door to find your list. Just scroll to the bottom of the home page and look for Top 100 songs by year. Then let us know what the top songs were in the year you graduated from high school. Aw, come on. Everyone gets older. Every single year. Happens to the best of us.
I admire older women. I like the look of older women — wrinkles, eye crinkles, gray hair and all. Older people have a depth that shows in their faces and left untouched it’s beautiful. It’s something you can’t fathom when you’re younger, slathering on the latest age-defying cream and vowing never to look that old.
Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith. Source: Helayne Seidman For The Washington Post.
Sorry to disappoint you but this is not about some sexually transmitted disease. It’s about words people make up. Carry on.
My husband and his life-long friend, Doug, still speak some bizarre language that they started creating when they were five and met in kindergarten. The most peculiar words I’ve ever heard from them are “syphilis jister,” which in their language means TV Guide. Who knows? It’s not worth asking because they’d have no idea when, why or how they came up with it.
Could/would someone please explain (clearly, in big letters and simple words) the difference between tags and categories?
And, in the process, please don’t refer me to anything already written on the web (especially here at WordPress). I’ve read all of it. ALL of it. I still don’t get it.
It should be easy to grasp, shouldn’t it? I speak, write and read English, just not tags and categories. Maybe if it was in Italian I could use my translator and finally get the picture.
And, speaking of pictures, they work well for me, too.
THANK YOU from the bottom of my decrepit old soul.
I spend a good deal of time daily at WordPress, at least most days. (One of the joys of having lots of time to spend.) During that time I blog a bit, tinker and finesse different features on my blog, reply to comments and read the blogs of new followers, check out Freshly Pressed, read posts in the topics that interest me, and read the posts of bloggers that I follow–I love that part. In fact, I love the whole basket full of goodies.
In the past few days I’ve found several new blogs that I like but only by the sheer luck of a new reader having liked, commented on, or followed my blog. It occurs to me that I’m missing something here. Continue reading “New blogs and old passions”→
I love the fall. The weather is cool and crisp, skies are gay and cloudy and the colors are incredible. I also feel a bit melancholy when fall rolls around. The time changes and there’s a seemingly slower pace. I write a “novel” in 30 days, kick leaves when I walk and enjoy the freshness of the air. I always reread The Great Gatsby at this time of year, too, and that’s part of the melancholy. It’s such a sweet, simple story and it’s so sad.
In other words 