arnold?

i can't reconcile these images.

my brain won't make the leap. it walks right up to the edge, looks into the abyss, then turns and runs back to the fog. my brain is such a girly-man sometimes.

arnold schwarzenegger, hollywood's baddest-ever action star, looks like his terminator warranty expired. a while ago. and now he's stuck lugging around all kinds of artificial parts: heart valves, a hip, cables and screws in his leg, and who know what all else.

in fairness, these days arnold is governor of california, the 7th largest economy in the world. it's possible his day-to-day responsibilities occasionally may take precedence over his once-rigorous workout schedule. but still...does he have to look so human?

just 20 years ago arnold looked like this...


"If it bleeds, we can kill it."

that was one bad man...and he was 6 years younger than i am now. the takeaway? if it can happen to arnold it can happen to anyone.

but maybe there's some wiggle room here. it's possible his current condition is the result of years of steroid abuse and raucous living. that his body is saying, "payback...this time it's for real."

in contrast, my substance abuse consists of a couple cookies after dinner and the glass of red wine i'm working on. i consider both to be therapeutic.

so maybe, with luck and a couple strategic advances in medical technology, when i'm 60 i can look not-a-day-over 52.

i'm talking theoretically here, so i'd ask for some latitude. thank you.

in a world where some seek to reshape the future by changing the present...is it asking too much for a role model to set the bar somewhere above average? no. it is not.

i worked out today. i'll try to work out at least one day this weekend. and not because i want to be an action hero (though that'd be nice).

partly, i just don't want my warranty to expire. mostly, because i like the red wine. and the cookies.