Tom Waits For No One

I grow old, I grow old/I shall wear my trousers rolled
- T. S. Elliott, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

I turn 50 one week from today, which makes me feel beyond ancient (and yes, I recently got a suit with cuffs, which means I'm wearing my trousers rolled!). I feel even more decrepit after watching the Australian Open all week and learning that the oldest remaining players in the field are Tommy Haas on the men's side and Martina Hingus on the women's. Haas is the ripe old age of 28, while Hingus - who returned from an early retirement exactly one year ago (debuting at the 2006 Australian Open) - is a mere 26.

My earliest retirement will be at age 65. Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Alas! for this gray shadow, once a man
- Tennyson, "Tithonus"