When my mistakes were all ahead of me

I was looking at a photo of Bill Clinton today and realized he looks OLD, and then I remembered that we are contemporaries. This year, the start of the baby boom generation celebrates its 62nd birthday, which means they can retire and collect Social Security. How the hell did this happen? I realize that time marches on but when did it start marching in quick step? When did the possibilities become limited?

Now, I realize that we are limited by what we can imagine and if we have an unlimited imagination we have unlimited possibilities. But time and age take their toll. At some point we, the baby boom generation, have to accept that there are limits.

We've been very lucky. We had the best of everything. The whole world changed to suit our needs. And I am proud to have been at the forefront of a time when the sex was safe, the drugs were pure and the rock and roll was better. But maybe being at the head of the parade has warped my sense of what it means to be an "elder statesman." Most of us had grandparents who spoke English with a pronounced foreign accent. Our parents grew to adulthood during the Great Depression. Many of our fathers fought in World War II. We were there when TV was in its infancy. We are online in great numbers because we like shinny objects and new things. We wear jeans instead of sedate polyester pants suits. We eat granola instead of donuts. We yearn to be free and unfettered, even now when many of us are have grandchildren on our knees. We never grew up and I think we never will. But it gets harder to ignore that I am at the penultimate place in the funeral parlor and I don't like it one bit.

I disagree with those who claim that those born between 1946 and 1965 are part of the same generation. I put it at 1956 or 1957. Our defining moments included Howdy Doody, Leave it to Beaver, John F. Kennedy and the Vietnam War. Because we are less tied to tradition, we are more prone to questioning. As a group we believe in individual freedom, and have pushed forward change such as women's rights, civil rights, gay rights and the right to be downright nuts if that's what suits us. We love gadgets like transistor radios and IPods and we have the money to buy them.

Our generation includes Bill Clinton, Osama bin Laden, Steven Jobs, Stephen Spielberg, and The Prince of Wales.

But as we stare down the inevitable, we have to admit that we have not left a better world. Karl Rove, George W. Bush and Dick Chaney are also baby boomers. The earth is a mess, our oceans are polluted and we are no closer to living environmental-friendly lives than we were 30 years ago--when we could have, should have, made a difference. We were born in a time of great prosperity and even greater hope, and what we leave (should we leave today) is something less. And a lot of that anomosity between the left and right is really an argument over what kind of legacy our generation will leave.

On the upside, we have  turned the whole notion of aging on its head. When you speak of "senior citizens," I think you're talking about my parents. They were old,  I am well worn.  And like everyone else of my generation, I like to believe I still have my mistakes ahead of me and I have all the time in the world.

This and that

Matt Roloff was found not guilty today of charges driving under the influence. Oregon cops are not pleased. The whole thing will, I am sure, be part of the new Little People, Big World season. And if I was Roloff, I'd be very, very careful when driving for a very, very long time.

Dominck Dunn's column in the new issue of Vanity Fair is devoted to the never-ending Diana, Princess of Wales, inquest. Talk about a litany of hear-say. Today, the London Times reports that a therapist friend of Diana's said that she listened in as Nicholas Soames told her to stay out of the land mines controversy and suggested that Diana's safety might be "in doubt." The therapist apparently assumed that this meant that Mr. Soames, a senior Conservative MP, grandson of Winston Churchill and friend of the Prince of Wales, was threatening Diana's life, when he could just as easily have been warning her that visiting land mines might be dangerous. Or maybe, it was a veiled threat. Who knows, the issue is not as clear to me as it seems to be to those who support Mohammed al Fayed's theory that Prince Philip had Diana killed. The same therapist claims that Prince Philip wrote two nasty notes to Diana, although no such notes have been read into evidence.

In 2003, Israel's then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that occupation of the Gaza strip is a bad thing. In fact, the majority of Israelis support a "land for peace" concept. So, you have to forgive them if they were less than moved or surprised by George Bush's demand that the Israeli's give the West Bank, the Golan Heights, the Gaza and East Jerusalem to the Arabs for a Palestinian homeland. Naturally, Bush's suggestions lacked specifics, he is, after all, the "big picture" guy. 

Pundits have offered a number of reasons why Hilary Clinton won the New Hampshire Democratic primary--none of the reasons had anything to do with her experience as a Senator or her programs. The more cynical types claim she cried on cue to grab attention. Some suggest that the "iron my shirts" comments angered women who then support Clinton. Karl Rove wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Hilary won because she targeted single women and that she pretended to be more likable. No one seems to consider that voters might like the Clinton platform, or at least have more confidence in her than they do in a newly elected senator who has since the day he took office been running for president. Liz Cox Barrett in the Columbia Journalism review believes that Clinton won because voters hate Chris Matthews who announce her defeat in New Hampshire hours before the polls closed--so voters rushed to the polls to vote against Chris Matthews by voting for Hilary Clinton.

Frankly, a crying Hilary made me cringe.

Did you know that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was running for president? Well he was, but he isn't any more. 

Spider-Man fans are furious with Marvel Comics for putting an end to Peter Parker's 21-year marriage to Mary Jane Watson. In fact, in the new book, Peter has no memory of Mary Jane at all. Apparently Marvel has regretted the union since 1962, but just figured out how to keep Peter forever young and on the hunt. Sounds like all the men I've dated.

Michael Vick, who does not have a drug problem, has been told that if he participates in a drug program, he could shave enough time off his sentence to be out of the can in time for the 2009 seasons. 

Did you know that Sir Edmund Hillary, who in 1953 was the first man to scale Mt. Everest, was still alive? Well, he was, but now he's dead. Hillary died today at the age of 88.

When 18-year-old Josue Herrios-Coronilla crashed his Camaro into a yard, he took off on foot to elude police. Unfortunately, the lad also stepped into some dog doo-doo, leaving tracks that led police directly to him. Yes, alcohol was involved.

A little too much

Matt Roloff and his family star in a TLC Reality Series, Little People, Big World, which follows a dwarf mom and dad and their four children, one of whom is also a dwarf. It's actually interesting as the family meet daily challenges that we average sized people don't even think about (such as getting into and driving a van). It's actually kind of uplifting, although I'm not so sure that the youngest child, age 10, is as thrilled or as used to the camera intrusion as the others in this 24/7 coverage of their life on an Oregon farm.

Last summer, Matt was arrested for DUI while driving the family van in Oregon. According to reports, Matt failed the sobriety test in what turns out to be his second citation for the same offense. Apparently, he just came off a 16-month sentence of court supervision, after which the first charges were dropped.

Anyway, Matt appeared in court today and, as one might expect, because he is now a famous personage, the whole thing hit the Web along with his booking photo. It's the booking photo about which I am writing because in it Matt appears relaxed and smiles for the camera. Gives me the feeling he knew it would end up on the Internet (what doesn't) and he wanted to look like the respectable farm dad he portrays on TV. No wild hair, no wild eyes, no disheveled appearance. Today, his lawyer said Matt was tired and that's why he was swerving. Also, Matt walks unsteadily with the aid of two crutches, so I don't think he could walk that straight line under any circumstances. But then he did refuse to take the breathalyzer.

The Roloffs don't strike me as fabulously wealthy. In fact, if not for TLC, I doubt they could have afforded that family vacation (duly recorded for our consumption) in the Bahamas or the newly installed swimming pool. They already have two sons in college (and we know what that cost) and a daughter who will be in college in a few years. They raise pumpkins and corn for sale to the public and have created a farm wonderland for summer tourists. I'm wondering now what will happen if Matt is convicted of DUI. I know that the court proceedings will part of the show (everything else is).

Which gets me back to the whole issue of fame and why we (and I include myself in this) watch ordinary people, like the Roloffs live their lives (regardless of the extraordinary circumstances). Having sold his family to TLC, Matt has a lot more to lose than just his driving privileges. And I think he knows that and that's the reason for his pleasant suburban dad mug shot.

On the other hand, I sure wish my life was so interesting that someone would pay me to star in my own reality series. Lord knows, I need the money, and the fan love wouldn't be unwelcomed.

Some one should stop that man

Dr. Phil, TV's lovable shrink, may have stepped into ethical doo-doo this time, by visiting Britney Spears toward the end of her recent 36 hour stay at a mental health facility. I'd have no problem if Dr. Phil's visit was private, but what happened Sunday (Jan 6) seemed more like a "house call." Or maybe he was just lining up another guest for his talk show. According to one story, it was Britney's worried dad who invited the good doctor to visit Britney, but in what capacity? As a family friend? As a therapist? Dr. Phil certainly thought this pathetic tale was worthy of a TV show, having announced that he was going to focus on Britney's problems on Monday (Jan 7)

My problem with Dr. Phil and his show is that it masquerades as something other than entertainment--if watching people with real problems slug it out in public can be called entertainment. The only difference between Dr. Phil and Jerry Springer is that Dr. Phil has a PhD, well that and the fact that most of his guests have all of their teeth.

But when not judgmentally brow beating his guests, Phil dispenses dime-store psychology in front of his cheer audience. Further exposing Spears and her problems in television does not an intervention make, even if it is good for the ratings.

Phil has backed off with a face saving statement, which may not appease the psychiatric staff at Cedars Mount Sinai where Britney was admitted. Meanwhile, Britney is out and about. I smell death in the air.

And what does it say about us? Why do people eschew real help and comfort by  turning instead to a TV expert, whether it's Dr. Phil or Pat Robertson. Why do we place our trust in people whose major accomplishment is writing a best selling self-help book or dispensing one-size-fits all advice? Only in America, folks, only in the United States.