I've Always Had An Affinity For Old People--Now I ARE One!

     And so I guess that's what you would call being in a win-win position.  

 

     Of course I realize and admit and embrace the fact that my statement about "loving old people" is an ageist comment.  ("Why, some of my best friends...")

 

     Anyway, what I really want to point out is that I have always had a predilection for insinuating myself into the lives of people who were much older than I am and now that same group of people is much less older than I.  And here let me cling to the politically incorrect feeling of temporary relief that even if I'm old, I'm not old-old.  Yet.

 

     And if I'm being completely honest, I would be more inclined to grow old gracefully and not have any issues at all with my age--aside from the declining health and death concerns--if I didn't worry about the whole economics thing.  I need to be young enough for the right people to think I can work long enough to pay my rent, basically.

 

     But whatever.  I'm going to start spending more time at the Anchorage Senior Activities Center...and not just under the cloak of "volunteer."  I went there last weekend for their Multicultural Carnival and I enjoyed it.  Mostly. 

 

     Dig that blue guitar!  This group called themselves Country Memories and they played some very old sing-along type of country songs, but that bear cat of a sax player had some 18 karat jazz up in that horn of hers that didn't really get to come all the way out, I think. 

 

 

     Too bad I didn't get a good picture of her when she played those Bose bouncing notes and sank half-way down on her knees! (I'm not even the one who took this picture, but I sort of didn't want to mention my young friend who took it for me who went with me--not sure she wants to be outed that way.)

     I'm not sure how much convincing it took for this pink-haired funster to get that more decorous Korean elder to get up and dance with her.  I guess this is part of what comes with mixing "multicultural" with "carnival." 

     Which I'm glad they did, because I was surprised to see Korean food there.  I thought I was just going to a hokey little fund-raiser, but imagine my delight when I turned a corner and smelled bulgogi!  I'm laughing at your reaction here, because clearly that is not a Korean restaurant represented in this picture.  This same sushi provider had a lot of Korean offerings on the table.  Cream cheese stuffed-mandu, of all things! (They called it gyoza because Japanese words have been more incorporated into American English than Korean words, for the most part.  You know "tofu" but I'll bet you don't know "tubu" as well.)

     In truth, it was kind of hokey, but it was also pretty classy in its own way.  Witness this line-up!

    

     Here was the most sedate I saw this very energetic floorflusher (in the yellow jacket.)  He just wanted to dance and dance all over the place, but never found a partner.  I took a picture of him taking a picture because this is what I look like taking pictures!