Saturday, August 14, 2010

Green Eggs and Ham turns 50

I was surprised to find out that the Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham turns 50 this year!

I remember this as being one of the first books I could read by myself. (Actually, Hop on Pop was the absolute first. It was also my dad's least favorite kids' book.) I have probably given it as a gift to tons of little kids. And because of the great rhythm and rhyme, the book has been put to song, made into a musical, read to school kids by a million celebrities, was made into a rap by a comedian and Jesse Jackson read it with a flare on Saturday Night Live.

While watching a news story about the anniversary, I learned that Dr. Seuss wrote the book as a bet. His publisher bet him he couldn't write a book using only 50 words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham and the author won the one dollar per word wager.

Only 4 Months to Go!

My husband turned 50 yesterday. Yep, his birthday is 4 months to the day before mine.

Though it was uneventful for him, I'm really not surprised. He never gets worked up about things like age or weight or gray hair...

In the meantime, his turning 50 has made it all the more real for me. I have only 4 more months to be in my 40s! I cannot believe I'm going to be 50 in such a short amount of time! ARGH!

OK, panic attack over. (I think.)

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Funeral Planning -- Already?

I recently received a mailing saying that I may qualify for the Funeral Advantage Program that assists SENIORS with their funeral expenses.

"Obviously this is a mistake," I thought, as I skimmed through the info in huge type. Alas, I was wrong! "Thousands of Ohio residents age 50-85 have been accepted so far..." the flyer read. I had to re-read that part. It actually says that people aged 50 are considered to be seniors!

Needless to say, I was appalled. I have not even reached middle age* yet! How on Earth can this company call me a senior? (To be fair here, it did not actually call ME a senior. It called people 50 and older seniors. I have lots of time until I'm 50 -- more than 4 months.)

I was so upset, I needed unbiased confirmation that 50 does not define someone as a senior. So I did what every person who has Internet access does -- I checked Wikipedia. It says:
The age which qualifies for senior citizen status varies widely. In governmental contexts it is usually associated with an age at which pensions or medical benefits for the elderly become available. In commercial contexts, where it may serve as a marketing device to attract customers, the age is often significantly lower. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senior_citizen]
Earlier in the listing it says that many dictionaries define senior as 60 and above, even though few people retire by age 60.

Whew! So, I am happily correct that I am much too young to be reading this flyer directed toward senior citizens. And I just want this company to know, when I am finally old enough to care about your service, I will NOT be contacting your company. (That will teach them!)
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*Please don't bust my bubble on this. If I plan to live to be 100 or older, I have not yet hit middle age. And I can live in denial for a long, long time.