What I remember, at my advanced actual age, which tracks precisely with your 'average current American age of death' (birthdate:10/04/1944-late war baby), is, if my memory serves, Suzanne Somers flirting, at the red light, with Richard Dreyfuss, in the goofy gang's back seat, from her cool racy t-bird in the next lane: *American Graffiti*(1963).
Now I'm trying to figure out which guitar riff is the one Will refers to here as chucka-chucka-chucka. Cannonball has lots of different guitar sounds going on, some electric, some acoustic, some bass. Pretty great song.
well - I SHOULD write this in a letter, but am afraid that by the time I get to pen/paper I'll FORGET what I want to say which is: " I will only notice it, absorb the impact of it, when someone else my age dies. It’ll be when someone, like, I dunno, Drew Barrymore (who is eight months older than me) dies" - Thing is... as you get older, MORE & MORE people "my age" and even YOUNGER, die & you read about them every day - then come the "tributes & remembrances" & - well... It can be exhausting. Roger Angell said (paraphrasing here..) - it's not that YOU feel "your old age" but when all your "friends/acquaintances" start dying/are dead, it gets awfully lonely & THAT'S one of the real issues dealing with 'aging" even when "healthy".
In my family, my dad died at 77 and my mom at 83. Three of my siblings died at 61, 69, and 75. I fear that my sister and I won't survive to the age of our parents, despite my doing all I can to be healthy. Cancer sucks.
And did I miss it or did you not mention who won the Spend A Day With Will contest for the book?
This one didn't cheer me up . It is because I am old. Really old. I have to get up and keep moving. That is how I will get a little older. Also what baseball books said.
I’m 42 and come from a long line of people with youthful auras and one of the weirdest parts is having people insist I’m not actually my age. Like they expect someone my age to have a walker or not know how to use a cell phone. People always expect it to be a compliment but it’s mostly weird. Aging is so fucking weird!
What I remember, at my advanced actual age, which tracks precisely with your 'average current American age of death' (birthdate:10/04/1944-late war baby), is, if my memory serves, Suzanne Somers flirting, at the red light, with Richard Dreyfuss, in the goofy gang's back seat, from her cool racy t-bird in the next lane: *American Graffiti*(1963).
Now I'm trying to figure out which guitar riff is the one Will refers to here as chucka-chucka-chucka. Cannonball has lots of different guitar sounds going on, some electric, some acoustic, some bass. Pretty great song.
Nate killed it.
well - I SHOULD write this in a letter, but am afraid that by the time I get to pen/paper I'll FORGET what I want to say which is: " I will only notice it, absorb the impact of it, when someone else my age dies. It’ll be when someone, like, I dunno, Drew Barrymore (who is eight months older than me) dies" - Thing is... as you get older, MORE & MORE people "my age" and even YOUNGER, die & you read about them every day - then come the "tributes & remembrances" & - well... It can be exhausting. Roger Angell said (paraphrasing here..) - it's not that YOU feel "your old age" but when all your "friends/acquaintances" start dying/are dead, it gets awfully lonely & THAT'S one of the real issues dealing with 'aging" even when "healthy".
yeah, I think of that Angell essay ALL the time. It's honestly difficult not to quote it every week.
YOU think of it all the time - wait until you're 70 !!!!
got alot of comments on that note - you must have many elderly fans... 😁- keep up the good work !!
Will! Now I feel like I’m knock- knock-knockin’ on heaven’s door....
In my family, my dad died at 77 and my mom at 83. Three of my siblings died at 61, 69, and 75. I fear that my sister and I won't survive to the age of our parents, despite my doing all I can to be healthy. Cancer sucks.
And did I miss it or did you not mention who won the Spend A Day With Will contest for the book?
Those were where we had the book events, in Lincoln and Missoula!
This one didn't cheer me up . It is because I am old. Really old. I have to get up and keep moving. That is how I will get a little older. Also what baseball books said.
My good friend Jared Paventi writes an exceptional Substack about death. You can find it here, and subscribe if you like what you see: https://jaredpaventi.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile
I’m 42 and come from a long line of people with youthful auras and one of the weirdest parts is having people insist I’m not actually my age. Like they expect someone my age to have a walker or not know how to use a cell phone. People always expect it to be a compliment but it’s mostly weird. Aging is so fucking weird!
Tell me about it! [drinks]