Taibros.net

The times are changing. The US economy is in recession, the ‘08 election is in full swing, the Earth is warming, and I’m officially old. Benchmarks are often used to gauge how these changes are made: the stock market, straw polls, climate reports. For me, I gauge my age quite differently. I observe how many things I used to be able to do freely, but now can not. Old people often reminisce about what they used to be able to do, but now in their years of infirmity only can dream of. On the one hand its nostalgia, on the other, resignation to the wheels of time.

For me there are three such observations that make me feel old:

Coca Cola Consumption - Back in my prime, I would drink 5 cans of coke, per day, every day. I didn’t have to worry about diabetes, obesity, cavities. I would drink to my hearts content, and then some. As a result, my fondness for coca-cola is matched only by my aversion for eating durian. Coca-Cola can do no wrong - I even dreamed of working at a coke factory.
Nowadays, I worry about its deleterious effects on my teeth. It has wasted away a good deal of enamel, and without a dental plan, I’m treading on thin ice. While I will never regret my earlier consumption levels, I really miss being able to drink that cool, refreshing, beverage of God.

Knuckle Cracking - I started cracking knuckles when I was 6 years old. My father taught me. (I still actually remember that moment). I’ve been cracking my joints ever since. In my peak, I could crack every identifiable joint in my body, and a few more places (like my sternum, and my foot arch). I was an expert in cracking technique. But now, I’m old, and arthritis is starting to kick in. Some joints don’t crack any more, others, especially my hands, will hurt if I do crack them.

::sigh:: I’m old. But what can you do about it?

Its interesting to note that both these are things that are often contended. (Coke will rot your teeth; cracking will give you arthritis). And in my youth, I thought myself invincible to these claims. Now, old and perhaps wiser, I realize that evidence does exist for these facts.
Interestingly, this parallels closely with the controversy of global warming in the late 90s.

The moral of the story here folks is that:

Do what you can, while you can do it.
or else you’ll be that old guy that little kids point and laugh at when they walk by you on the street.

(From the title, you can guess that not only am I older, I’m also getting fatter. I’m out of time right now, but I’ll post more on this later. )