mfg and aarp

I don't get it.

There I was with a bunch of women that were all within a ten year spread of being my age.

So that would be 55 to 75 years old, for those bad with numbers.

(smile) 

One of the older ones mentioned the movie "Iris" because one of the younger ones was wearing designer shades like those worn by elderly fashion maven, Iris Apfel.

"Oh, that movie was delightful!," I said, "I saw it on AARP's Movies For Grown-ups."

You could have heard a pin drop out there overlooking the marsh.

Seriously.

I spoke up right away, telling them that they didn't have to belong to AARP to watch the movies, you just needed an email to log in to their free movie site.

Still no response from the five women.

Seriously.

It was as if I'd said something taboo.

Wow.

I'd had a similar reaction on Friday at the Smiths & Kamerons Friday Fiesta.

Someone had mentioned Kobe Bryant and I spoke up about seeing a documentary about him on AARP's MFG site.

Jimmy looked interested, but everyone else just stared at me in silence.

So I went on, telling them it was about a single basketball game where he scored this massive amount of points, like, over 60.

Still, silence and stares.

Seriously.

I told them they might want to look into joining AARP, as it was less than 20 bucks a year and gave all kinds of discounts on stuff.

I might as well have been trying to sell them the Vernon River Bridge.

Back to talk of football games, then.

I don't get it.

Is AARP a bad word?

Or does belonging to that organization indicate that a person is no longer young?

In this American society that so highly praises youthful looks, perhaps admitting to being a member is an indication of age.

However, folks can join when they hit the half-century mark.

50 is certainly not "old"... right?

I don't recall feeling "old" when I was that age.

Nor was I retired at 50, but I know folks who did so from the military at that age.

Maybe it's some outdated idea that "retired" means "old" which means hanging around the house and feeling not needed.

But that certainly is not true, either.

Almost everyone I know who is retired is just as busy, if not more so, than they were when they were working full-time.

Perhaps the American Association of Retired Persons needs a make-over.

Meanwhile, I'll keep talking about it.

Clearly, there are folks I know who aren't in the choir yet.

 

As for tonight, Comet TV has a trio of my favorite episodes of "The X-Files"!

First up is "Bad Blood", with Luke Wilson as a vampire sheriff in Texas - woohoo!

Then I get "Monday", with Carol Burnett's daughter watching over and over as her boyfriend blows up the same bank on the same day, with her not being able to change events.

The third is "Je Souhaite", with the French peasant who made the wrong wish centuries ago and now has to grant the wrong wishes made by others.

Very nice!

(smile!)