Are We Really THAT Old? 03/15/25

Has it really come to this? Writing wills??? Some would say, “Oh, it can wait,” while others among us might say, “Are you crazy? You haven’t done it yet? What’re you waiting for?” If you’ve been with us this long you know our two main couples have remained married through the years. But in order to switch it up and more accurately reflect life, we also have a divorced guy who is a serial dater, Craig, as well as a guy the same age as the rest of them, Sam, who married someone many years his junior, Shellie. He met her on a beach so it’s sorta funny her name is Shellie, get it? But they had a kid, Sammy Jr., and now it’s time for them to write a will so Shellie and Sammy will be protected when the day comes that Sam is no longer with us. Or in legalese, when he predeceases her. What is it with legalese? I suppose it’s meant to be precise so you can’t possibly misinterpret it, but for many of us (at least for John and me) it seems indecipherable (see, lawyers aren’t the only ones who can come up with big words). For instance, let’s say you’re babysitting your granddaughter and she wants a third cookie, when her parents told you (and her) that she was only allowed to have two. The kid bargains for a third cookie, and I imagine I might say something like, “C’mon now, we agreed with mommy and daddy that you can have two. Time for bed.” Followed by a major pout. But if the grandkid wanted to become a lawyer, she might respond, “Grandma and Grandpa, since the size of the cookies were not specifically predetermined, you are not rigidly bound by the doctrine of stare decisis to follow that dictum and therefore departure from that decision is justified (kinda like the Supreme Court did with Roe vs Wade). It doesn’t have to be that complicated. *Thank you to a very talented lawyer, dear friend of too many years to count and faithful reader, Roberta Goodman, who helped make sure that sentence made sense.

Onto the second comic, the one where Al bursts out in song “I don’t care what they say, I won’t stay in a world without love.” This actually happened to John, when he worked in advertising, during a client meeting. And like Al, he got no response. But let John tell it:

Back in my Mad Men days (the advertising career, not the show) I was sitting in yet another boring client meeting. Everyone was discussing recent consumer research findings or the relative merits of end-aisle displays versus floor decals or some such nonsense. I wasn't really paying close attention as I was working on a rather unflattering (but painfully accurate) caricature of one of the more annoying clients. Someone in the room said something that started with "They say that..." and then some gibberish followed about market share, then another piled on with "Well, they say..." and then yet another started their sentence with "They say..." I didn't really care to find out who exactly "they" were but the repetition of the phrase struck me as funny and so I said, "I don't care what they say, I won't stay in a world without love." I expected a few chuckles, maybe a suppressed chortle or two. Possibly even an actual laugh. Instead, the response I got was more akin to the audience's response in Mel Brooks' film "The Producers" after viewing the lavish opening number in "Springtime for Hitler." I sheepishly explained myself by saying, "you know... the song." Then I attempted to sing a bar or two. Crickets. Then everyone went back to the research report and I continued finishing the caricature. A short time later I was moved off the account. Fun times.

I instantly loved his story because it also happens to be something I do all the time. And I mean all the time. Usually in my head, thank goodness. When I’m feeling lonely, Neil Diamond comes up, “I am I said, to no one there…” When someone I’m fond of pisses me off, I go to Hamilton, “I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love." I’m watching the Knicks and it’s John Fogerty “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play.” I’m actually singing this, in my head, to the television. And it doesn’t have to even be a situation. It could just be someone introduces me to their friend Eleanor, and right away it’s off to Beatle land, “Eleanor Rigby,” I cannot help it. And now you know. Yeah, “I’m just a little bit crazy.” The question is: did John realize this quirk about me when he thought up this comic? Hell no. As it happens, he was actually talking about himself!

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week, but remember, “Every time you go away from me (us), you take a piece of me (us) with you…”

Andy and John

Our Memories Aren't Quite What They Used to...wait what was I saying? 03/08/24

Sometimes we get ideas out of thin air. Mostly from experience. And occasionally, from a reader’s experience. In this case a good buddy of mine, Peter Samberg, an excellent lawyer, has become an adjunct professor of Law at Mercy University, or more accurately, Legal Studies Program Coordinator, Mock Trial (in other words, adjunctpProfessor). He actually made a reference to everybody’s favorite lawyer, Joe Pesci in “My Cousin Vinny.” As it turns out, Pesci is everybody’s favorite lawyer who is older than 50. I mean c’mon now. who among us doesn’t remember “two yoots?” But in this case, when the good professor brought up a legal argument made in “My Cousin Vinny” he was met with a classroom full of blank stares. I’ve heard that from other adjunct professors I know. Any attempt at a cultural reference that has great meaning to us, has little or no meaning to them. Now to be fair, it works both ways. Case in point, I took my family to see “Hamilton” when it opened. When the epic duel happens, they sing a song “Ten Duel Commandments.” My son calmly turned to me and said, “Oh, he’s riffing off ‘The Ten Crack Commandment’ by the Notorious B.I.G.” Huh? Oh yeah. Of course. I knew that.

Our other effort this week happened when John and I asked each other how many telephone numbers we remember. Not many. And here’s the thing: I have an almost photographic memory for numbers. Before the cell phone became ubiquitous, I worked in a smallish (is that even a word?) ad agency of about 200 or so people. Everybody had a 4-digit extension attached to the agency’s main number. I still remember mine, X 5169. But here’s the thing. I knew almost everyone’s 4 digit extension. Seriously, people would come up to me and ask, “What’s Jessica’s extension?”And I knew. But now, no way. And it’s got nothing to do with aging. For example John and I call each other multiple times each week. Neither of us has any idea what the other guy’s number is. Why? Because of our damn cell phones. There’s no reason to remember anyone’s number. It’s just, “Hey Siri, call John.” But what happens if your cell phone dies? Those same phones give students no real reason to know their times tables in math. “Hey Siri, what’s 12 multiplied by 2?” These are all lost arts. But supposedly when your phone performs all these tasks, it frees your mind up for more conceptual thinking, like “I wonder what I’m gonna make for lunch?” Or “If I leave the house at 3:30 I’ll have plenty of time to get to the dentist’s office for my 4:15.”

Anyway, have a great weekend. I am off for a mid-week golf trip ‘cause that’s what you can do when you stop working a full-time job. I hope I remember my phone.

Andy and John