Weekly Update 08/29/26 – 09/04/26 (Turning 65, The Missing September 3, and an 11-Minute Mile)
This week's Weekly Update comes a day early as I turn 65, look back at the year when September 3 disappeared from the calendar, remember an unexpected visit from the FBI involving my father's fingerprints, and set myself a new goal of getting back to an 11-minute mile. I'm getting it out early so I can spend the three-day weekend working on my office remodel.
I have not ordered the new floor yet, but I want to see if I can get everything else done over these three days. Finish the painting, install the new shelving, and get the woodwork all cleaned and varnished. There's a lot to do.
I suppose the big event of the week was my turning 65 years old. I remember back when I was little how 65 would mark the start of someone's golden years, since that was when you would start receiving Social Security. Well, things have changed, and I can't start collecting my full Social Security benefit until I'm 67, but if I wait until I'm 70, my monthly check will go up considerably. I've been doing some planning with Astra, ChatGPT, and looking at the different options for when I eventually start collecting Social Security. Since I'm still working, I don't see much point in starting before I reach my full retirement age of 67. I make enough at work that, under the Social Security earnings limit, all of my benefit would be withheld anyway. I'm leaning toward starting to collect it at 67 while I'm still working and using that money to help build my retirement funds. Just in case I have to retire someday, but I have no plans to do that.
I always get a kick out of the fact that in 1752 there was no September 3 in Great Britain and its colonies, including America. That year Wednesday, September 2, was followed by Thursday, September 14. This was done when Britain changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar to correct the calendar's accumulated drift from the solar year. I had heard that one reason for the change was to move the winter solstice away from Christmas Day, but when I looked into it, I found that wasn't the reason. The calendar reform was concerned with correcting the accumulated astronomical drift, particularly the date of the spring equinox used to calculate Easter.
My birthday itself was just a normal day. I did normal things, like having a physical and signing up to get a TSA PreCheck number. Part of the process of getting a PreCheck number is having your fingerprints taken. I have been trying to remember, but I cannot remember having to have my fingerprints taken any other time in my life. I was impressed with the new technology. Instead of the traditional ink and paper, they used a scanner.
Having my fingerprints taken reminded me of my father having his taken. The story all starts while I was in high school, I think. One day, while my father was away on a trip, the FBI showed up at our house asking questions about my father. It turned out that someone had seen him at the post office and recognized him from a wanted poster. The agent had brought a copy of the poster, and yes, this person looked a lot like my dad. In fact, my sister Ann, who was just a toddler, looked at the picture and cried, "Daddy."
The agents left but told us they would be back when my father had returned. A few days later, my father was home and the agents came back to let him know that they had pulled my father's fingerprints and could confirm that he was not the person they were looking for. It seems that back when my father was starting his film career, he had worked for the Department of Defense making educational films and had to get a secret clearance and have his fingerprints taken.
The weather here in the PNW has started to change from summer to fall. I enjoy watching the temperatures change from overnight lows being in the 60s to daytime highs being in the 60s, like they have been this week.
I have developed a new goal for myself. I currently, when weather permits, take two one-mile walks each day. Thinking about those walks and my time as a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol made me think of earning my first chevron and becoming a Cadet 2nd Class. I had to take a written test, and I had to walk/run a mile in 11 minutes.
Right now, I'm walking one mile in about 17 to 18 minutes, down from 20 minutes, but I have set myself the goal of getting back to the 11-minute mile. Part of the training I'm doing to achieve that goal is looking into apps I can run on my Apple Watch that will track my speed and let me know periodically how I'm doing. Am I going faster than my recent goal? How is my heart rate? I have not set a date when I want to achieve this, but I am working toward it.
Well, I hope you all have a great weekend and week to come.
Next Weekly Update
Coming next week
Previous Weekly Update
Weekly Update 08/22/26 – 08/28/26 (Lake America, AI at Work, Rabbits, and Office Remodel)
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