WARNING! With all due apologies. [philosophical rant]
Octavian, if you haven't already figured it out, you will soon learn that there is a lot of kidding, in good fun, that goes on around here. Sometimes it's not easy to tell if a comment is serious, or tongue in cheek. It's very difficult to discern meaning in the written word alone, without the benefit of voice inflection and facial expressions. That's why there are so many of these:
, etc. They help compensate for the lack of those indicators that are missing in just the written word.
Should you run across a comment that is confusing in it's intent, I humbly suggest that, if possible, you assume the best rather than being offended or angered.
As far as "age" goes, I don't mind in the least being kidded about mine, whether by an old goat like Ray
(that wink means I don't REALLY thing Ray is an old goat), or by the youngsters here on the board. I try very hard not to be concerned about things over which I have no control, age being one of them.
The funny thing about being my age, is that younger people don't understand (I know I didn't understand this of older people when I was young) that, inside, I'm a 19 year old kid, that hasn't figured out how, in heaven's name, he got trapped in this soon-to-be 59 year old body.
And should any young person comment on my age with malice, I simply remind them they are going to blink twice, and find themselves as old as I. It's not wise to mock your own future.
I'm also comforted by the knowledge that there is a cycle to every living thing. You're born, you live, you die. This is true for all living things. Anything so universal can't be a bad thing; can't be wrong. So advancing age, and even death itself, doesn't invoke fear or regret for my part.
This "life" thing, i.e. living, is pretty neat. And coming together here, with others, young or old, that share my passion for good music, and good movies, and good equipment to reproduce them both, just adds to the joy of living. A Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I am, indeed, a rich man.
[/Philosophical rant]
