That's not the "royal We," by the way. No, it's my friend Barbara and me. We are of an age, and it's an age that is still on the sunny side of 50 by a couple of years.
Well, yesterday Barbara e-mailed me a picture of a mailing that she got from the AARP -- whose membership is open to those 50 and over, and their spouses. Barbara doesn't meet either of those qualifications. I told her that there must be some mistake, and asked her if she might have perhaps had a fake ID at some point in order to purchase adult beverages. She denied ever having a fake ID. It was a mystery.
So this morning, I'm looking through yesterday's mail and what do I see? Sure enough, a mailing from the AARP, inviting me to join and offering to help me "make the most of life over 50." Only one slight problem: I don't turn 50 until 2010! They must be hard up for membership or else somebody really screwed up. It's strange, because usually people can count on "getting AARPed" right around their 50th birthday. Maybe their membership screener was having a "senior moment" or two.
