Spinning off from the thread about being sick and living alone…
I think Cecil Adams and the Straight Dope organization should open a retirement facility for Old Dopers. It could be run as a non-profit or a co-op. Think of how great it would be to be guaranteed great conversation any time, games, recipes, people to rant to/with, humor, movie nights, field trips…what a fine crew to spend your golden years with! The care standards would have to be high, because we’re a smart and picky bunch.
Maybe partner with a small college as a money maker for them. Some colleges are doing this now.
It must have a lawn…so we cranky old men can sit out on benches, waving our canes, yelling at kids to get off it!
In long-ago days, you sometimes saw cranky old men, sitting on park benches, waving their canes, saying, “It’s all Franklin Roosevelt’s fault! He ruined this country!”
I am fixing to be exactly the same kind of guy, saying, “It’s all Ron Reagan’s fault! He ruined this country!”
Well, the first one needs to be in some place fairly centrally located with moderate weather AND seasons (for those who must have them), although personally, I believe the weather will be permanently fucked up everywhere from now until the end of the world.
There will eventually be several locations, with universal residence privileges. So you can spend a few months in, say, Florida, then off to Vermont when the leaves turn, down to Santa Fe for opera season, etc. Or you can just head off to another branch for a change of scenery when you get sick of the same lame stories being told by the same old farts.
However, judging from the Cafe Society threads, there’d never be a consensus on what foods to serve/how they should be cooked, or what shows to watch on the TV in the day room, ect - it’d be like the worst on-going HOA or PTA meeting ever! :eek:
I like this idea. We’d need something like a college dorm setup from teh swankier colleges I’ve seen. Your own bedroom/bath/study, and a common room/kitchen for everyone.
That way, you could go hang out in your bedroom/study when the old farts’ stories got annoying.
You mean, “when the OTHER old farts’ stories got annoying.” Hehe.
It’s being done: college-affiliated retirement communities. It makes sense for a bunch of reasons-- articles listed after the list of colleges.
Hmmm, how would that work? Actually seeing other dopers face-to-face on a regular basis could dramatically change the dynamic. I know my face has shortened some interesting discusssions. Also, verbally answering a cry for “Cite!” is much more difficult, as the cryer cannot click on an air link to nit pick the cited info. Separation is key, I think. How about this:
*individual rooms only (“official” couples would be allowed to share a room). Can be decorated to look like Mom’s basement.
*doors locked from the outside, only Mods/Admins have keys.
*the best in wifi and computer hardware (power cables are exposed in the hallway and labeled for the appropriate room. You’ll see why later.)
*time outside the room is highly regulated so that one Doper rarely sees another, except for;
*occasional, scheduled Oldope Fests, when all doors are open and Oldopers are allowed to roam free.
*High voltage electric fence around the entire facility to keep Oldopers from roaming too far.
*banning is accomplished by the Mods cutting the power cable to that room and throwing away the door key.
*Au contraire. *When my good friend and I meet for coffee, between his iPhone and my kindle, citations fly so fast and thick, you could catch them in a butterfly net.
I’m raring to go. But it should be a pleasant climate (leaves out Chicago, doesn’t it) with little snow but no drought. But also near a decent sized city for outside entertainment.
I would love to join your band of cranky octogenarians. I reserve the right to speak as loudly as I like. I will blame it on age-related deafness, but in reality, it will be because I just like to talk loud.
Why don’t you all come to Denver? We get just enough winter to make you thoroughly appreciate that string of 100 degree days we get in July or August.
Imagine the aerobic exercise possibilities of daily rants about, oh, people not picking up after their pets, tipping, vaccines… And you don’t need an instructor or equipment!
I do indeed want to retire to an intentional community of some sort, so keep me in mind if you’re getting anywhere close to a critical mass on this notion.
