My Make a Wish Request
Not to take anything away from children with serious illnesses, but what if there was a Make-A-Wish thingy for aging boomers who somehow missed the gravy train...
Every time I read a tweet or an essay or any other indictment of how Baby Boomers rode the gravy train all over the more recent generations and stayed in the high paying jobs (ha ha ha) and bought houses in the 70’s that are now worth 20X what they paid for them (nope, not me either)and refused to retire from those high paying jobs, from which they are not paying back student loans still in their 70’s (okay, you got me there) I want to yell “Not all Boomers!!!”
Some of us went to art school. We did not board the gravy train. I don’t regret my life choices, but people should know that not everyone born before 1965 is lounging around on large piles of cash eating pickled quail eggs, zipping around on private jets, or whatever else fabulously wealthy people do.
Retirement age is both a joke and also meh? So what would I do? Paint? Draw pandas? Listen to podcasts?
oh wait…
So, when I paint and draw pandas, I listen to podcasts. And in this age of He Who Must Not Be Named, many of the podcasts are legal or political. For someone whose brain glazes over when faced with a terms of service document, my fascination and enjoyment of legal podcasts is quite hilarious, both to me as well as my actual lawyer friends.
So this brings me to my wish that will probably never happen:
As I was listening to the incredibly smart and funny women lawyers who do the Strict Scrutiny podcast, I thought, “if there was a make a wish foundation for old, just scraping by artists, I would wish to attend a dinner party with the women lawyers of Strict Scrutiny and #SistersInLaw podcasts.”
That’s all. I just want to sit and drink wine and eat and let the smart, witty, legal banter wash over me. My budget, alas, does not stretch to being a paid subscriber, let alone traveling to and paying for the events that these smart, witty, legal women appear.
A Work in Progress
If you want to listen along as I paint and panda, here are my favorite legal and political podcasts:
#SistersInLaw podcast (With Joyce Vance, Jill Wine-Banks, Kimberly Atkins Stohr, and Barb McQuade)
Strict Scrutiny podcast (with Kate Shaw, Melissa Murray, and Leah Litman)(Part of the Crooked Media family of podcasts, along with my other favorites Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave it)
Talking Feds podcast (with Harry Litman)
And my favorite pods for morning coffee and panda-ing The Daily Beans (from the Mueller She Wrote folks) along with their Jack and clean up on Aisle 45.
Even if there is no Make a Wish foundation for aging artists, I should point out that I have a very satisfying life. I just need to have a little whine every now and again! But if any of the aforementioned smart, funny, legal women want to invite me to dinner, well, I’m keeping my calendar open.
I too am a retired Boomer, who didn't quite "live up to potential." Haven't given up on finally writing & selling that blockbuster screenplay, now there's no day job demanding my time. So, if I do make my late-life millions, I will gladly sponsor your Make-a-Wish, in gratitude for all the pleasure your l'il pandas have given me.
However, I did treat myself to a VIP ticket to last night's Sisters-in-Law show, here in NYC. (Well worth the Ramen noodle meals, and my 2 hour subway ride. Yeah, I somehow missed buying a midtown condo during the 80s.)
During the meet 'n greet, I flagged your essay and The Panda Chronicles for the Sisters, and Barb took notes. No promises, but you might be getting four new fans soon. Least I can do for a Sister-in-Art.
Am not really a podcast listener (shouldn’t let my mind wander off keeping an eye on the mischievous little doggie), but these legal podcasts sound interesting & worth a try. After all, I spent an entire week in law school before realizing I wasn’t cut out for that life, ha! Just listening to something & not being tested on it is a different story. As for the gravy train, I was just talking to someone this morning about missing out on what were supposed to be my “high earning years.” Ugh. Oh well...