Grouchy old bastard … at 44!!!

I’ve been informed that I’m getting grouchy. Or … more grouchy than I usually am when I point and swear at the television whenever there’s a politician on screen telling lies. Over the previous couple of weeks, I’ve been like the proverbial bear with the sore head because I’ve been struggling with a head-cold, made worse with a dose of sinusitis, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, lethargy, and if there was a market for snot I’d have made a fortune from the amount I produced. ICK!!! It’s had a devastating affect on my productivity. A few brief notes and memos scribbled, but no new pages established, and I kept my online time to just long enough to process any new orders I received, and then I promptly logged off again. Looking at the VDU monitor felt like I was provoking a migraine. I decided it was best to play it safe while my body finally won the war against this seasonal illness, but it ratcheded up my grouchometer a few more notches.
I turned 44-years-old last Friday.
It’s not a remarkable age in the grand scheme of things, but still a wake-up call to me that I’m not 43 anymore. What changes do I notice? Not too many other than my eyebrows are acquiring some white strands, so my winter plumage is getting a foothold.
Some friends I have conversations with on a regular basis have commented on how my sense of humor ranges from dry wit to zany practical joking, depending on my mood and the situations. This led to a conversation on who we imagine we’d all most likely be in our old age. So far, I have been likened to three fictional characters:

Walter Matthau, as Max Goldman, in Grumpy Old Men (1993) … for his caustic wit and penchant for practical jokes.









Peter Boyle, as Frank Barone, in the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond … for his similar sarcastic sense of humor.



Finally, because I love vigilante stories so much, and again for the humor inherent in the character, including the fact that I also swear like a trooper, they chose Clint Eastwood, as Walt Kowalski, in Gran Torino (2008).
I like that character best of all and it’s a vision of myself that may well come true, as one day I sit on a porch somewhere, with drink by my side, a dog (or several dogs) keeping me company, looking around with disdain, grumbling and snarling at the world – just like old Walt.Which grouchy old bastard do you imagine you might eventually turn into?
While you ponder on that … I’ve included some other great stills below of Clint Eastwood, in the role of Walt Kowalski, in Gran Torino. A great character study and a role Clint was born to play.
So ... in a couple of decades ... you pass by a porch and see a grouchy old bastard, with a dog at his feet, drink in his hand, looking like he's snarling more than his dog ... pay him no mind ... it might just be me!