Correction… I’m 26!

For Father’s Day this year, my family gave me a Wii.   I never would have gotten myself a Wii in a million years.  I love it.  Deeply. 

There is a feature on the Wii that tests your skills in three different disciplines — golfing, bowling, hitting home runs, hitting a tennis ball, etc.  It then calculates your “age” based on a combination of the stamina, balance, and speed you’ve displayed.

My daughter challenged me to take the fitness test tonight.  I was given two different bowling challenges (no problem for the former captain of the intramural bowling team in college)  and a tennis challenge.  My age according to the Wii?  Twenty six!

My wife just finished her fitness test.  She’s 51.  Ooh coo ca choo, Mrs. Robinson.

It Begins

Last night, I was putting my daughter, Madeleine, to bed.  She will turn seven on Saturday.  “I can’t believe you’re almost seven!” I said to her as I turned out the light.  “And I can’t believe you’re almost forty!” she said right back in response.

Neither can I, actually.  And that’s what this blog is about. 

I will be 40 on March 19, 2008.   The average American man lives to be about 80.  That means the first half of my life is just about over.  As Ed Koch used to say, “How’m I doin’?”

By all traditional measures, I’m doing great.  I’ve been married for almost 10 years to a terrific woman, Alexandra.  I have two great kids — the near-seven Madeleine and a 21-month-old boy named Christian.  I work for one of the world’s largest, most-respected companies.  I live in Westfield, NJ, one of the nicest towns in America.  I went to Yale.  I have a great group of friends.  I make a lot of money.  I’m devastatingly handsome. 

OK, that last one is bullshit, but, all in all, it’s been a pretty good run. 

How did I get here?  What have I learned?  Who has influenced me and who, perhaps, have I influenced?  What have I accomplished?  And what is left to be done?

39 and rising, baby.  Buckle up.