Senescence

I am not a spring chicken anymore, but I still can match wits with anybody, regardless of age.
The aging process might affect your physical capabilities but it should not prevent you from remaining intellectually active.

As an aging bloke, nothing annoys me more than the sight of shuffling, slow-witted old geezers.
Some, due to infirmities cannot help it of course, but to me it is a question of mind over matter.

It should not take (regardless of age) five minutes to find something in your wallet, or another five minutes to laboriously write a check (arghh) at the supermarket.

When you are aging, you should not let technology pass you by either.
If you do, it is an admission of early decline.
It is when you let your grandchild shows you how things work that you abdicate your role of a respected adult.
My old friend Jack Rosenstein learned how to use a computer when he was well into his eighties, and I admired him for it.
It is imperative to get your little grey cells off the couch and submit them to a daily regimen of mental gymnastic to keep them from getting fat and lazy.

In my book, you should never let a whippersnapper get the upper hand either.
Don’t let a kid know that he is better informed than you are.
If you don’t know the answer to some question, stonewall or lie with confidence, but don’t lose face.
No matter what the circumstances, keep a stiff upper lip and a zipped up fly.
They work hand in hand.

Whenever you can, pull a Jack Palance stunt.
On Oscar night, on March 30, 1992, Jack Palance (aged 73) showed his much younger co-star (Billy Crystal) who was the boss.
Upon receiving his Oscar for best supporting actor and addressing the crowd, he said, “I crap bigger than him”.
And to prove his point, he started to do pushups, and one-armed pushups to boot.
That’s my kind of old dude.

Whenever challenged by a younger know-it-all, dare him to do pushups (physical or mental) and be sure to tell him/her regardless of the results: “I crap bigger than you”.

In my own backyard (Marin County), the best example of my convictions is Hagop (Jacques) Sarafian.
At close to 91, he is as sharp as a tack and still shooting unbelievable “carreaux”.
He is a shining example of what we should all be striving to achieve.

Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian (better known as Charles Aznavour) is of the same mold.
At 89 he is still touring and singing.

What’s the secret of these Armenian dudes anyway?
Yogurt? Dzhash?
I’d like to know.

La Foudre