I think I must live here.

Decades ago, a friend of mine who cut my hair told me I was losing my hair - at the whorl - or crown of the head.  He said it was thinning.  "No it's not" I told him.  "You are going bald and you think everybody else is too."  Then he showed me in the mirror.  "That doesn't mean I'll be bald!"  Over the years, he informed me of additional hair loss - so I never ever looked at the crown of my head again.

I never permit photos of myself.  So I think I still look like I did in my twenties, until I catch a glimpse in the mirror.  Which is why I may have to cover all my mirrors as people do at Shiva.

Anyway.

Talk of a de-facto schism.  I'm against it.

BTW - I still have hair on the top of my head.  It is not gray, but sandy blond.  I put on a little weight, but I'm so not fat.  I'm as old as I feel think I am - although now instead of thinking in my head I'm in my twenties - I think it's more very early thirties.

I tell people I'm in my seventies and they are always so amazed at how young I look.

For someone who always believed he was ugly - my mom liked to tell us that to save us from vanity I guess - I certainly got by on my looks .... now that I'm old, I have nothing.  Oh wait - I'm not old.

Sitting Shiva.