All things RETRO

Good times are back along with decorative fall squash.

I just bought a pair of my favorite shoes ever: Weejuns™, a classic penny loafer.  Multiple nostalgia reasons aside, I was impressed by their real leather soles.  (I never buy rubber-soled shoes which randomly get stuck on various surfaces).  These shoes are very comfortable for everyday use and get a huge chuckle out of fellow boomers who notice me wearing them.  Three different conversations have erupted spontaneously with baby boomers who recall wearing them exclusively in the 1960s during college.

I've been reading that the old street car is once again popular in places like Boise, Charlottesville and New Orleans.  Anyone who has been to San Francisco knows how handy speedy suface transportation can be. If we incorporate green energy to power these people movers we might find we are better off than investing endless funds in toll roads and hot lanes as is currently being done in Northern Virginia and Maryland.  I am ready for a revival.

Speaking of trains,  if you follow Warren Buffett's massive investment in BNSF,  you must assume he is expecting a surge in shipping as American companies start building inventories in response to demand for goods. I am fond of trains. Spending a day at a train museum is  a delightful diversion for adults and I've noticed that children seem to enjoy staring at any kind of massive machinery even more.  Trains are fabulous alternatives to airlines who no longer serve any of us with respect.  Baby boomers could initiate a resurgency in luxury train travel along with a revival of fine dining cars specializing in regional cuisine if we took a liking to the idea.  It is already happening on old steam trains in Europe. You can travel through Siberia, Scotland and parts of Asia and Africa in old fashioned luxury.  It might be fun to plan some train travel on this continent with your grandchildren.  They could see their own vast country while interacting with you instead of a video game.

Speaking of retro items, I've seen piggy banks, old fashioned bikes and fountain pens appearing in stores. Have you noticed any cool retro items being reintroduced?  If so, leave a note please.

The Flu...I've Had It

Well, I had it...the flu.  I can't tell you the specific kind.  I can merely report that although the media has told us that the H1N1 could be potentially deadly to youngsters, what I got packed enough of a punch to launch pneumonia in someone a good deal older.  The flu I caught brought no achiness,  carried a light fever only at night and was more of a sinus dweller rather a nose guest, but the over-production of phlegm was swift and overwhelming.  Remarkably, it began with a bit of swelling in the throat, followed by a cough.

It launched in my body just fourteen to twenty-one a days after I received my seasonal flu shot.  The strong mucus production is exactly why those with underlying asthma or bronchial conditions need to get medical attention early. Fortunately, I am not among the most vulnerable, but this flu was sufficiently draining physically to get my attention.  It was difficult to get to sleep. The cough which accompanied it was just as wracking.  I would never agree that flu is non-threatening for people over 60 because just fending it off requires inordinate amounts of energy.  Do not ignore this illness, and if you live alone, be sure you have some food in the freezer, a supply of bottled juices and a doctor recommended cough syrup in your medicine cabinet.

Substantial Penalties for Single Travelers

As you move into retirement tantalizing travel brochures start appearing in your mailbox. The opportunities will range from river jaunts throughout the world to luxury cruises and globe trotting flights featuring informative guest speakers. Prices range from $2,000 thousand to $50,000 per traveler. What a stunning spectrum of cultures and scenery from which to choose! An adventure to another part of the world figures into most Baby Boomers' retirement plans, but for those who are widowed or otherwise single--the penalty fees charged for your social status will certainly surprise you and could preclude your signing on.

Beside me rests the desciption for a rather exceptional trip. It is fully described in a museum/private university travel brochure and shows the difference in price between a double cabin on a luxury cruise ship and the single occupancy option comes to over $16,000. A single person in the most modest suite on the ship is required to pay the same fee charged for the most luxurious two-person accommodation. Isn't this actually a veiled exclusion via price structure? Does anyone see this as a fair practice? Does it support or restrict industry growth?

How can a business practice that blatantly penalizes singles who are widowed, divorced or unmarried be tolerated when growth for American commerce is so essential? As the first wave of Baby Boomers launch into global travel, it makes sense that organizations that offer educational components or noted speakers will have a distinct advantage, but not if they alienate singles with their price structure. One person costs considerably less than two in terms of food and drink and since they take up less space, this is essentially a tax on their social status.

The travel industry is financially under pressure so Baby Boomers have the power to force an end to this kind of socially discriminatory policy either by direct request or by email to lawmakers. Especially now as a wave of single, widowed, divorced individuals who have the economic means to travel could give a struggling industry a much needed boost. People who book trips alone should never be penalized financially or asked to share a room with a stranger to circumvent single occupancy fees. (Such a suggestion represents disrespect of the value of privacy. Permitting a travel company to do that could easily ruin an otherwise pleasant trip). Isn't this a correction that is long overdue?

Do You Care? Are You Annoyed? Participate in the Political Process

I have to admit that a recent email from my Senator describing his masterful involvement in a plans that will safely return TARP money to the public coffers did not impress me. It was merely a self-serving marketing piece and failed to address ongoing problems that matter. It made me so angry that I wrote back to his office and detailed the things I believe need fixing, not one of which he is able to tell constituents he is actively intiating legislation in. I am sure I will receive a polite form letter thanking me for expressing my sentiments. That doesn't discourage me at all. (What is your opinion of the Wall Street/White House coziness that precludes strong regulation of the financial industry?)

If a substantial quantity of complaint letters start pouring in, political types are compelled to notice...that's what politicians do; respond to negative pressure and fear of losing support. After all, they do want to be re-elected. I plan to remain involved by tracking the records of people I voted for. Will they focus on the issues that got them elected and sent them to Capitol Hill? Perhaps as more Baby boomers acquire some leisure time they will become informed and make their voices heard through letter writing, email or working on individual campaigns. If not us, who will be the guardians of the future?

Honesty should be expected and lawmakers (or their legislative aides) need to respond to our difficult questions. Staged press conferences and walking out of the room is fodder for a sitcom. That is not respectful or moral behavior when the health of our citizens, the safety of our troops or the tax base of our cities are hanging in the balance. It behooves legislators to focus on boring mantras like "your word is your bond," and "honesty is the best policy"-- all those hokey phrases that we took for granted for much of our adult life.

Holding legislators and corporate CEOs accountable for misdeeds fall on our side of the equation. Recalling politicians who fail us is our perrogative in the 2010 elections. Require that whomever you send to Washington represents constituents with honor and reflects values that strengthen this country. Focus them on sponsoring the reforms argued in the Presidential election: Campaign financing reform, banking regulation, securities law enforcement, healthcare improvement and quality education. Baby Boomers are a highly educated, activist voting block primed to get involved. We are capable of influencing the 2010 elections and seeking out candidates we can trust. If you care about the recent examples of poor character in Congress, let your lawmakers know you are paying attention. Email them and then do something personal. Request that Congress follow an uncompromising approach and remove members for lapses of character or promises made to lobbyists. Electing exceptional people, individuals we trust is the goal. If you're one of them, someone with outstanding experience and judgment, how about it?

Congresswoman Kaptur spoke eloquently when she recently appeared on a Bill Moyers Journal, a PBS program, on behalf the state of Ohio. She offered the discussion specifics about families who have suffered home loss/foreclosure and could not get the help they deserved from the major banking institutions peddling their mortgages. It was refreshing to see a legislator stand up for her state and speak out for her citizens. She is one of the rarest of "birds" standing up and questioning the disproportionate burden placed on average citizens. Despite the financial stimulus funds granted to Wall Street investment banks, citizens are feeling forgotten. Congresswoman Kaptur reported that homes are continuing to be foreclosed upon at alarming rates in Ohio. She distinguished herself in this media appearance as a capable legislator, independent of political pressure and someone keeping her word by seeking financial fairness for her constituency.

Keeping a Sense of Humor Helps

One of the downsides of being a Baby Boomer is that more and more frequently you witness the demise of businesses you relied on, the collapse of polite society, the retirement of professionals you trust, your bank being swallowed up by larger entities, the mortgage you've nearly paid off being sold to another company, and your neighborhood losing half its trees. This is the price you pay for being present.

Not wanting to fuel the tanks of those who say all seniors want is for things to stay the same, I will describe today's adventure with neutral restraint. I parked my normal size sedan in a parking space much closer to my destination than usual. Being midday, I never entertained the possibility that there would be much traffic, let alone a gigantic SUV (aren't those for soccer moms?). Apparently, after I disappeared into the store, a red monster pulled into the space next to my car that had previously been occupied by a small car.

You can imagine how wide my eyes got a half hour later as I approached with groceries. I realized it would be nearly impossible to slither into the narrow space between the two cars and get into the driver's seat. Hahahahaha, no chance! The intrusive machine parked next to me took up the entire space between the parallel white lines painted on the pavement. It was such a behemoth that it precluded entry of much more than three legal pads slipped in lengthwise. New and red it represented a formidable challenge. I reviewed my alternatives, but aside from trying to locate the owner (it's scary to think what I might have said) my options were limited. Self-reliant and independent, I knew what I had to do.

Confidently striding over to the passenger's side where the door opened onto a vacant handicapped space, I started to crawl across the front seat and over the console of my car with its exposed parking brake. Had I fully powered back the bucketseat the space in which I maneuvered might have felt slightly less cramped. As I initiated my climb over the console unit I was reminded I was no longer twenty-five. My hips resisted folding in half; I realized I could no longer bend like a pretzel! The driver's seat which was fairly close to the steering wheel did not allow full extension of my legs. My muscles refused to cooperate. You can imagine what I was thinking as I contorted my hips and legs in configurations a yoga instructor might caution against. Finally, with minor bruises, I was up and over.

As I made the final, most graceless move, I realized another vehicle was behind me, perpendicular to mine. Another vehicle was waiting for my spot. As I backed out, I saw two older women in an oversized white SUV ready to pull in. What can I say?