OLDER AMERICANS

I went to an Older Americans Conference today. Unfortunately when I put the notice in the newsletter I called it the Old American’s Conference. The laughter and/or hatred should die down in a few days.

I went two years ago, skipped last year and came back for the free lunch. Monica’s Bakery was providing the sandwiches and I wanted to know what their food was like. They have a neighborhood bakery. Everyone says Monica is very expensive. I got an extended lesson on how the business is run and what she does and what Mr. Monica does. All I wanted to know what the food tasted like. Actually it was very good. This small little bakery provided over 600 sandwiches and they all seemed fresh and terrific. No complaints.

There was a fancy dancy cupcake bakery I expected to bring their specialty. I was excited about their presences, as they seem to be at every Farmers Market and decorate their product to the hilt and have unique flavors. You may know the kind. A perfect looking cupcake with twisted and swirled icing stacked an inch high. You can’t walk by them without noticing. I justified eating one as it felt like I was having a sugar low. Well, it felt that way — I think.

They had six different flavors and of course I wanted to try them all. But the big disappointment was that they were those tiny single bite cupcakes that wouldn’t budge my sugar level even a notch. Shucks.

The keynote speaker was a Dr. Dan Diamond who is part of a first responders team that rushes into disaster areas. His team was in Haiti and New Orleans. What a dynamic speaker and the stories of how his team operates were fascinating. While he is a surgeon, he primarily manages the organization to get temporary clinics up and running before the big equipment arrives. They haul in the tents, cots, and medical supplies and are operating within a couple of hours of arrival. Pre-check begins within seconds of nurses being on the ground and setting up a table.

To me the point of visiting the booths was to collect more pens and some candy to give to the grand kids. Yes, I will? You mean you really think I will eat it all? I can’t believe our lack of confidence. This year many booths had free drawings for some very nice prizes. I really wanted to win the Kendall reader. I doubted I would but I prayed I would. I really thought God liked me enough to be sure I won. Humph! I’m joking. Don’t strike me down!

Right now I’m listening to American Idol more than watching it. Really enjoyed the duet with Scotty and James. I’m not a heavy medal fan, but James has a remarkable voice. He is the first heavy metal singer that seems to sing notes rather than just scream. I always thought the final would be between these two guys. But no — it won’t. When I turned on my computer the one eliminated tonight was already announced. James is gone and it’s Scotty and the two girls for the finals. Since one of the girls is also a country singer, she and Scotty might cancel the vote from each other. It does matter. Both guys will definitely have music careers. In my expert opinion based on what I think, the girls are not memorable. They say those who do not win actually have more freedom to negotiate contracts. Oh well. I haven’t bought music in at least 30 years. What do I know about music?