I wouldn’t waste the coal.

The inbox is the new mailbox. So all of our seasons greetings are going out via email. And we created our own holiday graphics and text, including family photos. So much more personal than a store-bought card, no?!?.

Jeannot - I will not be here in 25 years either, sorry to say. As I said, I have my own crap with which to deal. But I am much happier to be alive and dealing than the obvious alternative. As I said, we don’t age backwards. And I never believed that when I began to suffer the slings and arrows of old age, I would become disillusioned. In fact, watching my older loved ones and friends succumb, I faced the reality of the situation long ago.

Jim - Your remarking that a hyphen in my name provides you valid “insight” into who I am is an invalid notion. You have never met me. You have never worked with me. You have never been to my house. You don’t know anything about me, no matter what your guess. Second: Linda Tripp was not Hillary Clinton’s best friend, so the point you were attempting to make is moot. Third: No, I am not jealous of Sarah Palin because you stated she is “good looking.” I don’t put a lot of emphasis on someone’s looks. Obviously you do. I care to value people by their words and actions as they relate to others. So before you go making ridiculous “assumptions” about me, I suggest you actually get to know someone before you go knocking them. A hyphen is not a valid “tell” in the real world.

Back at Elaine — the first rule of public debate is to stay on topic. So why do you debate Barney Frank’s sexuality as a reason for the demise of Fannie and Freddie? Your text sounds no more “Christian” than the words of Revs. Falwell, Robertson, and Dobson in years past, when they blamed the horrific acts of 9-11 on the feminists, homosexuals, believers in freedom of choice, et al. If you are indeed Christian, and if I’m not mistaken, isn’t it well-reported that your Son of God loved all people regardless of their flaws, or sins, or sexuality? Perhaps if you’d keep your remarks to the point, and without un-Christian mean-spirited and off-subject comments (e.g. denouncing Barney Frank a “girly man”), those reading them would be more accepting of your opinion. What on (Son of) God’s green earth does Barney Frank’s sexuality have to do with the fall of Fannie and Freddie?

I, for one, could care less about Oprah’s weight. What I do love is that she throws it around for good causes.

Back to Elaine — First, I live in NYC, Hillary Clinton is my senator. And you know what, as New Yorkers we don’t care what you or others think about Ms. Clinton. We New Yorkers, along with senior Senior Senator Chuck Schumer, think she’s doing/has done a terrific job for our state since 9-11. Secondly, why on earth would you think that the majority of intelligent, well-read, and politically active women at this site would hold Linda Tripp in high regard? As a woman, she was not a good friend to her friend, which leads me to believe she’s basically not a good person. But I must say her extreme makeover with all the cosmetic surgery she’s been lucky enough to afford looks good. Now what’s she doing to better her interior being?

Susan, yes, I count myself more fortunate than many others. I currently am not homeless, terminally ill, or without a single friend or family member. But don’t let my buoyant text fool you; I also carry a big load of crap with which I must deal. Regardless, unlike Benjamin Button, we don’t age backward.

I’m quite disallusioned to read such comments here as “getting old sucks.” No matter how many times we may have been burned, spurned, or yearned to no avail, it’s life’s experiences as we age that make the human ride worth it. I’m in my early 50s and I’m absolutely lovin’ it. I’ve never felt more secure in my skin, confident in my talents and skills, and so sure of myself in the world. Getting older has gotten me to this point — and to this website and the question posed. My answer: Getting older is oh so much better than the alternative.