Call it luck, call it a curse, but whatever humans are up to in this world, you can bet we'll drag the animal kingdom along with us. (For example, 57 percent of American pets are overweight or obese.) When the U.S. government announced earlier this month that the U.S. life expectancy has surpassed 78 years (still behind 30 other countries), it was yet another mirror to the lives of our animal friends. The Golden Years have arrived at America's zoos which means unchartered waters for zookeepers.

It's a nightmare thought, isn't it? I took a baby CPR class when I was pregnant. I know how to help my daughter if she chokes, drinks poison, gets a burn, breaks an arm or encounters a bee. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do if something happens to me. And me is usually the person in charge. And that's scary. Let's educate ourselves.  

I came home Monday afternoon to a strange house. A confused woman who does not know me had been wandering its rooms, but now sat quietly, staring into space. Another woman that I barely know busily cleaned one room, shaken by what she'd witnessed, and a little old man hobbled in the living room. In the back bedroom, a young giant slumbered in clutter, and the family cat did not peep from behind the kitchen's bay window curtains to see who'd come to visit. Neither did the family dog bark in the backyard as he usually does when anyone arrives.

On Wednesday I attended the fifth annual Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit which is a $10,000 business plan competition for businesses aimed at the needs and concerns of baby boomers. The competition was founded and co-produced by Mary Furlong, Ed.D. who is a serial entrepreneur who has raised over $120 million focusing on the boomer/senior marketplace.

In my heart,I hold a memory. My Grandmother is in her early 80's. We have come across the state to see her, picking her up at her retirement center and driving her across the street for lunch at Applebees. She has ordered steak, and a margarita, and white wine. It is 11:30am. Grandma's hands are gnarled by arthritis, so I help her cut her steak. She weighs about 99 pounds these days, but she eats with relish. "Ummm.This steak is so good. Ummmm! Can I try your shrimp? "

Jeff Veen, a fellow who is famous in the web design world–he's part of Adaptive Path–announced a conference for people who want to start a company. The conference is called Start and costs a mere $200. It will be in August in San Francisco.