I keep forgetting ...

I love that song (here) ...

But this is different.  I keep forgetting I'm getting old.  I still think I'm in my 20's or early 30's.  I keep thinking I really do look like Ben Hill, the model I use for my avatar.  And I really do keep forgetting I don't.  I got my hair cut yesterday and accused the stylist of making me look as if my hairline is receding and he made my face look fat.  I said he was a vicious, vindictive ... person.

Earlier in the week, I took a friend in to the Dr. again and was chatting with the office people and I kept forgetting names of musicians and songs.  We were talking about Alan Cummings being in town and a number he does in his act singing the same exact song sung by different artists: Katy Perry, Gaga, and Adele.  (Naturally, I forget the name of the song.)  So I chimed in how I noticed many pop songs - even standards, have similar melodies at times - in the medley lead up to the song or in the body of the piece.  Then I went to give examples and couldn't recall the titles or the artists of the songs.  In my frustration I called Pharrell Williams 'Pharaoh or something...' and then I couldn't recall Robin Thicke's name, or the Marvin Gaye song he ripped off.  I kept saying, "Gotta give it up" but then said 'that's not it', although it really was ... Then, trying to recall Thicke's dad's name, citing him as an actor from a show way back when, I couldn't remember the name of the show, and mistook him for an actor on "Knot's Landing" but his show was really "Growing Pains" and, and ...  Well, it was ghastly...

All the while, the office people just smiled and nodded their encouragement, their eyebrows lifted in anticipation for me to remember what I was even talking about and then, and then, another patient came in and the phones needed answering and "Oh my God, look at the time."

 

Well, it was ghastly. 

Well, it was just ghastly.

Three ages of man: Youth, middle age and shut-up and die.

Three stages of altar servers:

Altar geezer, Altar guy, Altar boy.*

 

You've heard the terms, Aging hippies, biological solution, save the boomers-save the world.  Age discrimination thrives amongst Catholics, just as much as it does in other sectors of culture.  It may explain why Pope Francis keeps reminding contemporary young people that "dialogue between generations is a treasure to be preserved and strengthened,"

A friend sent me an interesting study "by Princeton researchers aimed at measuring age discrimination, one of the toughest forms of workplace bias to prove."

The subjects of the experiment — 137 Princeton undergraduates — were shown a video of a man who would be their partner in a trivia contest. His name was Max, he was white, neither handsome nor ugly, wore a checked shirt and said he was from Hamilton, N.J.  

What the students did not know was that there were actually three different versions of Max, being played by different actors, 25, 45 and 75 years old.

Each Max adhered to the same script with one exception. When describing himself, half of the time the Max character said he was the kind of person to share his wealth with relatives (the compliant Max); and the other half of the time, Max said he felt no obligation to share (the assertive Max).

The students were then asked their opinion of Max. For those who saw the 25- or 45-year-old Max, it made no difference whether he was compliant or assertive. But students who saw the 75-year-old actor gave the assertive Max a high negative rating. - Read the rest here.

I don't want to reprint the entire NYT piece, much less overestimate it, but it really ties in with my observations of how some of the more 'early to middle-aged' amongst Catholic bloggers and cultural critics like to hone in on aging hippies and the boomers, as if their demise will solve all of their problems.  (Although they will defensively correct you and claim that it is not ageism.)  Some of the more vocal critics always strike me as resentful because they haven't the so-called entitlements they believe their seniors have benefitted from, or because they felt themselves to be easily dismissed, ignored or held down.  (Some probably were.) 

It strikes me as odd however, since one would be hard pressed to find such whining from young (or old) immigrants coming into this country, or converts coming into the Church.

Of course, the middle-aged whiners are getting old now too... and they may be expecting your donations to support their inestimable contribution to the New Evangelization in and through their online presence - because they are entitled.

H/T PML

Don't you worry Father!

He doesn't know what he's talking about,

writing a blog is a lot of work,

and the Bible says the worker deserves his wage.

*h/t NS

Japanese Minister to Elderly: "Hurry up and die"

Elderly Japanese woman passing shrine.

Sound familiar?

Kind of like the people who can't wait for the baby-boomers to die off, and those who applaud the biological solution in effecting change in the Church.

Nevertheless, the more recent "hurry up and die" PSA was made by a different biological-solution Aso, this one is from Japan.

Japan's new government is barely a month old, and already one of its most senior members has insulted tens of millions of voters by suggesting that the elderly are an unnecessary drain on the country's finances.

Taro Aso, the finance minister, said on Monday that the elderly should be allowed to "hurry up and die" to relieve pressure on the state to pay for their medical care.

"Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die. I would wake up feeling increasingly bad knowing that [treatment] was all being paid for by the government," he said during a meeting of the national council on social security reforms. "The problem won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die." - Source

 

 Those who can't wait for other people to die off will simply have to wait their turn.

Mass Chat: Back to the 80's.

"Style - all who have it share one thing: originality"

 

My parish is having their Fall Festival this weekend so instead of going through the clown Mass, I went to the octogenarian Mass at a church not far from me.  Mass starts at 4:30 and lets out in time to get to the Old Country Buffet for the senior specials.* 

Seriously, the church was packed with seniors and most looked to be in their 80's.  Nothing wrong with that, although I kept think of the lovely Catholic people online who can't wait for them and their baby boomer kids to drop dead. 

But yeah.  The church was filled with old people.  I was going to say old people are weird, but all people are weird - with some of us, it just becomes more apparent as we age.  I noticed this one woman I thought could have been the late, great Diana Vreeland - very fashionista looking - but somehow kind of scary.  She was dressed like someone much younger, and had a much younger hair style, but her face was kind of Vreeland looking.

Please don't be offended if you are sensitive about age.  I've been in a strange mood since I had to euthanize my cat a few days ago - so I'm thinking of ageing and death, and death.  In fact I can't stop thinking about death.  Dying.  Don't use euthanasia for yourself or any one else.  It's very unsettling.  Death is so irreversible.   Ageing is too.  But I digress.

Interestingly, two Dominican nuns/sisters were across the aisle from me - I only knew they were religious women because one of the bulletin-hander-outers said, "Bulletins for the nuns", as she handed them a bulletin.  Then the man behind them perked up and began a conversation with one of them, I tried not to listen, but I got just about everything except their phone number.  Amazing the chatter that goes on before Mass in that church.  Nope, I'm not complaining - it did not prevent me from praying my rosary - it all becomes white noise if you let it.  A woman passing by tried to shush her husband whispering to him "some people are trying to pray!"  He answered her, "Let 'em pray - people can still pray while other people are talking - they just don't have to listen."   Made sense to me.

Remember, you and I will be older too.... and then dead. 

*I don't really know that, I just saw it once on Seinfeld and thought I'd use it. And no - there wasn't a clown Mass I was avoiding, just no parking near the church because of the all the rides and consessions.

So anyway, a priest and a Samaritan ran into one another on their way to...

Sometimes I get a little tired of being nice and making excuses for these people.
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So here's the latest deal at my parish.  Remember a couple of weeks ago they slammed the door in the face of a neighbor woman who was looking for some assistance with the death of her mother, and when she left, she actually looked back to make sure there was still a cross above the church?  Yeah - well it really did go like that, but then later, I had to wonder if maybe both parties were at fault - kids from abusive households always make excuses for the abusive parents.  After the vigil Mass last evening - I have come to believe the woman's side of the story once again.
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Here's the deal.  Two weeks ago a woman collapsed during the 5PM Saturday Mass and an ambulance was called.  The lady was taken to the hospital - it all happened at the back of church and no one save a few people even noticed.  The woman is the elderly Lutheran sister of an elderly woman who happens to be Catholic, and an active participant in the parish:  she takes care of the collection, makes sure the pews are all neat and tidy for Mass, she puts out the bulletins, and welcomes people as they come in for Mass.  When she is well, her Lutheran sister helps her with all of that.
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Last evening Father asked elderly Ms. D. how her sister was doing.  Ms. D. responded,  "not too well, but at least she's up and about."  Ms. D. then revealed her sister, "wanted to come to Mass so badly"...
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Father replied something like this,  "Good to hear.  But I don't want her back here, that was the 3rd time an ambulance has been called for her - I don't want her interrupting things like that.  When the ambulance shows up the lights flash right in my eyes and distract me from my homily."
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Ms. D. didn't know what to say.  While telling me the story she choked up, "I just don't know what to tell A."  She then went on to explain how she became Catholic and always hoped her sister would some day become Catholic as well.  "This is the 2nd time Father has warned me - the last time I told A. and she said maybe she'd just stop going to church all together.  I felt so bad."
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"It's not your fault the church put glass doors on the front entrance," I told Ms. D.  "Just don't say anything to A. and if she wants to come to Mass, bring her.  Father doesn't pay for the ambulance."  (Then it occurred to me - he's worried about liability.  It's about money again.  I didn't say anything however.)
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"Thanks, I thought that same thing to myself when he told me that.  Imagine trying to keep someone her age from going to Mass."
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Last week, in the bulletin, Father put a notice for people not to give alms to beggars who pass by or come into the church - send them to the rectory.  The rectory doesn't give money either but directs these people to the appropriate agencies for help.  These agencies, as well as the rectory, are usually not open on the weekends or holidays.
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I think we can do better than this.
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