10:52 p.m. | 2004-01-15 I�ve Been Pegged. Already. Okay. So you know that my most exciting recent news is that I�m a GreatAunt. And, I�m also sure that you know that I can�t shut up about that. Here�s some recent scoop. (CI:) Hey NewBoss, guess what? I�m a GreatAunt now. My GreatNephew was born the other day. Isn�t that cool? (NewBoss:) That�s great. Except you�re not old enough to be a Great Aunt. (CI:) Oh, but I am. See that little guy in that picture there. Yeah, he was two when that photo was taken. Now, he�s twenty-two and well, he�s the father of my GreatNephew. Now I do know that women aren�t supposed to reveal their true age and I do realize that I look younger than I am, but� well, there are bragging rights somewhere in that mix. Right? Anyway, it progressed like this. (NewBoss:) (Mind you, he doesn�t have children and also has nieces and nephews. Plus, he watches cartoons and I don�t.) Are you the �wacky aunt�? (CI:) Why yes, I am. (Wondering if it�s that transparent.) And, frankly, that�s how I learn about Thomas the Train and Blues Clues. (AnotherColleague:) Thomas the Train? (Laughing.) (NewBoss:) Me too. (CI:) And, of course, I let them do everything their parents don�t let them do, I suggest that they do silly things, and I engage in sword fights and such. I try not to teach them to swear but, you know, they pick that stuff up so quick. I don�t really know if he was relating to me or just pegged me as a �wacky old lady�. I�m not that old, but I already exhibit all the signs of becoming that �eccentric old lady�. Really. I�m the porch gardener, I�m the wacky aunt, I�m that strange single lady next door, and I�m the crazy plant lady at work. I chalk all that stuff up to maturation � and fun when it involves the aunt activities � but I�m not dense. I do know that my single status puts me into a singular (pun intended) class. The older I get, the more stereotypic that class becomes. However, NewBoss and NewColleagues really think that I�m young. Ironically, they believe that I�m younger than they are. That�s a really odd experience for me. I keep trying to remember to �play down� my age, but hell, my memory�s shot. I need to work on that. I really wish I had that same energy that I did back then. Surely, I do. Since I don�t, I�m hoping that I�ve gained enough wisdom to counter-balance that equation. your thoughts? seed flower