September 2, 2022
I saw a few movies and a few shows the last few months and started to get the itch again. The thoughts were brewing in my head about how a viewing experience made me feel. I started making comparisons of one movie to another in my head. I started diving into the work of various filmmakers, realizing how lucky we are to have a treasure trove of movies at our (virtual) fingertips every day. Remember the days of bumming a ride to the video store, being disappointed that the one movie you wanted to see was all sold out and having to settle for watching a mindless 80s comedy for the umpteenth time? Well, some of those 80s comedies still hold up. Quick sidebar – if you (like me) grew up on the John Hughes films, and fondly remember the wonderful music, there is a collection coming out in November featuring the music from the films he wrote and directed. It’s called Life Moves Pretty Fast – The John Hughes Mixtapes and looks wonderful. Anyway, let’s get back on track.
So, naturally I started thinking of topics. Some were pretty easy to put on the list (yes, there was no way I was going to dive back into this hobby without a plan and a list – sometimes being a planner sucks, what can I say? At least it served me well in my career and certainly helps me with my volunteer work now), some topics I decided to punt to next year as they coincide with movies that were delayed to 2023, and there are still a few open spots on the schedule. But I think I have enough to get me going.
With that in mind, I dove in and started writing a new post about my favorite television shows of this past year (that one is on tap for next week) and I had the realization that despite having a wonderful thought process in your head, you actually have to form coherent sentences to “write” a blog. You know, like nouns, verbs, and adjectives forming proper sentence structure. Yikes, those first few days were rough. And then I started to panic….. Was this writer’s block (as scary as getting the yips in golf), or was it just rust (like feeling lost after not having played golf or going to the gym for a few weeks)? Let’s hope it’s rust and that I’m not losing my ability to articulate the thoughts in my brain because this was not just any old summer for me.
Age is Just a Number, Right?
I don’t really remember much about how I felt turning 40. And maybe ten years from now, I will be able to say the same thing about turning 50. But the last few months have felt a little strange. Of course, I can make the tired (but all too real) jokes about forgetting why I went from one room to another, struggling to understand why a minor movement caused a muscle strain in my back (that actually happened to me this week), or even worse, a mysterious new muscle pain. Did you not notice it? Did you forget what happened to cause it? OK, I said these were tired jokes. I’m going to move off of them now, I promise.
In all seriousness, it’s kind of funny, because I’m the youngest of my closest friends and the youngest of my siblings. At my last corporate job, I was far older than the team of people working for me. I always felt particularly old making a cultural reference no one understood. When you think you are referencing a recent movie, not Gone with the Wind, and then realize your definition of “recent” might be over thirty years old, yeah, that’s eye-opening. The volunteer group I work for includes a number of what I would call “traditional retirement” age members for the most part, so I am definitely on the younger side of the group. And most of my clients are younger than me, but they don’t make me feel old. I get the sense they value my experience and advice I can give them, like a wise old man. Wait a minute…..
Don’t get me wrong – for the most part, I still feel pretty good for my age. I think the toughest part is the answer to the question, “How old are you?” It’s not like I’m going to break down in tears responding, “I’m fifty.” It just feels strange. But I did have a moment of clarity this summer at Fenway Park. Despite a long list of musicians who have died relatively young (with Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for Foo Fighters, another sad example earlier this year), many artists are still going strong well past Medicare-eligible age. And some of my favorite musicians are older and very active. In fact, I think there is only one active artist that I really like who is younger than me – if you don’t think I’ll be having a blast with my daughter seeing Taylor Swift in concert next summer, then you haven’t been paying attention to this blog the past year. Most of them are older than me – my favorite artist (Dave Matthews) is in his fifties, as are the members of Pearl Jam, and I can’t wait to see Bruce Springsteen at the ripe old age of 73 early next year with my sisters and son. You may have read the controversy over his ticket prices recently. I’m sorry, but I can’t reveal the prices we had to pay for tickets – those files have been sealed to protect the innocent. Where was I? Oh yeah, Fenway.
As I was lamenting my 50th birthday that was nine days away, my son and I went to see Paul McCartney at Fenway Park. It was not our first time seeing him, but when a former Beatle tours near you, why not go again? I had read great things about his recent shows in LA, and once again, he did not disappoint when we saw him. He played for almost three hours, with over thirty songs covering his incredible sixty year career. Yes, he moves around on the stage slower than he used to, and he can’t always hit the high notes, but he is still the consummate showman. We also read that before each show, he allows people who purchased VIP tickets (not us, in case you were wondering) to watch his soundcheck, which is about an hour, featuring another dozen different songs than what he plays during the main set. That’s close to four hours of performing in one night. Oh yeah – this year he turned eighty! EIGHTY! Are you freaking kidding me? What the hell am I doing complaining about turning fifty?
Anyway, it’s been a fun summer. Some quality time with family and friends, both in person and over Zoom. An incredible vacation in Maine with my wife’s extended family, that coincided with our 25th wedding anniversary. A couple of quiet and muted celebrations of my milestone birthday (exactly what I wanted – I don’t like being the center of attention). The continued rewarding experience of my mentoring, coaching and teaching for small business owners. It’s been nice to use my fortunate experience to give back to the community and I have learned so much and met some wonderful people. And of course, I’ve continued to see some excellent films, and it’s time to knock off the rust, and get back to my hobby. Speaking of rust, please forgive any typos or grammatical errors as I try to round my game into form.
What’s On Tap
So, we’re here at Labor Day weekend – the unofficial end of summer – and headed towards fall. Cooler weather, but still not the frigid doldrums of winter. And most importantly, the best time of the movie calendar. Say what you want about the fun summer blockbusters (and we did have a bit of a return to that dynamic this year after two crippling years in the industry), the fall is when we see the best of the best movies released. The studios make their big push for awards season and the almighty Oscar. So, I’m going to cover a thorough fall preview of what’s headed to theaters and streaming services over the next few months. I will also be doing some deep dives into specific genres, looking back at a landmark year in films, and some other fun topics. But first up will be a look at the incredible year in television that we’ve just seen. The Emmy awards are next weekend and while this won’t be an Emmy preview (which is silly for reasons I will get into next week), I will share my thoughts on some of the phenomenal work that has come to our screens this year, plus a few shows that should have worked better. So, look for that topic next week.
Thanks for reading. It’s good to be back. If you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.
Welcome back Steve! I saw a birthday idea for me in your post 🙂
Thanks Chris! Looks like a good set of music!
Steve,
Glad to see you’re back with your blog!!!
Thanks MB!
Great to see you posting again! Anytime you mention being a planner at heart, it always gives me a chuckle. I am right there with you. Detailed lists and timelines never hurt anyone 🤓
Thanks Frankie! Hope you are doing well. You’ll be glad to know that I am still breaking out the “Steve-isms” with my clients!