Crazy-Pops

I'm 41-3/4 years old. Yep. 41. And three quarters. Whoo-freaking-hoo.

And, yet, somehow, I keep finding myself doing things that, on occasion, make me think to myself, "Act your age!" For instance, I play ice hockey in the RMHL. It's really fun, and there are lots of older dudes who play, so I don't feel totally out of place, although it is quite funny to have younger dudes call me names. I've been called "college boy" before and I actually had one goalie say something like, "nice shot, bitch." I, of course, told him to say "bee-yotch" the next time. But that's not what this post is about. Here's what it's about: I have a hockey coach that I see once a week. That, in itself, gives me a little pause. I wonder if it's too late to start learning hockey. I wonder if I forget how old I really am. I wonder if I should be doing something more productive, like filling out my AARP application.

Then, today, I started taking weekly guitar lessons from a guy who's played with James Brown. Granted, I've "played" guitar for 20 years now, but it's all been sort of on my own. I've never really taken lessons from anybody and my guitar playing has felt stagnant for some time now. Besides, if I can learn how to funk like the JB band does on "Sex Machine," I'll be the funkiest white boy in Denver. That's worth going after. Isn't it? At the ripe young age of 41 years old? Is it too late to follow the funk?

Seriously?

Why do I do these things? I'm old. I'm crusty. I should really be reading "Reader's Digest" and taking my Metamucil. Is it a mid-life crisis sort of thing? Most guys my age having a mid-life crisis either buy a convertible or start banging their 20 year old assistants, and I've already got a Jeep and my assistant is Emily and she's 27. So that's out of the question.

Then I realize I do them because I can, really. I work for myself, so taking an hour out of my week to go learn how to do backward cross-overs on ice skates isn't a big deal. And neither is taking an hour out of my week to learn that you can flat the fifth in a blues scale for some awesome new sounds. And, really, I do these things because they keep me interested. Sure, kids and wives and engineering careers are all interesting, but I always find myself wanting to stretch out a bit, ya know? Try something new. Learn to do something better. Or good, even. Or, hell, even adequately.

Does anybody else have this problem? No, not a problem, really. Does anybody else have this, um, predilection to learning new things? That's your word for the day, by the way: predilection. It's a good word. Use it. Love it. Sprinkle into your conversations like jimmies on a donut.