Retirement Show 2008

I went to the London Retirement Show 2008 on Friday.
Not kidding.

In other news, I made a silly poster because I was in one of those moods. Here it is.

Sexual Health Survey for 50s and Beyond

If you are in the UK and know anyone who is over the age of 50, please send them my Sexual Health Survey. I'd be eternally grateful. And I'll be your best friend.

Click Here to take survey

Thanks so much, and please spread the word!

Viagra: Ten Years on the Rise

This was the title of the documentary I watched last night on TV 5. I got some names of experts that I could possibly contact for my own project, so that's good. There wasn't a whole lot of information about STDs among the senior citizen set, but there was a little. This is a good thing because it shows that more information needs to get out there.

The funniest part of the show was when an expert pulled out the following items to describe the different types of erections:

Type 1: Tofu


Type 2: Peeled Banana

Type 3: Unpeeled Banana


Type 4: Cucumber


I'm sorry.
Hold on a minute.
Tofu?
Yup. Tofu.
Chew on that one for a while...

My MA Project!

I finally found a focus for my MA project. I was going around in circles trying to identify what I wanted to do. First, I considered the poetry of genetics as opposed to the biology of genetics. I thought about studying the life of my paternal grandfather and drawing comparisons between him and me and the rest of my family. Then, I thought about creating an "Adult Kindergarten" and using child-like behavior to unlock creative potential in adults. Then I read something about the truancy rate of primary school kids in London increasing, and I wanted to know why, and whether or not there was anything I could do about it. Then, it hit me.

But first, a little back story. In the spring of 2007, I was living in Brookline, MA, and occasionally, I would go to a monthly brunch at a co-op in Cambridge. One of the guys who lived at the co-op was doing his PhD on why Sex and the City became such a global phenomenon. While researching, he came across a factoid that stuck in my head: the STD rates in the elderly were increasing rapidly.

A few months later, I was having a conversation with my parents. They said that an acquaintance of theirs told them the same thing, and that men in the Sun City Center area were
hiring prostitutes in the neighboring town, catching a "phage" (as my dad says), and spreading it to their next partners. This intrigued me.

Throughout my course, the idea kept popping into my head, and I kept pushing it back. I mean, seriously. Did I really want to spend 6 months of my life researching "old people" sex?

But it wouldn't leave me alone. There was too much of an opportunity in it:

1) It could create positive change in people's lives, both young and not-so-young (it could stimulate conversation between generations, and make them aware that everyone is at risk. It could change the way seniors view themselves, and the way our society views seniors.)

2) It has HUGE potential for humor and would allow me to use my comedy background (side note to all Carharts: you will be participating in brainstorming sessions with me via email and phone, so consider yourselves forewarned) and create advertising that is more effective that this:



3) I could parlay this into a career at an innovation consultancy or innovative company because it would prove that I can:
a) identify a problem that the majority of the population can't see
b) take risks by choosing topics that are uncomfortable, and that most people wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole (huh, huh...I said "pole").
c) find a creative solution to a problem and
d) follow it through

Here's the first version of my question/thesis (trumpets blaring): How can I potentially reverse the significant increase of STDs among the elderly?

So, there you have it.
Spread it around (and let the horrible double entendres fly)!