The Generation Gap (TGG)

I've decided to dispense with the popular labels for generations after the Boomers. Frankly, I can't remember what letter represents what generation. I know there's a Generation X and Y, and I think there's a C generation, but that's all I remember. I think a better tag for this generation is, well, TAG. The Acronym Generation.

These generations have the common trait of using acronyms and abbreviations for communications to the point where they are able to make incomprehensible statements faster than we Boomers ever dreamed of doing. The current fruition of this phenomenon is text messaging. Messaging allows TAG-ers to send cryptic messages to friends with both great speed. Judging by the cost, these messages must be pure gold since text messaging can result in spending hundreds of dollars per TAG-er every month.

I started on this rant during my recent vacation when I was trying to order a beer and was asked by a waiter if I'd like an IPA and then looked at me expectantly.

Since I was on vacation my wits weren't as sharp as they are on occasion and at first I thought he asked me to take part in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of some stock. Since I was on vacation I wasn't interested in financial matters. I felt confused and wondered why an investment adviser was still working as a waiter. I mean, the Dot Com Crisis (DCC) was several years back. Surely all the Dot Com Millionaires (DCM) have recovered by now.

One I figured out that IPA could not be a three-letter acronym (TLA) for Initial Public Offering it was smooth sailing. I responded to the waiter's question with a clever, yet sincere, "What?"

"Would you like an IPA?" he responded quickly, hardly leaving room for me to type spaces betweens the words in his sentence. "WldulknIPA?"

This time I was ready for him and challenged him. "What's an IPA?"

"Indian Pale Ale."

Since I was looking for a darker beer or ale I nodded and all was copasetic. That's when I started noticing the lack of communication that occurs when TAG-ers talk.

The immediate cause of this article came about when I was trying to figure out what PNC in PNC Park, the home of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, stood for. It took me two Google searches to find an answer that made sense. It doesn't stand for anything. The company that used to be Pittsburgh National Bank paid for the naming the park, but the company now is Pittsburgh National Corporation and has combined with Provident National Corporation. At least that's what Tom Zemencik wrote in 2001. Even if he's wrong it makes sense to me so I'll pretend he's right.

HAND (Have a nice day).

Take care and say "excuse me all the way."
-The Rapidly Aging Baby Boomer

Baby Boomer Pets

We just got home from our trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. The first thing we did was pick up our dogs from the Plush Pooch here in Bellingham. The dogs were happy to see us, but they always have a good time there. We've been using them for nearly twenty years and have never regretted it.

Talk about Boomers spoiling their pets, as we were leaving, a van pulled in from the local doggy day care center to pick up one of the dogs. It appears the dog spends every Friday at the doggy day care. Just because his owner was out of town, that was no reason for him to miss his play date at the doggy day care. So he was picked up for the day and would come back that evening to eat and to rest from his busy day. Too cute for words!

Happy to announce the launch of a new blog: A Baby Boomer Cooks W/O Gas. During one of my middle life crises, I went to cooking school and cooked professionally until my knees wore out. I'm still interested in food of course. I still love cooking, but now I usually do so for only family and friends.

The title is a pun, of course. Professional kitchens here in the Northwest almost always use gas because it gets hot faster. The exceptions are kitchens in high-rise building that have codes preventing gas at levels above ten stories. Anyway, that combined with the Baby Boomer need to avoid gastric irritation and gas led to the title. You might wonder why my first recipe features Chicago Dogs that include Sport Peppers. It's a fair (or, since I'm dealing with puns, a fare) question. The answer is simple. Because they taste so good.

Take care and say "excuse me all the way."
-The Rapidly Aging Baby Boomer

How to Tell If You Are a Baby Boomer

Saturday, June 16, 2007

You know you're a baby boomer if:

• You rarely see your knees, but feel them all of the time.
• "Fiber" refers to your diet, not to your computer network connection.
• When you look down at your breakfast and see both a bowl of oatmeal and a bran muffin.
• Many of your sentences start with the words "I remember."
• You see a pretty young woman and wonder what her mother or grandmother looks like.
• You forget what you are looking for twice when you are buy Ginkgo Biloba to improve your memory.

Enjoy your weekend. Happy Father's Day!

Take care and say "excuse me all the way."
-The Rapidly Aging Baby Boomer

The Best Peanut Butter Cookie Bars Ever

On our recent annual trip to Ashland, Oregon to see the Shakespeare plays and relax for a week, my wife and I were fortunate to meet Art Watkins and his lovely, but slightly kooky wife, Sherry. Art is the Sales Manager at the Food Mill, a popular health food store in Oakland. Art gave us a bag of the peanut butter cookie bars the Food Mill makes and sells at the Oakland store on MacArthur Blvd.

To tell you how good they are, my wife and her mother ate them throughout the outdore performance of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" (look for the review I'll be posting in the next few days). As the play drew to a close I looked over at my wife and saw that they had eaten the entire package except for a tiny scrape of the last cookie in the bottom of the nearly empty package. My wife looked guilty and offered if to me. I tasted it, I realized it was probably the best peanut butter cookie I had ever tasted. It's made with healthy ingredients without preservatives and other pesky chemical additives.

I strongly recommend that you buy some of these. If you're interested click on the link below. While you're at it, check out the Food Mill's other products on Amazon.com.

Don't forget to visit the Food Mill website. There's loads of good information that will help you live a healthier and more satisfying life. While you're there take a look at their free monthly newsletter and sign up to have it delivered automatically to your email box


Take care and say "excuse me all the way."
-The Rapidly Aging Baby Boomer