Monday, January 25

HOLY COW! I’m seventy-five!

I know, I know—it’s inevitable if you don’t die early. In fact, I personally know several people who have achieved this ancient-ness. But when it actually happens, well it’s kinda surprising.

I have always been young. Been that way ever since I was a baby. Bio testing of my body shows that I am at least 15 years younger than I am
supposed to be. But even that is  retirement age. So why am I still vigorous enough to use a chainsaw, then stack the wood, then unstack it when it’s dry and split it to smithereens with an axe-like splitter? Or dig maybe 50 feet (15 meters) of ditch to divert rainwater off the dirt road. Took a whole hour. Without breaking a sweat, by the way.

There are advantages to aging. Medicare pays for my seeing a naturopath doctor on a regular basis to try and get a handle on the occasional mini-seizures I keep having. Nothing serious, but very annoying. I lose a whole 30 seconds out of my day whenever they happen. Oh wait—yesterday I got a letter saying that Medicare no longer applies; I will now have to pay $120 per visit. Oh, well. So much for Medicare.

My formerly staggering IQ seems to be diminishing. The fact that I
blew away the Stanford-Binet record in my high school, got the highest score ever (100%) on the Armed Forces Qualification Test when I joined the Navy (only one other person did that), nearly aced the SAT when I started college (which I didn’t complete, by the way), and got the only perfect score ever on the test given to everyone who applies for a job at any American Association of Advertising Agencies member—need I go on? I used to be one smart dude and it kinda hurts to have all that slipping away.

Oh by the way—just a few years ago I found out that when I was nineteen years old and one of two guys who hosted a Saturday night TV show on Channel 47 in Fresno, it was the highest-rated locally-produced show in Central California. I didn't know this at the time because if the boss had told me, I might have asked to be paid extra for it (I started working at the station in the production department when I was seventeen and starting college). My partner on the show was 22 years old and got paid a bottle of Jack Daniels bourbon before each show, which he sampled liberally, being susceptible to stage fright. Things were different in 1960 as you can see.

Oh well. As long as I remember to brush my teeth before going to bed I’ll probably be just fine. Oh wait—I just had a tooth removed (#9, the big one right up there in front) because it just flat died. It broke off at the gum line while being extracted, so surgery was required to dig out the root. Right now there are still a couple of stitches sticking out of my gum; the other three or so broke off yesterday and this morning (they’re organic and self-removing). Medicare didn't cover that, either.

I haven’t been regular in keeping the blog going, mainly because when I think of a good idea to write about, I'm away from the computer. When I get to the computer, I have forgotten most of what I wanted to say. It’s annoying because sometimes I come up with very good ideas to write about. Maybe I should carry a notepad. But I’d probably forget to have a pencil with me. Or keep it sharp even if I did.

Oh well. Happy birthday to me anyway.

6 comments:

Susan Hurley-Luke said...

Happy birthday! I hope your day includes no more broken teeth or other medical episodes. Enjoy splitting wood and digging ditches in peace, I say, on your birthday.

Maybe in your 'spare' time you could upload old episodes of your TV days on Youtube. I wrote this down so you will remember.

Pete S. said...

Tom, you are an amazing guy and I want to be like you when I grow up! I knew you were smart, but I didn't realize to what degree. Happy birthday!

To capture blog ideas while on the go, you could dictate into one of those pocket-sized digital voice recorders.

Pete S. said...

This article explains why you are healthy and chopping wood:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3418894

Lee The Voice said...

I know how you feel, Tom. Turned 75 last May, and am having the whole bunch of upper teeth removed, and getting Dentures. I still refer to them as false teeth. Hope your birthday was happy.

avis said...

We MISS YOU!!!!

Tom Hurley said...

Reply to avis:
I miss me sometimes, too. I am hoping this reply to your comment goes through and actually appears in the blog. There has been some difficulty keeping the blog going mainly because I am forgetting how to do some very simple things with the computer. One good thing since I last posted is that the seizures have gone away. I haven't had one since early February, after putting up with them for about two years. The treatment I am getting from my naturopath doctor is working!

I will think about posting more to the blog. Right now I am making frames for the 20 or so windows in the new house, and that's enough to keep my mind more than occupied. A month ago we finished making the fireplace surroundings, complete with glass tiles on the mantle that light up, thanks to IKEA's nifty strings of white LEDs. A couple of friends, on first seeing it, almost demanded that we get ahold of Sunset Magazine and tell them to feature it in an article. I'm good, but THAT good? I dunno.