Drone Course: Go or No Go?

Can fly a drone, knows the rules…

Sam: You’ve been flying drones for years. Do you need a certificate?

Antonio: I don't actually need a licence but am toying with the idea of taking a course with a 101 level course. It costs about $300.

Sam: Can your pension pay for that? 

Antonio: It’s affordable. 

Sam: And the use of it? 

Antonio: I could do some drone photography if I showed them a credential, but it’s not a pressing vocational need. Do you think this an ego trip at my stage of life? Or might there be an existential justification for wanting to take the course?

Sam: Gives you a new credential. A badge. Hones your cognition. Maybe meet new friends. These sorts of things extend life meaningfully. Is it a useful course?

Antonio: It’s asynchronous online. I teach online so I know how that works. Maybe not so much face to face with others. Practical test is with one of their team. Reviews are OK. I’ve got four weeks of relatively free time. 

__________

Voice-over

Less an ego trip, more of an life-extending existential exploration.

Less an ego trip, more of an life-extending existential exploration.

Choking and Falling

Discussing recent medical checks…
Simon: Went for my annual check-up yesterday. New questionnaire. First question: “How many times a week do you experience choking while eating?”
George: Choking? Huh, cheerful opener. Mine started with, “Have you had a fall or a near fall in the last six months?” I told him, “Define near fall.”
Simon: The hallway’s become my unofficial handrail. I should install actual ones, but I’d miss the thrill.

George: Thrill? You mean the adrenaline rush of wondering if tonight’s the night your hip meets the floor?
Simon: That’s it. He also asked if I’ve noticed any memory loss. I said, “I don’t remember.”
George: Classic. Mine asked if I’ve had any unexplained weight loss. I said, “Only when I forget to eat lunch.”
__________
Voice-over
Doc used to ask about prostate screening. Not anymore. When you ask why, he says, “At your age, something else will likely carry you off before that kicks in.” Like being told the fire alarm’s broken but don’t worry, the building’s already on fire.

On Not Combining Birthdays

An apology…

Ricardo: Sorry I couldn’t make it back in time to celebrate. My birthday! The trip was unavoidable, couldn't reschedule.

Antonio: Of course. Life has its own plans sometimes. Don't worry about it. But I was thinking, since Maria is turning eighty next week, we could celebrate your birthday together with hers. What do you think?

Ricardo: Great idea. It would be nice to have a joint celebration with Maria. But I'm not sure if she would appreciate it. Turning eighty is a milestone.

Antonio: Yeah. Maria's eightieth birthday is a special occasion. Wouldn't want to take the spotlight off her. And worse, custom dictates that if we celebrate your birthday with Maria's, you would also become eighty years old. Some silly superstition.  Leaping from 65 to 80 would hardly be the best birthday present one could wish for, would it. 

Ricardo: Ha, ha. Nope, aging as rapidly as that I’ll pass on. 

Antonio: Maybe after the heat of summer in October. Nights are cooler then.

_________

Voice-over

Not clear where the superstition comes from, but when two people celebrate their birthdays on the same day, it is said they both become one year older than their actual age. A playful belief. Superstitions often lack a logical or scientific basis and are based  more on cultural traditions and beliefs. They can also be influenced by personal anecdotes or stories passed down within families or communities. Over time, such beliefs become ingrained in the collective consciousness.

Declining Communities

Inheriting a house…

Hiroshi: Have you decided what to do about the house?

Mariko: It's a bit complicated. Admittedly the house is free, but on the other hand, renovating it will cost almost as much as building a new one. I'm not sure what to do.

Hiroshi: Bit of a dilemma. Location isn’t great either, I mean the population is declining and services along with it.

A money pit?

Mariko: It's not exactly a thriving area, yes. Plus, my sister living next door, that’s OK, but she might move away.

Hiroshi: And I recall you saying that your sister’s house is two storeys high and blocks the light.

Mariko: The two buildings also look unbalanced. And it’s not as though the old house has any significant historical or sentimental value.

Hiroshi: Maybe it’s more practical to just start afresh in a house in a more vibrant location.

__________

Voice-over

Besides the thrill of getting a free house, considering long-term satisfaction and convenience are important. Renovating or building a new house is a burden that takes time, effort and money. 

Sugiura Keiko

Keeping on keeping on...

Aprés the Paralympics…

Aya: So who was the Japanese who moved you the most?

Naomi: That’s hard. There were so many inspiring stories. But maybe Sugiura.

Aya: Because you are a cyclist too?

Naomi: Two gold medals. At age 50. The oldest Japanese gold medalist.

Aya: She got over a lot of adversities.

_________

Voice-over

A pharmacist, with two children, who used to cycle as a hobby. Fell off at age 45, multiple fractures, brain damage, had to learn to read again. Took up Paralympic cycling. Games were postponed by a year and almost gave up. But stuck at the training  to win a gold medal in a time trial event and another in the road race. Mix with people who tell you, “Don’t give up.”

Rattly ball joint

At the surgery…

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Osteopath: How are things?

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Patient: Everything’s falling to bits. My hip joint is giving me pain, and my car has rattly ball joints too.

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Osteopath: Hmm, could be inflammation.

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Patient: Do I need a hip replacement?

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Osteopath: Unlikely. And something to be avoided. I had one patient who had a titanium hip joint. But the ball kept popping out its socket. Six times this happened each time he fell.

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Patient: Injured?

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Osteopath: The final fall was fatal.

__________

Voice-over

An aging car can be a metaphor for an aging person. Performance decreases, joints get rattly, more maintenance is required. Vehicles need regular inspections. If the repairs are costly, the vehicle may be scrapped. And if a person fails an inspection?

...

What have I done?

After a difficult telephone call …

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Phillip: He’s having a hard time facing the end of his life, he said, “What have I done?”

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Florence: Meaning what had he done with his life? Like Alec Guinness’s Colonel Nicholson after finishing the bridge on the river Kwai for the benefit of the Japanese, saying, “What have I done?”

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Phillip: No, no. Not that. It wasn’t a sudden realization of a great mistake. He delivered it with an air of resignation. Then he said, “Could have done so much more.”

I did so little...

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Florence: A gentle regret?

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Phillip: Regret yes. A sadness tinged with regret. More like Leonardo Da Vinci. “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”

_________

Voice-over

It’s natural to reach the end of life wishing one could have done more. What’s a suitable response? Whether you’re talking to someone else, or you’re talking to yourself, at the end of life there’s no need for qualified assessments. It’s the time for “You did great,” or  “You were incredible”.

...

No such thing as a free house?

Ryo may inherit a house and discusses it with Mariko...

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Ryo: It’s free. It’s a free house.

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Mariko: There’s inheritance tax. And then property taxes to pay each year. And maintenance. And upgrading.

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Expensive inheritance

Ryo: So it costs a little. But land is land.

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Mariko: And then there’s the neighbors. As you said, they may not be the easiest people to get along with. And how will you use it? You already have an apartment.

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Ryo: A vacation retreat for spring and autumn. The weather is too hot in summer and too cold in winter.

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Mariko: Can you rent it out?

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Ryo: Hmm. Probably not. The community is dying. So many empty houses all around. The bus service is being reduced.

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Mariko: Can’t you just demolish the house and sell the land?

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Ryo: Land tax is six times for land with no house. There are no buyers.

__________

Voice-over

Gradually the idealistic Ryo sees the practical wisdom of Mariko. Property does not always yield a profit. Location, maintenance and market price need to be considered. Sometimes even a free house can rack up debts. Little wonder that many young Japanese decline to inherit a property.

...