Some old guy asked me how old I was the other day. \u201cForty-two,\u201d I replied. He stared at me; a look of skepticism crossed his face. Finally he said, \u201cWhom are you kidding? You\u2019re not forty-two, eighty-two is more like it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What he didn\u2019t know is I now answer that question by stating my birth year and let the questioner do the math. Most of us old guys don\u2019t know how old we are anyhow; we\u2019re usually off by a year or two, in either direction. It\u2019s hard for people to do the math when supplied a birth year, now that we\u2019ve entered a new century. A math \u201cgenius\u201d will say, \u201cLet\u2019s see – born in 42 \u2013 that\u2019s 58 years to get to 2,000 \u2013 now I have to add 19 \u2013 does anyone have a pencil? No? Well, I guess that makes you 67? No, 77, or is it 87?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s hard because you have to subtract from 2,000 and then add the current year in your head! I find the younger crowd has a harder time doing this than people from my generation. We had to add and subtract in our heads in front of the class. It\u2019s a skill that\u2019s never left us. Just like the multiplication tables that we memorized and were quizzed on constantly. Nine times seven? Sixty-three pops right out, no thought required, no smart phone either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I like this \u201cbirth year\u201d answer to queries about my age. We use it when asked about our cars, why not with ourselves? Nobody asks how old your car is; they ask what year it is. If you want to know how old it is, you have to do the math, or more likely, just remark that the car looks pretty good for its age. I like it because now all my younger friends have a higher (age) number than me. My coffee buddies in Owego, for example: Ray (renamed Roy by the group) has the lowest number after me; it\u2019s 44. Then comes Paul, 58. Rick A. and Rick E. are 60 something. So are Tim and Daren. Andy, Mike and Eric have the biggest numbers; Eric leads the pack with an 83. He looks pretty good for 83. <\/p>\n\n\n\n