Fifty

Yep, Mark just turned 50.  50! Whoa!  So in an attempt to go easy on the old guy I thought I'd jot down 50 cheerful things you may find interesting for such a melancholy milestone...

First off...Fifty can't be that old.  
These young bucks are turning fifty right along with him...

• Eddie Murphy
• George Clooney
• Michael J. Fox
• Laurence Fishburne
• Ralph Macchio
• Wayne Gretzky
• Vince Neil  (of Motley Crew)
• Fabio
• Dennis Rodman
• Steve Young

And here's ten reasons Mark sure doesn't act like a 50-year old:

• He can wakeboard 360 degrees around the ski boat.
• He can ride a wheely on his quad for miles.
• He's pulls off some crazy moves on the trampoline.
• He skateboards around the house (yes inside the house!)
• He's placed second in his age division in every triathlon he's entered.
• He was just three minutes shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
• He can jump wake to wake on his wakeboard. 
• Connor's baseball coaches had him pitch to the kids during practices cause he's still got a mean fastball.
• He's always the first to propose a game that involves danger and the possibility of trauma, scars, and or bruises.
• He avoids buffets like the plague.  Old, cranky, senior-discount plagues.

But then again, 
there's ten reasons we can't deny that he really has gotten older:

• At 50, he's actually old enough to join AARP.
• All the LITE radio stations are programmed into his radio's auto-tune buttons.
• When he grows a beard it comes in gray.  I rather fancy it though.
• He wears his readers anytime, anywhere, and doesn't care who sees.
• Slippers have become his favorite footwear.

• He likes to wear his noise cancelling headphones even when there's hardly any noise to cancel out.
• He lingers longer when flipping channels and pauses on trivia game shows.  It's only a matter of time before he just tunes in for the whole show and shouts out the answers.
• If you write him a love note, better do it in large print.  Or at least scan it and send it to his ipad.
• He's rather fond of the weekend nap.
• If someone teases him about his age he turns into                 Mr. Crankypants.  We tease him anyway.

Although, turning 50 does has its advantages...

• You're actually old enough to join AARP.
• Krispie Kreme gives you 10% off their donuts.
• You can save 20% off your monthly Gold's Gym membership.
• Sea World gives you $3 off a one-day ticket.
• and so does Busch Gardens.
• You can save 25% off at National Rent-a-Car
• You now qualify for K-Mart's "Gold K Prescription" discount program.
• Every Tuesday you'll save 10% at Goodys.
• and 10% off on Tuesdays at Michaels Craft.
• and now you can dress like your always on an African safari with your 10% discount at Banana Republic.

And if that's not cool enough...here's ten more interesting things about 50:

• 50 is the score on the center of a dartboard known as a "bullseye".
• The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim retired the number 50.
• 50 is the atomic number of tin.
• An ant can lift 50 times its weight.
• The Roman Numeral for the number 50 is "L".
• The 50-move rules in chess: if there have been 50 consecutive moves of white and black chess pieces without any piece taken or any pawn moved, then a player can claim a draw.
• Back in 1986, Nevada’s Highway 50 was named the “Loneliest Highway in America” by LIFE Magazine.
• The U.S. Senate vote result in a tie 50-50 is the only situation that the U.S. Vice-President has a chance to cast his vote to break the tie.
• The critical speed in the movie “Speed” is 50 mph.  
• Londinium in Britain was founded by the Romans in the year 50 AD.

Happy Birthday Mark! 
You're still young to me.