Besides my body falling apart; we will not go there; it’s been all good. I get my senior discounts riding the Muni and Bart. I can even sit in the senior section in the front of the bus, but I don’t. I’m waiting for the time when I’m really old. I also love the senior discount for the movies, grocery stores, museums, and memberships, but the best part of being a senior is going to the senior centers where I can rub elbows with all the other old farts like me. I like being at the senior centers where I’m not the oldest one in the crowd. Every other place that I go to not only am I the oldest one there, I’m the surrogate parent, the adult chaperone, the token old guy, the first one to go home.
One of my senior activities is taking watercolors. The class is connected to CCSF and is totally free. I have learned so much from two teachers. It has been so stimulating and rewarding. I can’t say that it’s always been fun, for there are many times when painting is very taxing, frustrating, and downright maddening, but I persevere and surprisingly enough, improve. Posted is a few of my paintings. I jump from subject to subject as you can see for yourself. My style also changes. I haven’t quite found myself as of yet.
My other senior class is singing at the Aquatic Park Senior Center. I just started but it’s really exciting for me. The teacher is a concert pianist and he plays for us when we sing. He is so knowledgeable and I have learned a great deal about all kinds of music. The best part is he coaches, scolds, and advises us with such charm and humor that I never feel bad that I’m not good. The songs are songs that I’ve never heard before and that’s a shame because they’re beautiful. It only shows my limitations. Some of the unknown songs are “This Is the Moment” from Jekyll and Hyde, “Come Live with Me and Be My Love”, “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves”. We also sing songs that I do know like “Unchained Melody”, “The Rose”, and “Till There Was You.” There aren’t too many men in the class. You know how it is. Us men die before the women, so I have to sing alto with the women. Doesn’t matter too much. I can ruin the alto part as well as the tenor…if I’m even singing the alto part.
Anyway, Happy Birthday Bernie. May you live long and prosper.
