Twenty eight years ago, when I came to Los Angeles, I lived in a neighborhood that was largely populated by elderly Jewish people. (Their religion is irrelevant. The age is the important part. I only mention it to be thorough.) One day, I was stopped at an intersection in spite of the fact that the light was green. The reason? An octogenarian gentleman was crossing against the light, protected from traffic by nothing but his outstretched arm, palm out toward the cars, in a gesture that said, “STOP, DAMMIT!” There he was, eyes forward, pressing on, secure in the knowledge that this simple but adamant gesture would magically keep him from being run down by impatient L.A. drivers. It was at that moment that I made a decision. “That,” I thought, “Is the kind of old man that I want to be!”

I have lived my adult life in a good natured, even tempered way. I get along to go along. But, in the last few years, the world has gone mad and my tolerance for bullshit is wearing thin. I turn 53 this year. Still a long way from that man’s 80 something years. Too young to be the curmudgeon that I aspire to be. But, my abnormally low blood pressure has moved into the severely hypertensive range. My wife has contracted a disease that is slowly killing her. And, let’s face it, take a look around. The inmates are running the asylum.

So, fuck it.

Today, I become “The Premature Curmudgeon.”

Several of my friends (and one therapist) have been encouraging me to start a blog for a while now. If you are among my first viewers, you know who I am. You are here because I invited you. But for now, just for fun, let’s keep my identity between us. Our little secret. I expect that, from time to time, I may bite the hand that feeds me. So, a little anonymity is in order. I will henceforth refer to myself as “The PC” or simply “The Blog.”

Politics, religion, the entitled rich, bloviating pundits, vapid celebrities, the kid at the drive thru. I’m going after all of them and more, as the mood strikes. No politeness. No “political correctness.” (I hate that term. I’ll be discussing it one of these days.)

Thanks for joining me. If you like what I have to say, great! If you are offended, I don’t give a shit.