by Richard Hefty

Created on: June 06, 2008

The signs of getting older are all around me! First, I admit defeat and buy a minivan....now THIS?! Enough already!

After helping my mother-in-law move into her new apartment just down the road from our house, I was driving the moving truck back to the rental office. It was an absolutely beautiful day for driving. Sunny and warm....perfect. What makes a good drive better? You got it...Good tunes.

So I began to flip through the radio stations in search of music worthy of an afternoon drive. First, I came across a bluegrass station-it sounded fun, but it wasn't quite what I was in the mood for. I passed by the country station and the Top 40 station without any success....and then I heard it. A song from my high school days was playing. It wasn't a song I was particularly fond of....it was actually Guns 'N Roses "November Rain" if you must know....but nevertheless it reminded me of the fun that I had during the summer before my senior year. So I turned it up, rolled down the window, and just enjoyed the drive. Since it was such a long song (8 minutes & 39 seconds to be exact) I had plenty of time. Then "IT" happened.

As the song came to a close, I heard the DJ come on the air and this is what I heard him say....."There's Guns 'N Roses singing "November Rain" for you...thanks for listening to Rock 101.1-Your Classic Rock station".

CLASSIC ROCK?!? WHAT?! Are you KIDDING me?!? The very next song was by Credence Clearwater Revival....now THAT is classic rock! But a song from 1992?!?! NO WAY! I remember when that song was released! I'm NOT classic! Am I?

With my 30th birthday quickly approaching...I've been joking with people about getting old...but with the whole minivan issue and now the fact that I remember the release of songs on the classic rock stations....I'm starting to wonder if I'm not really joking. Maybe I really AM getting old! I guess all that's left to complete the "Aging Trifecta" is for me to start ordering soup as a meal when I go out to eat.

Me: "Waiter, what is your soup of the day?
Waiter: "Sir, it's 95 degrees outside, I'm not a waiter, and you're at the Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru..."
Me: "Son, if you don't tell me what your soup is....I'll drive this Aerostar Sport away faster than you can say 'November Rain'!"

It's not a pretty picture, but I suppose I should start preparing myself. We old folks don't take well to surprises.

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