Signs You Are Old

It's totally inevitable. Try as I might to evade and avoid it the reality is I am getting older.  Not you! - the reader.  You are still young and fabulous, no doubt. I speak only of myself.  And to prove my point I offer the following, overwhelming evidence.

I own an old people stock
It takes a certain mindset (associated with aging) to find yourself searching stocks by dividend yield percentages. You realize that you're about to purchase a stock where management can't think of anything better to do with their hard fought gains than to give them back to the investors.  The type of management (and company) that would have been anathema to invest in up to now.  And then, your brain clicks and it seems like a dandy idea. I'm there. 

Yep.  I bought (and retain) my first 'dividend stock'.  Purchased to get that dividend payment every quarter.  And to sit around talking to other old people about it; comparing it to their dividend stocks.

Well, put the coffee pot on; I'm ready to join the conversation.

I hear about what a crappy driver I am far too often
If it were true it would be worse. Still, listening to people that have crashed and destroyed cars (at much younger ages than I am at I might add) express concerns about my driving abilities is a disconcerting indicator that I must be getting older.  Can everyone be wrong?

I will say publicly that I do not want to be that old person whose keys are taken away far later than would have assured society a solid chance at survival. I would hope I possess the humility to accept the natural decay of my abilities with grace.  But if I'm not, please do your duty and pry them from my bony fingers.

Before that time, however, please allow me to assure you.  I always get to where I am going whether or not I drive an optimum path to get there.  And, growing up I came by a certain degree of vigilance the hard way - and have always, and continue to endeavor to avoid receiving or administering harm. So be kind to the old guy.

I own an adjustable bed frame
Further, to support the supposition that I am getting old I offer this:  I just recently purchased an adjustable bed frame.

Tell me you've never visited a parent or grandparent in the hospital and coveted one of these beauties! I readily admit I have. Today they're not just for patients - they're for pre-patients too!  And, it came with a 20 year warranty so I can enjoy the benefits of acid-reflux free bed lounging for years to come.  Restless leg syndrome?  Hah! A thing of the past!

Two out of three ain't bad
I like the dividend checks and my pre-patient bed status; although I could live without the driving critics. Or, to summarize using the words of the 1977 classic Meatloaf ballad - "Two out of three ain't bad".

Which brings me to my final point.  When you summarize your life using 1970's music lyrics... you might be old.

Timeline

We all measure time in different ways.  Some measure it minute-by-minute as they anxiously try to get a tired child to sleep at night or wait for the arrival of a loved one after a period of separation.  Some measure time hour-by-hour - as they slog through another day at work; just hanging on till quitting time.  Some measure it month-by-month as they plan and count down to that special day they have longed for their whole lives.

I realized this morning that one way I measure time is season-by-season.  The coffee mugs that adorn my office tell that story.  My timeline progresses from left to right in the picture below. 

First, was a generic red coffee mug I must have picked up at Crate and Barrel or some place like that.  The mug was purchased shortly after taking my most recent job years ago.  It features a huge capacity - which was required to keep my caffeine levels high while I chased my kids through high school and college.

The second mug is like an old friend to me.  It is a Guinness mug, purchased in Ireland while we visited Joel as he was studying abroad. It reminds me daily of Joel. When I look at that white band around the rim and the deep caramel color I can't help but smile as I recall sitting in a pub in Galway Ireland while sharing a bittersweet glass as he regaled me with stories of his adventures there. It warms my spirit to have it around.

The third mug is a visual reminder of my red-headed spitfire daughter. It is big - like her personality; a metaphor for her endless potential, and has served me well for the last few years. This mug has been the impetus for a thousand questions (e.g., 'did you go to Cal?') and provides me endless opportunities to dote on my daughter with my colleagues and customers.

And finally, this is the newest mug on my unique timeline:

I purchased this mug over the Christmas break in Ann Arbor, Michigan when I returned to my alma mater to watch a women's basketball game and hang with my future son-in-law's family. This mug is just the perfect size and its shape - jutting out at the rim - makes it feel so comfortable in my hand.

This mug represents a juxtaposition of old and new;  my past and my present. Going back to this place stirred up strong emotions for me. This was the place I worked hard to receive an education that would form the basis of my professional life. It was the place I cheered my beloved Wolverines; watching them vanquish all foes.  It was the place I proposed to my lovely wife of 30 years after an exciting win over Notre Dame.  It was the place I bought my first personal computer. It was the place Julie and I first lived as a married couple. It was the place we left to embark together on an unknown life in California. And this was the place God placed and prepared my future son-in-law so that he could meet Hannah during a summer internship at Stryker Endoscopy in San Jose, California.

Yes,  I look at that hot cup of coffee and it serves as a poignant  reminder of the hours and hours I spent working to pay my way through college - and studying to create a future for myself.  Believe me - I drank a lot of coffee to get through those lean years and sleepless nights.  Those years formed a solid base for the rest of my life.

But after I filled it this morning with piping hot coffee - it was the wisps of steam that caught my attention; dancing just above the liquid for a moment and then rising to disperse. The present is fleeting. It is like vapor - here for a moment - then escaping into the wind - never to be experienced again.  My hope is that this mug keeps me focused on that reality; grounded in the past but focused on the present.

50!!!!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful, loving and too-young-to-be-50 wife, Julie!  It seems like just yesterday I was mucking your barn with you in high school.  Can you really be 50?  We're looking forward to being with you tonight and celebrating - but there was one other birthday party we threw for Julie recently.

A couple months ago I was trying to figure out how to get some of the special people in Julie's life together to celebrate her birthday.  There were scheduling problems with the weekend before and after her birthday. Staring at the calendar I was trying to figure out what to do - when it popped out at me!  April Fool's Day was a Sunday.  I hopped on the phone and confirmed that this date, would indeed, work out and hatched a plan to surprise Julie.

Palm Sunday, April 1st started out like any other Sunday morning for Team Henderson.  We arrived at church and enjoyed a morning of worship.  But, by then, the plan was already seriously in motion.

Joel had flown in the night before as did Janice, Julie's sister. Hannah and Eric deserve tremendous credit for their courtesy late night pickup and hotel services; hiding them away until the morning.  They made it happen.

So, while we coming out of church after having enjoyed Dean's sermon,  Joel, Janice and a bunch of our other friends were preparing for their grand arrival across the street.  At the anointed time they piled into a 20 passenger stretch Hummer Limo and took the short drive across the street.

We had Julie positioned down by the street in anticipation of what would happen next.  The limo pulled into our parking lot and stopped right in front of the entrance.  I had asked Joel to wait for 30 seconds or so to add some drama to their entrance. Finally, with all eyes trying to figure out what the deal with the limo was - Joel opened the back door and emerged.  Check out Julie's reaction as she saw Joel!

She kept repeating "that's my son!"  As he walked toward her and they embraced.  The middle right picture below makes me so happy when I look at it (thank you Emily!!). Julie was overjoyed to see him pop out of that limo and give her a big hug and crown her Queen for the day.  Priceless!

Next out of the limo was Janice - another huge surprise for the birthday girl! Can you tell Julie was pretty excited to see her? That's a Happy Birthday sash Janice is putting around Julie.

Well, then the floodgates opened and the rest of the crew hidden in the limo poured out to greet Julie, including our friends the Logans and Auntie, as well as friends from church.

After the greetings at the church, we were off for a joyous afternoon!

 I didn't take a lot of pictures.  This is one of those occasions where I wanted to step away from the camera and just be present - but here's a couple shots from Loma Prieta Winery where we ended up after lunch for a little wine tasting.  This picture is what I can the 'money shot'.  First, do you notice how Julie and Janice are wearing the exact same outfit?  Seriously?  But mostly, it was just such a pleasure that she would come all this way to celebrate with Julie.  It really made her day.

 I swear, those Rexford girls all think they are sooooo funny!  Here's Janice photo-bombing:

 It was a glorious Spring day for a celebration.  Loma Prieta Winery is positioned high in the Santa Cruz mountains and the scenery and ambiance were incredible.

Next, it was off to Julie's favorite ice-cream place - Marianne's in Santa Cruz for some cake and ice-cream.  I had such great help in organizing the day.  Many thanks go to Barbara whose amazing memory (Julie had mentioned how much she loved this style cake) and enthusiasm to order and pick up the cake to keep it a secret from Julie was so appreciated.  And, yes, to Eileen - who graciously shared her actual birthday with Julie :)

 I'd say we nailed this one - as evidenced by Joel peacefully drowsing on the ride home :)

Happy - Actual Birthday - Julie!  I'm so lucky to have you and pleased to welcome you to the over 50 crowd!  Hannah's so happy to have a 50-year-old mom - she's jumping for joy :)

Two Americas

A colleague recently sent me this.  It's written by a woman with a unique, inside perspective as it seeks to explain/expose the economic divide in this great nation.  Worth the read no matter what your political bent it.

Delayed Gratification

Waiting can be difficult if you have patience issues like I do (or at least my family tells me I do). It's hard, let's admit, to wait for something we really want.  But the wait can also be wonderfully satisfying when it's over.  Believe me.  I recently experienced such a joy.

Case in point - that annoying magnolia tree in my front yard.  Why annoying?  Two things.  First, the trunk could not be more centered over my sewer pipe from my house to the road.  It's as if the person planting the tree said 'hey, where's the sewer pipe?  let's plant this baby right on top of it so that it can mess that puppy up!".  Secondly, magnolia trees drop their big, stiff leaves year round.  Ugh.  It's like planting work.

I've been trying for the last few years to get Julie to agree to let me take this sucker down.  This year she finally relented.  So, the weekend before dump week I called a friend with a chainsaw and scheduled its demise.

I had a third of the tree cut down before my friend arrived - simply using a hand-held tree saw.  Like I said - I have patience issues and he was 30 minutes late arriving;  I wasn't gonna just stand around and wait! When the big guns showed up - we made short work of it.

It took less than half an hour to (carefully) put an end to my never ended days of cleaning up magnolia leaves.  A blessed half hour that was :)

And, it being dump week (a time when Santa Clara will come and pick up pretty much anything you put at your curb!) all we had to do was cut it into smaller pieces and stack it at our curb! (that took 2 hours!)

Ahhhh... and just as a reminder.. while I waited to schedule the stump grinding... I did a little decorating.

Entitlement

Perused an interesting article today by scientists at Berkeley. The article is entitled Are Rich People Unethical?

In the article the primary conclusion is: large sums of money may give people greater feelings of entitlement, causing those people to be the most averse to wealth distribution.   

Did you catch that?  When people earn lot of money they feel 'entitled' to it.  Of course, they ARE entitled to it.  Entitlement, by definition, means 'a guarantee of access to benefits based on established rights and law'.  Of course they should have access to their bank accounts and investment accounts.  Unless you think someone else should?

I probably paid for that study.  Ugh. 

Having 'discovering' this shocking finding (high earners have feelings of entitlement) - they then articulate the following, twisted logic:

• some earners earn more than others
• people that earn more feel entitled (the law affords them the benefit) to keep more
• therefore, high earners are adverse to having their wealth redistributed
• therefore, high earners are greedy (greed: intense desire to accumulate and keep for one's self)
• therefore, high earners support social inequality (social inequality: people are in different social classes)
• therefore, high earners are unethical (unethical: lacking morality, guilty of wrong behavior)
• therefore, something must be done about this

Do you see how they slide so effortlessly from measuring people's subjective feelings, to making assumptions about what they think and believe, to judging their motives and behavior? 

Wouldn't it be simply have been easier to hand out the following survey:

Are you a (choose one):
     
      Capitalist:    _________
      Communist: _________

The scientists summarized as follows:  "We hope to further study how we can curb these patterns."  Wow... save us all some money:  it's easy: pick one:  Socialism, Communism or Totalitarianism.  
 
Oddly - the researchers acknowledged some 'other findings' that tended to contradict their findings. 

• people in poor communities commit violent crimes to acquire money- meaning they too demonstrate a high sense of entitlement (to other people's money)
• 50% of wage earners do not contribute any federal income taxes yet feel strongly entitled to all sorts of benefits (provided by other people's money)

So - in summary:  high earners feel entitled;  low earners feel entitled;  non-earners feel entitled.  We needed to pay researchers at Berkeley to figure that out?

I probably paid for that study. Ugh.

Summit Peak Half Marathon

Hannah and Eric run during the week at work and are generally in pretty good shape.  So, it wasn't a complete surprise earlier in the year when they set a goal of participating in a half marathon before the end of 2011.  So, as the year waned Hannah looked around for a nearby half marathon to participate in.  Having stumbled upon the Summit Peak Half Marathon in nearby Saratoga, she checked out the website and saw a bunch of smiling, happy participants; just what she was looking for.  They seemed happy.. so she signed up and then got Eric to come along with her.

On December 10th Hannah and Eric were off to the Summit Peak Half Marathon.  Julie and I were invited along as their support staff providing such important services as a ride to the race location, photography, in-race cheering and post race buffet.  We were honored to have the chance to participate.

The course map is shown below.


Now, right off the bat, there are some subtle clues that this might not be your normal, relatively flat, half-marathon.  For instance, the name of the race includes the words 'Summit' - which is not a word associated with low elevations.  Also, the word 'Peak' is used.  Another word not generally used together with the terms 'flat', 'level' or 'easy'.  A third clue might have been when you looked at the map and noticed elevation rings.  Many elevation rings.   Oh, at the race course is located in the Santa Cruz MOUNTAINS.

As we climbed up road to Sanborn County Park I think it started to dawn on the kids that this wasn't going to be a simple run in the park.  The windy, uphill road snaked through the redwoods until we reached our location.

Undaunted, the kids checked in and got their race numbers and prepared to get going.

As I was checking with the race staff to determine where we could go to cheer for Hannah and Eric it became obvious this was a unique course.  The race was run entirely on wilderness trails and there was only 1 place (at the half-way turnaround) where observers could park to encourage their racers.  At that point Julie and I decided to split up.  She would go to the turnaround in the car and I would take off (since it was more than 30 minutes to race start) on foot and go find a place along the course where I could take photographs.   So, armed with my camera I was off through the start and walking.

Immediately, I started to get concerned for the kids.  You see, after the first 100 yards or so the course starts a continuous upward track - relatively steep in many places.  As it turns out - this little chart - which Eric found after the fact - might have been very helpful as they were evaluating which race to enter ;)

As you can see - the course is a significant uphill for the entire first 4 miles.  Then, the course meanders up and down for the next couple miles - reversing the pattern on the return (it's a back and forth course).  In all there is over 1/2 mile of elevation change during the race!

I was able to cover the first 2.5 miles or so before finding a spot where I could get good pictures (and a good workout myself).  I worried as I waited for our racers to come by.

Fortunately, as I spied them down the hill on a switchback (note the narrow trail they were running on) they were in excellent spirits!  Note: the pictures are dark because it was early in the morning and in the middle of a forest.

As they came up the hill and ran by me they looked like they were doing very well!  I cheered them on and then they were off - continually gaining altitude!

Well, it was going to be awhile before I saw them again (they had to SUMMIT and then come back down) - so I moved my location down to about 1.25 miles from the finish (around mile 12).  I remember running a long, tough race and it was an incredible encouragement to me to have my family and friends there to cheer me on.  And there were so many random people along the course that would cheer for all the participants.  So, this was my opportunity to give something back.  Knowing I was one of the few non-racers on the course - I really got into encouraging every racer as they ran by.  It was an easy thing to do because having walked just a portion of the course I was incredibly impressed with anyone that would finish this race.

It was an inspirational moment to finally spot Hannah and Eric coming towards me.  They may not have noticed, but it really got me all choked up.   So - I snapped away with the camera and cheered for them!  Only a mile or so more to go... and it's all down hill!!  I knew they would be fine.  Don't they look great?!

In a flash they were by me and approaching the aid station.  A few gummy bears and a last drink of water and they were off - racing towards the finish and the achievement of a difficult goal.

As I started my own trek down to meet them at the finish I had a chance to reflect on their achievement.  I was absolutely certain they had no idea just how difficult this race would be.  I would guess they are both capable of running the distance on a relatively flat course in a couple hours or so - give or take.  This race would take them over 3 hours.  And yet, they kept their composure and seemed to actually thrive on the difficulty.  Also, they stayed together throughout.  That is an admirable trait - to come alongside your friend and provide mutual encouragement to achieve a difficult goal.  I was filled with pride as I returned to the start to see them reveling in their accomplishment.

Way to go Hannah and Eric!  You should be very proud of yourselves.

Can't wait to go to your next race!

Sad but oddly interesting

Julie was reading our local obituaries for some reason this morning and stumbled onto this.  I've changed some of the names and facts to protect identities.  However, this is so tragically sad and interesting I had to share it:

My dear mother,  Margaret Walters, died on Dec 2, 2011 after a lengthy and involuntary confinement at El Camino Hospital at the age of 89.  Mom was born the daughter of ....and graduated at the top of her class at Wellington High School in Illinois.  She was very proud of her hometown, returning for over 50 years to her high school reunions.

My mother was an extremely intelligent woman and wanted desperately to go on to college immediately after graduation, her grandfather offering to pay her expenses at University of Illinois, to which she had been accepted.

Her father disallowed that, stating that 'girls only get married'.  Her older brother,  Eli, went in her stead.  Eli flunked out after one semester.  My dear mother, over the objections, constant interference, and sabotage by my father, John Walters, finally earned her Bachelor of Arts degree on December 23, 1994 at the age of 72 and her Masters of Arts in Sociology at the age of 76, both from San Jose State University.

FIND THE FACT game

I just read the transcript by Nancy Pelosi this morning and decided to play my favorite game "FIND THE FACT" after reading it.  Wanna play along?  Ok.  Here we go.

Here's a Transcript of her remarks:

“Christmas is 10 days away,” said Pelosi at a press briefing on Capitol Hill today. “The president and Democrats in Congress have been very clear. We're not going home without enacting a payroll tax cut for America's working families and extending unemployment insurance for millions of Americans.”

“The payroll tax cut that the president proposed would put $1,500 in the pockets of 160 million Americans,” she said. “The unemployment insurance extension is not only good for individuals. It has a macroeconomic impact. As macroeconomic advisers have stated, it would make a difference of 600,000 jobs to our economy.”

Let's Play!!

ROUND 1:  Is the fact there are 160 million Americans working?

Oh... sorry.  No.  There are only 140 Million people employed in the US... not 160 Million.

ROUND 2:  Is the fact The payroll tax cut that the president proposed would put $1,500 in the pockets of 160 million Americans?

Oh... sorry.  No.  Aside from there not being 160M Americans in the workforce.. for the 2% payroll tax to put $1,500 in the pocket of anyone they would need to make $75,000 per year ($75,000*2% = $1,500).  

Oops.. but 88.5% of workers in the US don't make $75,000.  in fact, the average worker makes slightly more than $24,000.  In reality, only about 17.5 Million workers would get $1,500. Meaning:  88.5% of working Americans would get less than $1,500.

ROUND 3:  Is the fact:  As macroeconomic advisers have stated, it would make a difference of 600,000 jobs to our economy?

Oh... sorry.  No.  Besides.. she never really said it would ADD or SUBTRACT jobs in our economy.  She simply said it would 'make a difference' to some jobs in our economy.  No, this is political-speak - and as such cannot be considered a fact.


ROUND 4:  Is the fact:  Christmas is 10 days away?

Ahhhhhhh... yes.  There we found it.  Nancy Pelosi did get one fact right in her statement!  Well done!! 

Kindle Touch Review

I'm a relatively voracious reader. Years ago, I started walking.  A lot.  To do the amount of walking I do a day takes some time. Soon thereafter I learned that I could combine my love of reading with walking and kill two birds with one stone. It's something I love to do.  My colleagues at work can confirm this as I am known there as 'that guy that walks everyday at lunchtime reading a book'.

I haven't owned or spent much time with Kindles - so I don't bring any particular experience that allows me to compare the Kindle Touch to previous Kindle versions.  However, I do own an iPad and have spent hours and hours reading on that - through the iBooks e-reader as well as a Kindle App.

My two-word review of the Kindle Touch:  Buy One!!

There's only a few technical things you need to know about a Kindle.  First, they use a display technology called e-ink that creates very sharp text on a non-reflective display.  There are two huge advantages to this technology:  it's amazingly easy to read in bright sunlight and it doesn't strain your eyes like reading from a computer monitor type display will.  That means... if you read a lot... or love reading outside - buy a Kindle Touch*. 

Second,  it's ridiculously light. I weighed a couple paperback books on a kitchen scale one day at Target.  Very scientific, I know.  I found that a book on the thinner side weighed 7-8 ounces while a book on the fatter side weighed between 9-10 ounces.  Obviously, hard cover books weigh more.  The Kindle Touch weighs around 7.5 oz.  It's lighter than most books.  That means you can carry it around in one hand for long periods of time with no fatigue.  Sweet!!  By comparison - the iPad weighs around 1.5 lbs (the iPad2 is around 1.3).  It's not hard for such a manly-man as myself to carry - but it's definitely a two-handed proposition.

Thirdly, it's a well-integrated system.  That sounds complex.. but all I mean is that the entire process of acquiring, physically getting the book onto the Kindle Touch and reading it once it's on there is really well thought out.  For instance, you can buy a book on Amazon.com and it will pretty much like magic show up on your Kindle**.  This process takes less time than going to the library and standing in line to check a book out.

Oh, and if you're the type that likes to beat decisions into the ground... you could agonize over the Kindle vs. Nook... or Kindle Keyboard vs Kindle Touch questions.  My suggestion:  don't bother.  Buy the Kindle Touch.  Why?  Simple.. it is the winner.  Remember VHS vs Beta?  Remember Laser Disks vs Blue Ray?  Remember Facebook vs MySpace?  Remember keyboards on phones before touch displays?  Save yourself the time... Kindle wins.  That is all.

Note:  For reading in the dark or indoors - or technical books or PDFs.. keep the iPad!!

* You may be aware of the Kindle Fire.  This e-reader has a display that is similar to a computer screen or an iPad screen.  This type screen can produce beautiful images and text.. but you'll strain to read them outdoors.

** This comment assumes you set your Kindle up to be part of a wireless network.