Archive for January, 2008
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
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Are You Turning 40 and Looking for a Profound Life Change?
Have a great day!
from the DailyRecord.co.uk
A NEW study has revealed 40 is the age when people are most likely to get depressed. The pressures of bringing up kids, relationships and ageing can leave people feeling miserable. But, if like Hollywood actress Ashley Judd you’re about to turn 40, it’s not all doom and gloom. Here Lisa Adams looks at the reasons to be cheerful about hitting the big 4-0
1 LET’S face it, 40 is the new 30 because people are living longer. Centenarians will become unexceptional within your lifetime, and the average life-span around the world is double what it was 200 years ago.
2 THERE’S no need to join Facebook or Bebo - you know who your friends are already.
3 YOU’RE already on the property ladder which means you can actually afford to buy a house.
4 YOU’RE the first generation to benefit from the pill.
5 TAKE some inspiration from talented actress Sharon Stone, who celebrates the big 5-0 in March. Actress Michelle Pfeiffer hits her half century in April and Madonna is 50 in August. Dame Helen Mirren, 62, is at the top of her game and will always be older than you.
6 YOU owned a Chopper bicycle.
7 YOU were around when Scotland beat England at Wembley in 1967.
8 THE first man landing on the moon in 1969 was a part of your childhood.
9 YOU can still remember how to write a letter and even know how to spell.
10 YOU may even have a final salary pension scheme.
11 YOU can remember when telly had only two channels, but you could always find something to watch that wasn’t a repeat.
12 YOU’RE wiser too. After decades of risking burn-out by saying yes to everyone, you should finally have learned to look after yourself and say ‘no’ occasionally.
13 FOR men, don’t despair that your football ambitions are over - more and more footballers are playing into their forties. Celtic boss Gordon Strachan played Premiership football until he was 40, while England star Teddy Sheringham still plays football at 41. Sir Stanley Matthews played until he was 50.
14 MARTINA Navratilova won two grand slam titles in her forties - the mixed doubles at Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2003 - aged 46.
15 LADIES, the biological clock isn’t ringing just as loud as it used to - Nicole Kidman (40) and Halle Berry (41) are both expecting.
16 YOU can remember when TV sit-coms used to be funny.
17 IN modern times, there has never been a Prime Minister younger than 43 (the age Tony Blair was when he was elected in 1997), so there are still plenty of years ahead for the chance to run the country.
18 OF the 400 richest men in America, 47 are in their forties. Bill Gates, worth a cool Û59billion, is 51.
19 YOU can finally feel proud of your body. Mum-of-two Cindy Crawford, 42, said: “I’m actually happier with my body now than I was then, because the body I have now is the body I’ve worked for.”
20 TWO of the sexiest men on the planet - Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt - are both 44.
21 THE Friends stars are in, or pushing, 40 and still looking great. Only Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry (both 38) are just outside the age bracket.
22 BOOTS NO 7 Protect and Preserve serum has been scientifically proven to work. That guarantees glowing skin for longer for just £16.75.
23 BELIEVE the experts. Psychotherapist Dr Susie Orbach, of the London School of Economics, says women in their 50s are more confident, financially independent and healthier than ever before.
24 STUDIES reveal many women in their 50s are enjoying better sex today than they did when they wereyounger.
25 YOU can save a fortune on hair dye. That’s what former newsreader Anna Ford, 54, discovered after going grey last year. Anna said: “It’s not letting go, it’s more that I don’t want to pretend any longer that I am younger than I am.”
26 Sex and the City’s Carrie said: “Men in their 40s are like the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle: tricky, complicated, and you’re never really sure you got the right answer.”
27 YOU lived through the Eighties the first time around, which means today you’re wise enough to avoid hideous style revivals like luminous clothes, jump suits and leg warmers.
28 TAKE confidence from fashion queen Coco Chanel. She said: “You can be gorgeous at 20, charming at 40 and irresistible for the rest of your life.”
29 A LOT has happened in your life which makes you a better person to sit next to in the pub, according to actress Jodie Foster. She said: “I think that women are more interesting in their forties.”
30 IF you’ve just hit 40, you’ve only got 30 years of work to go.
31 LIFE is only going to get faster. The average age for purchasing a Harley Davidson is now 59.
32 YOU got to hide behind the couch on a Saturday night watching Dr Who the first time around when the Daleks were far scarier than they are today.
33 YOU were old enough to appreciate all the magic of the first Star Wars movie release in 1977.
34 YOU’RE more confident about your sex life, or even lack of it. British women in their 40s and 50s are more likely to have a low sex drive than their European counterparts. But more than a third were happy to say an active sex life was simply no longer important to them.
35 YOU’VE got more money than your kids.
36 YOU’RE old enough to remember one of Scotland’s greatest ever football moments, when Archie Gemmell scored against Holland in the World Cup in 1978.
37 YOU never have to go on a Club 18 to 30 holiday again.
38 YOU learned the hard way to avoid perms after the Eighties.
39 YOU’RE not too cool to borrow your kid’s Nintendo DS and even beat them at their own game.
40 TURNING 40 is actually fabulous - what better excuse can you have to throw a big party?
Posted in 40 Things | No Comments »
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
Turning 40 soon…it’s funny how you change and you don’t even realize it.
You’re trucking along, trying to roll with the flow of life’s ups and downs…and all the while you see yourself as the same…the same as always…as forever…just you…the same you you think you have always been. Then something happens and you realize your not the same you you have always been. You have changed…maybe even a lot.
I’m not saying I don’t like who I have become, because I do. Matter of fact…I like me a lot. I would like to have friends just like me…thats how much I like me.
Its just that now I am trying to catch up with the changes…figure out what they are and what they mean. And what, if anything, I want to do about them.
I am not afraid of growing old anymore than I was afraid of growing up. I just don’t want to miss it because I didn’t see it happening.
I don’t want to give up some things to soon…like my health…or hold on to some things to long…
I think what I really want for the next half of my life…is to keep being me…only better…because I have had 40 years of practice!
More
Posted in Getting Closer | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 21st, 2008
I turn 40 tomorrow, and all the horror stories I’ve heard aren’t getting any credence from me. I am into bodybuilding, I have maintained my youth through good diet and plenty of sleep. I looked at myself at 30 and liked what I saw, and I am more buff and ripped at 40. Sorry, guys, but my life isn’t deteriorating any time soon. Oh, and time still drags for me. Seems nothing can get done fast enough. It just goes to show it’s a frame of mind as well as a physical condition.
Posted in Health/Fitness | No Comments »
Saturday, January 19th, 2008
I am 40 next year, which is a source of endless amusement to my Wife and some of my friends! One of whom said that I should be slowing down as I approach forty!
Why should I slow down due to some arbitrary calendar event? If I am injured, sore or fatigued, then I rest or adapt my training around that. If I use age as an excuse, then that will be an emotional excuse not to train and I will impose a self-limiting belief on my performance. I do need a bit more recovery between certain sessions than 10 years ago, and I have a few more injuries to deal with, but the intensity with which I train is as high as ever.
It is very important to continue strength training as you get older as found in this recent study on hip fractures in the elderly:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/bmj-rof011608.php
I am hopefully not quite at that stage just yet. The benefit of training younger athletes is that I compare myself to them, not my lazy age group. I can’t quite stand in front of a group of people and say do as I say, not as I do, and feel comfortable about it.
Posted in Fitness | No Comments »
Friday, January 18th, 2008
I’ve heard that turning 40 was a big deal. I didn’t really believe it. Every other birthday that I had was relatively uneventful. There were no notable changes in how I felt. This birthday for me was notably different. Literally from the day that I turned 40, parts of my body that never ached before do now. It’s not life altering, but it’s one of those “why is this hurting, I didn’t do anything to strain that part of my body the day before.” This really sucks!
The other thing that I noticed is the passage of time. I spoke to a colleague of mine that just had this eventful birthday as well. We lamented about how when we were in high school in class, time seemed to stand still. The best way I can describe the passage of time today is akin to a 2x speed on a DVD player. Sunday night comes, and I wonder where Friday night went. Even during the work week, Monday comes and then it is Thursday night. There is one universal that has been the case, though, for me since work life began: late Sunday night to Monday after work are without a doubt the worst 18-24 hours of the week.
Posted in Fitness | 1 Comment »
Friday, January 18th, 2008
By Megan Hunewill-Wright
Excerpted from the article
I’m turning forty next week. It is interesting what this implies in a person’s life. I look around at the people I grew up with and we are all middle-aged. I don’t feel middle-aged- I’m not sure how that is supposed to feel- but I do know that forty is sort of a significant sign post along life’s highway. Hopefully, by forty you’ve gotten some of your stupider impulses out of the way and you understand those things that make life truly rich. I haven’t accomplished some of the things I aimed to do by the time I turned forty, but I’m grateful that I’ve made it this far and I still have the chance to do better tomorrow than I did today.
Not only do we get older but the people who were forty when we were kids have reached sign posts further down the pathway of life. Two nights ago I had my Dad and Art ( he has worked and lived on our ranch for almost fifty years and still lives on the place) over for dinner and visit. They are quite a pair these two well seasoned guys. Art’s legs were crippled by polio as a child, but being horseback meant that he could get a days work done just like everyone else. Now he can’t ride and he can barely walk but he still gets around the ranch in a golf cart observing the everyday doings and offering sage remarks.
My dad’s body is in better shape than Art’s he has new knees and can still get on a horse. However his mind is betraying him and he has trouble remembering what he did today or what he’s supposed to do in an hour, but he can tell you lots of things that happened sixty years ago. My Mom takes dance on Monday nights so usually the dynamic duo of Stan and Art go to my brother’s for dinner, but tonight it was my turn. Together they made it over to my house; my dad drove and helped Art walk up the steps and Art filled in the gaps in the conversation. Art chatted about the upcoming political primaries, what’s new on the History Channel, and of course he talked about guns ( he owns many and knows lots), we ate dinner and finished with ice cream, both these guys could eat their weight in ice cream. Then I put on some old movies that some friends sent of Smith Valley and Bridgeport from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Well, that got them going, they recalled every horse in the picture and laughed at the antics of the people they knew on the screen. My dad was five in some of the first movies, he had on a James Dean looking outfit and was about seventeen in some others, I saw Art get quiet when he saw himself on a horse and you could see the yearning in his eyes for the days when he could still ride. It was bitter and it was sweet, but in the end they went out the door laughing about all the old times and I kidded them about driving straight home and not heading out for a night on the town. It was a rich evening for me, my kids, my husband, and I hope for these two guys that I have known my whole life.
So whether you are forty or somewhere else on life’s highway I hope you are having a great January. I know I am. I’m thankful for the people old and young in my life, I’m grateful for the snow and the water it will bring and the chance to start over in the spring.
Posted in Gratitude | 2 Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Back to turning 40… it’s approaching fast.
So far, I’ve done okay in my prep for 40. I’m getting good hair cuts, am free of back pain, am in Yoga instructor training (that will probably take until I’m 50) and am still taking flute (must practice). A few things I could still do better. Don’t really feel like getting into all that now. Oh yeah, and I’m still not re-addicted to caffeine.
So that’s pretty good. I’d give myself about a 75%.
The fact that I haven’t quit the things I’ve started is probably significant. I am SO GOOD at starting stuff and SO BAD at keeping it up. Even just to be somewhat consistent for a year is good news for me. It’s why I don’t dare quit blogging. There are so few things I’ve done consistently for this long.
I honestly don’t know what I’d like to do to mark the day of my birthday.
No idea at all.
Read more at Michelle’s Blog
Posted in Celebrating | No Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Here I am officially in my 40’s - albeit just a few hours into the new decade and I feel…. the same as I did yesterday. You hear how horrible these milestone birthdays can be when in reality the number is only an indication of how many years you have had to experience
relationships, life and yourself. It does not mean we are closer to the end nor does it say we are no longer able to enjoy our lives. Age is a state of mind and as long as you have been taking care of yourself through the years it is nothing more than that. We have no guarantee about how long we will be here but we do know how to live a healthier life in the event we make it to triple digits.
A life filled with good habits such as exercise and proper nutrition as well as abstaining from the harmful effects of smoking, excessive alcohol and stress gives us a better chance to slow down the clock and enjoy the years we are here. This year I turn 40 but I can honestly say I feel great; I have everything I could ask for - my health, a beautiful family, a job I love and peace. What else could I want for this milestone year - 40 years and going strong! May God grant me another 40 (at least).
Check out Christina’s LifeFitness Blog
Posted in Fitness | No Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Buddy Pearson
Herald-Citizen Staff
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But can you teach it new technology? That’s a question I asked myself as I thought about some new year’s resolutions. Sure, there’s the obligatory goals of exercising, losing weight, eating better and so on. But, I want to do something new this year. I want to do something different.
After turning 40 in August, it’s amazing what that number (40) can do to a man’s psyche. Feeling like I’m losing touch with this ‘younger’ generation, I have decided to explore an Internet phenomenon that is sweeping through our youthful society — MySpace.
Before delving into the abyss of the MySpace unknown, I have to admit my preconceived notions about it.
The myth of MySpace has always been conveyed to me as something dirty or secretive — a sort of vice or underground venue for hooking up with someone.
Maybe it’s Brad Paisley’s song “Online” that has served as an inspiration or spurred my curiosity. His depiction of a relatively average guy becoming somewhat superhuman on MySpace is hilarious. Does that really happen?
On the flip side, MySpace has been a home for wackos like the college student who was responsible for the massacre at Virginia Tech. It seems like a lot of crimes that have been committed were first predicted on MySpace.
Surely there is more to this online sensation than just wackos and hookups. Surely MySpace is more than a Pandora’s Box of Internet sin.
To explore the unkown, I decided to boldly go where this 40-year-old family man has never gone before — MySpace.
Upon logging in, I quickly realized this a whole new world of personalized communication. It’s an interactive network that links the past to the present to the future. Everything you want to know about someone — their interests, what they watch on TV, what type of music they listen to, what books they read, where they live or where they went to school — is all encapsulated on a Web page that you personally create. Each person’s page is a reflection of that individual whether it is laden with photos, videos or blogs. Some people display more information than others. It’s all relative to what you want people to know about you.
So, who is on MySpace? A lot of people.
What I found is that MySpace has a younger appeal. In a search created for men and women within 10 miles of the 38501 (Cookeville) zip code, there were 3,586 people on MySpace between the ages of 18 and 24. That broke down to 1,766 people between the ages of 18 and 20 and 1,820 people between the ages of 21 and 24.
The astonishing number to me was that over the age of 25, there were just 3,011 people locally on MySpace. As the age increased, the numbers decreased. There were 1,768 people between the ages of 25 and 35, and 798 between the ages of 36 and 45. From 46 to 55, there were 332 people and just 113 over the age of 56.
While I was searching for local statistics, someone found me. One of my long-lost fraternity buddies “The Sloth” found my page and sent me a message. We hadn’t communicated with each other in almost 15 years but in a matter of minutes I was able to catch up on my SAE brothers.
Inspired by “The Sloth,” I decided to try to look up some old high school classmates. In a matter of minutes, I found a friend I had homeroom with in junior high and high school but hadn’t seen since graduation in 1985. It was great to relive the past.
Feeling somewhat nostalgic, I’m now on a kick to find even more people I went to school with.
Meanwhile, I’d like to hear from our readers about their MySpace experiences. My column next week will focus on the people of MySpace.
Email your MySpace story to me or log on to myspace.com/therealbuddypearson and let me know what you think of MySpace. But keep in mind, no hookups or wackos!
Buddy Pearson is the managing editor of the Herald-Citizen.
Posted in technology | 1 Comment »
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
by Mandy Weckford
If you are going to be turning 40 in the next couple of months, you need to start planning - or making sure someone else is planning - the festivities. Your fortieth birthday is an occasion to be celebrated. You don’t have to have a party, if you don’t want to, but you do have to do something special. Over the past few years, what seems like hundreds of my friends and relations have hit 40, so, if you’re not sure what you’d like to do, here are a few suggestions.
In my family, we all love singing and one of the best parties we’ve ever been to was my brother Dan’s 40th, where we sang karaoke all night. He’s got loads of disks for his games console, which plugs into the back of the television and makes a home karaoke machine. The game keeps the score and is often quite rude but that didn’t stop us singing our hearts out into the small hours of the morning!
My cousin Alex and his wife spent his 40th birthday fulfilling his life’s ambition of driving Route 66 (the way to Amarillo). They had a fabulous holiday, full of adventures, and are still talking about it two years later.
It can also be great fun to have a traditional party at home and play lots of traditional party games. I acted as Mistress of Ceremonies for my friend Emma’s 40th and I got everyone doing things most of us hadn’t done since we were children. We played pass the parcel, musical statues, blind man’s buff, sardines, charades… We had all known each other for years and have no qualms about behaving like five year olds, and the evening was a riot!
About three months before she turned 40, my friend Karen discovered that her partner was seeing another woman. Her confidence took a bit of a knock and, to build it back up, we arranged a lingerie party for her birthday. We all needed a bit to drink before really got into the spirit of trying on sexy underwear but then we had a great laugh!
The idea of giving a dinner party for twenty guests fills me with horror but my friend Rob did this in the ideal way: he hired a professional chef to come to his house and cook for us, in front of us. Rob is a real foodie and having all this sumptuous fare rustled up in his very own kitchen was a dream come true.
A magician is an excellent addition to any party. At my friend Jason’s 40th birthday party, the magician took my ring and made it vanish. A second later, without him having moved at all, it appeared tied on to his shoelace!
Before long I’m going to be forty myself and I’ve decided to go to New York, with my husband, for my birthday. I have never been there but I just get the feeling I want to be in the Big Apple to greet the big four oh. I want to see all the sights, check out the art galleries, watch a show on Broadway, do some shopping and soak up some of the energy of that great city. This seems a pretty cool start to my fifth decade.
About the Author:
To find further ideas and advice about 40th birthday parties, celebrations & gifts, have a look at our 40th birthday website.
Posted in Celebrating | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
© Gill Hart
Turning 40 is a defining moment when it comes to following fashion. It is the age when a woman teeters on the brink of becoming mutton dressed as lamb or turning frumpy.
Having a (fashion) mid-life crisis seems to manifest itself in two ways, says Trinny and Susannah, TV fashion gurus of the British nation. “Dressing far too young or giving in to frumpiness” is a common dilemma, according to their book, What You Wear Can Change Your Life (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004).
The secret is to look stylish and elegant, following some, not all of the fashion trends. At forty, a woman should know enough about her body to begin to understand which cuts and colors flatter her most. Reaching forty-something is not so much about following fashion but more about creating a sense of style.
Often being in a stronger financial position than a twenty-something, this allows older women to invest in some expensive classic pieces which are sophisticated and timeless. These can be updated with shoes, bags and other accessories in the colors of the season.
Instead of buying cheaper, poorer-quality fashion clothing from local high street stores, stylish women should buy fewer, more expensive, tailored outfits in beautiful fabrics and flattering cuts.
10 Rules of Style for Forty-somethings
1. Colors
- Reaching your forties does not mean taking refuge behind boring colors. Whilst keynote essentials are crisp white and slimming black, a woman is not necassarily doomed to a monochromed life.
- Select the best of the season’s colors, avoiding those which make the skin look sallow and are not compatible with skin tone. Eye color is usually a good guide for what suits you. Bolder and more sophisticated shades like this season’s Rococco Red, Snorkel Blue and Golden Olive are less draining and aging than pastels.
2. Dresses
- Avoid this season’s baby doll dresses and leg of mutton or ruffled sleeves and go for simple styles. Maxi dresses are a feminine alternative to pants for those who wish to hide their legs and hips. Spring and Summer 2008 sees Grecian-drape dresses and closer (not clingy) cuts, rather than the diaphanous milkmaid and gypsy-style skirts of 2007.
- Showing too much flesh is a forty-something faux pas. You can get away with a mini dress if you balance out bare legs by covering up the shoulders and chest. If showing a wide expanse of flesh up top, then balance it out with longer length skirts.
- Take comfort in the fact that only middle-aged, curvy women can really carry off a wrap-over dress. It is one of the few styles that stick insects and size zeros fail to have cornered the market on.
3. Trousers or Pants
- A really well-cut pair of black trousers in an expensive material will go with almost anything. Avoid this season’s high-waisted cummerbund pant trend unless you are tall and sleek enough to carry it off.
- Leggings, the fashion furniture of our generation, should be worn under dresses or tunics and not be the focus of an outfit. Leave that to the domain of an eighteen-year-old!
4. Tops
- Avoid baby-doll, smock-type tops or ones that are too tight-fitting, which make you look like a squeezed hot dog sausage. Nothing screams “stylish” more than a crisp white shirt with a pair or well cut pants. Longer length tops are more flattering at forty-something, unless you have the figure of Kate Moss.
5. Swimwear
- No matter what your size, one-piece swimsuits are more stylish and elegant than a bikini. The secret is buying a good cut. If you suffer from a large stomach, then choose a swimsuit which draws attention to the bust and not to the middle.
- Wrap and rouched swimsuits can minimize a spare tire. Miraclesuits, available online and in many retail stores, are sexy and perfect for older women. They claim to make a woman lose 10 pounds in 10 seconds, given that they contain three times as much lycra as a normal swimsuit.
6. Handbags and Purses
- Nothing is more telling about a woman’s age than her handbag. Invest in one or two great designer bags, which can be teemed with the staples of your wardrobe. Nina Garcia, author of the Little Black Book of Style, recommends that everyone should have three different kinds of purses. Women carry their life around in their handbags, so a big bag is both trendy and practical, especially for mums.
7. Shoes
- Turning forty does not have to mean relegation to flats and boring court shoes. A mid-height heel is stylish and sexy and can make you trendy by accessorizing a classic item with shoes of this season’s colors.
8. Underwear
- You are what you bra. An badly fitting bra is both unflattering and aging. A bra that fits correctly can take years of your figure. It pushes up your breasts and guides them inwards, giving a much slimmer outline.
9. Hair and Make Up
- Having reached your forties “Tinted moisturizers are too sheer for you now,” according to Eve magazine, January 2008, 40’s Beauty. “Moisturizing foundations will cover lines and wrinkles.”
- “Nothing is more ageing than long hair once a woman reaches a certain age. The difficulty is knowing when you have reached it,” says Tess Stimson in her Daily Mail article of 3rd January 2008, “Just When Does a Woman Get Too Old for Long Hair?”
- With Spring 2008’s maxi-dress trend, longer hair is back in vogue. However, older women should take note that a short, layered bob or sassy cut can really melt away the years.
10. Classics Pieces for the Wardrobe
- Finally, getting rid of the tat and investing in a few timeless pieces is perhaps the most important step to achieving your sense of style. According toGarcia, there are 10 key pieces that every woman should have.
Posted in Fashion | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
If, that is, today is your 40th birthday. And if, I suppose, you plan to live until precisely 80 years old.
I guess it’s an American tradition to freak out about turning 40, but I’m going to take a pass. For one thing, I just promised a major publisher I would sell them a book, and I’m not sure how to end it. Furthermore, I am helping to run an event for 2,000 people less than two weeks from now. I would say those are far more practical things to freak out about. Having freaked out about those things, a person could then set about doing something — writing that ending, calling in that bomb threat so that the Hunt is cancelled. (Note to the Boston police: I AM JUST KIDDING. PLEASE DO NOT ARREST ME.)
If I freak out about turning 40, what exactly am I supposed to do next? It’s freakage that leads nowhere.
Besides that, I’ve got a great family and a messy ol’ house in a nice suburb. I live about a mile away from my office, which by the way is at a company that produces puzzle magazines. I wrote a book, and people liked it. I think the people who freak about 40 are crushed by the concept of time slipping away from them, and I certainly share that to some degree — where did the time go, exactly? It feels like yesterday that I met the woman who would become my wife. In fact, that was almost fourteen years ago. Similarly, I have almost no memory of my daughter as an infant. It’s like she was born five years old and talking about braiding her hair. The people who do freak about 40… whoa, baby, I sympathize. But despite the sensation that time is an icy hill and I can’t steer my toboggan, I’m pretty content with the way things are working out.
So what’s the agenda for 40? I’m gonna head to my office in a few minutes to do some work on this, that, and the other thing. Then I’m going to come home and make braised ribs in tomato sauce over pasta. Then I’m going to hope the Giants give me a surprise birthday present by winning a playoff game for the first time in this century. At some point along the line, I am going to eat the aforementioned braised ribs. And then, I guess, I’m going to start keeping an eye on 41.
Posted in Gratitude | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
In a couple weeks (less than, actually), I turn forty. This fact always fails to impress those who have passed forty, and particularly those on the golden side of 50, 60, 70, etc. (my dad, 77, is especially insufferable). But let us not underestimate what it means for those who have already begun to endure the Hair Rebellion*: we ain’t no spring chickens. Youth is spent. Under no circumstances can I be confused for a young hipster. The last time I was carded is some years in my rear-view mirror. (Good news: the age at which I have to produce ID to get a senior discount is yet years in my future!)
I realized that my youth was gone a few years back when I realized that I had, to the eyes of the undergrads at the college where I work, turned into a specter. I became not quite invisible–they still dodge around me when we’re on a collision course–but something like a bush or a trash bin. Turning forty merely puts the period to the end of the sentence.
However, I grieve none of this. In compensation for my lack of youth, I have the gathering wisdom of age. Example: 21-year-olds get drunk on crappy beer. But at the ripe old age of 40, I know better. I plan to christen my ruby anniversary with something a little more rare. But what? It’s not a choice I should or will take lightly. I imagine it should have some or all these characteristics: rare, aged, strong, intense.
So, what do you suggest? Got any leads?
Beervana
Posted in Celebrating | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
By James Altucher - Financial Times
I can’t believe I’m turning 40 two weeks from today. I think I’ve written about this before, but it’s starting to bother me. For one thing, I haven’t been to a doctor since I was 17. Several readers have written to me that I need to start going to a doctor, if only to check for prostate cancer on a regular basis, which apparently can start plaguing men “my age”. Here’s how I think about decades: In your 20s you should try as many things as possible (whether in your career or personal life) and try to ramp up as many learning curves as you can. In your 30s you have to have some initial success and start making money. In your 40s (I’m guessing now) you need to translate that initial success into permanence and in your 50s you need to figure out something completely new that you’re going to do for the rest of your life.
Nothing is set in stone but this is the way things seem to be shaping up. I was excited to turn 30 because I felt as if nobody would take me seriously in a meeting until I was 30. Particularly since I have the personal presence of “Pigpen” from the Charlie Brown comic strips and that tends to be a mark against me in business meetings.
But now that I’m almost 40 something else is starting to occur to me. I might die soon. And by soon, I mean, “fewer than 40 years”. I might be more than half way through my life span. So for the first time ever I have to think about ways to live longer. This is a matter of common sense and not thorough scientific research. For instance, basic exercise – such as walking an hour or so a day – is probably better than doing nothing. Reducing stress is also probably another good way to live longer. And how can you reduce stress? By laughing more. Using a magical tool called “Google”, on something the kids are calling “the world wide web”, I just found out that 100 laughs is equivalent to 10 minutes of rowing. Personally, I hate to row. I’d rather laugh. Another way to reduce stress: not worrying so much about your portfolio or the markets (more on this in a second). And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that no smoking, no alcohol and better calorie intake is probably better than the reverse.
Now that you can live forever by following the tips above, it’s time to make your portfolio live forever since we don’t want you to run out of money when you’re 300 years old. The good news is that there’s no better time in the past four years for your portfolio than today. How come? Because people are assuming that the US is on the brink of a devastating economic collapse. I won’t get into all the reasons for or against this. I’m bored of that already. You can turn on CNBC to listen to endless pundits expounding on their books with well-crafted arguments on how we’re either going to boom or collapse. The reality is the markets will ultimately do what they always do: go up.
Here’s what we know. Citigroup and Bank of America have 7.5 per cent and 6.3 per cent dividends, respectively, and are at multi-year lows in stock price and price/earnings ratio. Not only that, but what happens when all their write-downs on subprime get marked back up sometime in 2008 and 2009? And it will happen. They might not get marked up to par but they were definitely marked down too much in 2007, thanks to hedge funds shorting the ABX index that was used to define the market in these instruments.
And Time Warner at $16, with a new CEO on board, is a great pick for the next year. I was at HBO when Bewkes took over. He was a monster who cut everything. People were prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if they stole from the supply cabinets. The famous HBO Christmas party at Tavern on the Green was cancelled! But he brought us The Sopranos and ever-increasing profits. Look for Time Warner to spin off as much as possible, conserve cash, increase cash flows, buy back stock at these reduced levels and all sorts of other good things, and hit $20 by June. Similarly, expect Citigroup to return to $40 and Bank of America to $55.
A slightly smaller pick: Applied Biosystems Group. Carl Icahn just loaded up on ABI, which makes and sells systems and software used for human disease research, genetic analysis and pharmaceutical drug discovery. I view ABI as a backdoor play on the ageing baby boomers. Additionally, it helps that the company trades for just 12 times cash flows and analysts are expecting around 15 per cent growth over the next year.
I’ll have more picks next week. But these three are no-brainers right now. Meanwhile, speaking of eating well: I’m going to eat at Zen Burger on Lexington and 46th (465 Lexington) today. They serve “chicken, beef, tuna”, etc but none of it is real. It’s all vegetarian and tastes excellent. The grand opening is today and I’ll be holding “office hours” at 12pm if anyone wants to try out this place with me and talk stocks for a while. Live long and prosper.
james@formulacapital.com
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Posted in Finances | No Comments »
Monday, January 7th, 2008
I don’t want to turn 40. It is bringing out the total rebel in me. Like, i want to start smoking, drinking excessively and just being “wilder” than I usually am. I “feel” as if I should have it all “together” but am not even close. Am I really old enough to be 40 or is this some cosmic mistake? When I was 23, I had an affair with a man who was the age I am getting ready to be (in April). aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh.. I didn’t see him as old but exciting and experienced. I dont’ feel experienced or very exciting. I don’t want to be 40!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted in Fear | 2 Comments »
Thursday, January 3rd, 2008
I am turning 40 in April…hoping to be in the best shape of my life…it definitely is All About The Journey right now!!
Posted in Health/Fitness | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008
Debra Messing’s latest character in The Starter Wife tackles heartache with humour, although she is quick to say that her latest character have little in common. As Molly Kagan, the Emmy award-winning actor is a 40-something Hollywood mogul’s wife whose only goal in life is to look good and make her husband happy — until he dumps her.
But it’s not the differences in life experiences that the happily married Messing wishes to distance herself from; it’s her character’s age.
“Molly is a really funny, smart artistic woman who is a loyal friend and an honest person. Oh, by the way, she’s older,” Messing, 39, says.
“Molly is older than Debra, let’s make that very clear. And thinner. And prettier. And taller.”
In real life, Messing has been married to screenwriter Daniel Zelman since 2000. The couple have a child, Roman, who was born four years ago when Messing was playing Grace Adler in the hit comedy Will & Grace.
Will & Grace made Messing and the rest of the cast — Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes — household names during its eight-year run. But stardom didn’t guarantee roles post-Will & Grace for any of its four stars.
Before landing the starring role in The Starter Wife, Messing lamented that finding work had been difficult after being in a mega-hit sitcom.
The red-haired actor, who has often been described as the new Lucille Ball because of her impeccable comic timing, told reporters that for every 100 scripts there are only two roles; one earmarked for Cameron Diaz, the other for Julia Roberts.
That was, of course, until she read the script for The Starter Wife.
“I read this six-part epic and kept wanting to read more and more,” she says.
“It didn’t lose me and it excited me. It made me laugh, it moved me and it surprised me.
“I have never played a part like this before, not even remotely.
“You see her going through such big life challenges such as divorce — especially being 40 and in LA.”
Turning 40 herself this year, Messing says she understands how difficult it must be for a woman to have to re-evaluate their role in life in youth-obsessed Hollywood.
She says the prospect of playing a character whose life is in total upheaval was also part of what attracted her to it in the first place.
Best known for playing disorganised and neurotic characters such as Stacey in Ned and Stacey and more recently interior designer Grace in Will & Grace, Messing says playing Molly offers an exciting new acting challenge.
“I think Starter Wife is really about rebirth,” she says.
“To find herself 40 and starting over, it’s a challenge because everyone wants to date the 25-year-old model and I think Molly approaches it with a great sense of humour and without fear.
“When you meet her, Molly is a very organised and efficient supportive wife. Then there is the tidal wave of the divorce and she is shaken up, as one would be, in having to figure out what this means and how she got to where she is and what she wants to be and what sort of person does she want to become.
“All of these questions are provocative and rattling. She struggles and has a great sense of humour throughout.”
The Starter Wife was intended to be a six-part mini-series filmed on the Gold Coast, but has proven so popular that a second 10-part series has been given the green light for 2008, a prospect that excites Messing.
“It’s heaven working with all of the talent that’s on this project,” she says. “It’s always about the team of people that you get to work with. From the top with the writers to Jon Avnet, the director, to Judy Davis, Joe Mantegna and Miranda Otto, the quality of artists on this project is consistent and stellar.”
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