Rants on Retirement - 33 days to go

Can I be blocked after only 12 days? Need a topic. Can day 33 come soon enough? I've added another "issue" to my list. My cataracts seem to be gettting worse so I need to have that laser surgery. Should make an appointment with my opthamalogist. Did you know you can pay $3,000 to have a special lens inserted after the cataract comes out and you will not need to wear glasses with corrective lenses in that eye? I have worn glasses since I was 16 (and probably needed them before that). They are part of my persona. I can't imagine going anywhere without them. I would feel utterly naked--well, almost.

So many things seem to be breaking down. I never thought I would live passed 55. Why? Because my father died at 50 and my mother at 60, so I always thought somewhere around 55 would be it. Would I have taken better care of myself if I thought I would live this long? Hard to say. I probably would not have smoked. And somehow I would have tried to stay in better shape. All in all, however, except for my love of white flour, sugar, butter and salt, there's not much more I would have done. Except for my ill-spent youth, I don't really drink much. I never did drugs. I stopped smoking about 25 years ago. What else besides food, drink, drugs and tobacco can do you in?

Here I am, then, at 66, and things are falling apart. Nothing major, I guess. Nothing so overwhelming I can't handle it, but nevertheless, parts of me are letting me down.

When I retire and presumably have more time, I plan to exercise more. That's a good thing. But then I'll have more time to "lunch" with friends. That means more eating and just the other day there was an article in Time about exercise alone won't help one lose weight. You have to stop eating, too. Yeah, like that's going to happen anytime soon. My book club newsletter isn't helping. Do I choose Jane & Michael Stern's "500 Things to Eat Before it's Too Late" (too late for what?) or do I go for David Zinczenko's "Eat This Not That, The Supermarket Survival Guide! Or should I just drink more red wine and hope the French Paradox kicks in?