Scott Miller is my hero. Truly. If anyone can contribute to the way we look at aging and add a unique slant to stereotypical perceptions, it is Scott. He is Director of Marketing at Garden Spot Village and has become a valuable contributor to our interpretation of the findings throughout our research here. Read my 8-3 blog posting and read Scott’s response. I think it is dead on…

“I found your Mermaid blog interesting. The way you described it sounded like any other learning/performing process regardless of age. The aquatic director could have been talking to 18, 25, 35 or 50 year olds. What makes the learning process/performance different because they are over 90? Or is it simply surprising that it doesn’t really matter if we are 18 or 90? I makes me think of competitive ice skating. It is not uncommon to hear the TV commentators point out how an Olympic skater missed or forgot a move or how they improperly completed a jump or spin.”

Below are a few photos and a video from the water volleyball tournament I wrote about in an entry last week. The tournament is a competition between several local retirement communities and, as you can see, the competitors aren’t afraid to share their own interpretation of the rules with the ref.

I had lunch for three hours and wasn’t even hungry.

When I walked in the dining room, fingers pointed and people chatted behind hands… “That’s the guy in the paper… the one doing research.” That one article broke down a lot of walls and now I was a mini-celebrity.

I spent time at a couple of tables before landing with three women who expanded my already growing education.

All three were self described Merry Widows and we talked at length. One of the biggest revelations for me was that communities have some of the same social aspects as high school, and that everyone eventually finds their crowd.

One of the ways that people divide is along the lines of couples and single women. The couples tend to hang together and it is a bit harder for a single woman to become part of the group. When asked if single men had the same problem, they all laughed and said… “They haven’t got a chance.”

Evidently single men are a highly desirable commodity that are soon identified and acquired.

So… if you’re a guy who was never a lady’s man in high school… just wait, your time is coming. But get on the waiting list soon… once this gets out there’s no telling what men will do… and no, I won’t set you up.