Odd Days: 85 Might Be Fun

Most people think they would like to be 85 one day, but they don't expect it to be much fun. Well I'm not so sure. We came up here to celebrate my dad's 85th birthday and we let him plan the celebration. That in and of itself was almost enough to make it the best damn birthday ever. He was so excited he couldn't sleep the night before. Bear in mind, this man has been on dialysis for four years. He is not ambulatory and he cannot sit upright for any length of time without getting a headache.

So what did he want to do? He wanted to go to a casino south of here and stay overnight. While there, he planned to gamble, dine, and go for a swim. He was so pumped, he forgot that swimming in a pool with an open dialysis port is something he shouldn't do.

So we get to the casino and Dad proves he was born to the penny slots. Soon he was ready for lunch. Never much of a drinker, he nonetheless decided to order a martini. His birthday, don't you know. Two gin soaked olives later, he was ready for a nap. Two hours later, he was ready for round two. The second round of slots was followed by a steak dinner--sans martini.

Eight hours into this adventure, Dad is more voluble than he's been in ten years. He wants to discuss winning combinations, cuts of steak and plans for the future.

He talks us into buying him a cigar. When was the last time he had a cigar we wonder out loud. He wags his eyebrows like Groucho Marx but he doesn't answer the question.

Oh please let me be like this when I am 85 and 4 years into dialysis!