Not Dead Yet: ... And One or Two Other Good Things about Retirement

From a man who has written more than his share of feel-good self-help books, Not Dead Yet, a wry, perceptive, and hilarious account of the retirement years, debunks the AARP-originated myth of ruddy-faced seniors grinning and golfing their way into a golden sunset, and offers some helpful (if cynical) advice about finding a new purpose in later life.

Patrick Fanning is a retired publisher, painter, and author who talked himself into writing just one more book, but after this he is definitely going to retire for good, whether he can afford it or not. He has authored and coauthored many books, including Messages, Self-Esteem, and Thoughts & Feelings. He started a second career painting landscapes about twelve years ago, but he's more or less retired from that as well. He is contemplating a third career as a filmmaker, comedian, singer/songwriter, handyman, or human drug trial subject-he hasn't decided yet.

Patrick's retirement activities include woodworking, messing with pianos and harpsichords, flying, listening to music, painting, restoring old cars, cooking, fixing up old houses, volunteering at the art center and film society, riding his recumbent bike, and having coffee with friends. He says, "I like to think of myself as a Renaissance man-if the Renaissance happened in twenty-first century Sonoma County among a passel of disillusioned hippies, red diaper yuppies, and failed dot-commers-kind of Renaissance Lite."

He lives in rural northern California with his wife Nancy, a calico cat, six chickens, many gophers, rats, mice, and birds, and a septic tank full of assorted micro-organisms. If he has paid his ISP bill and hasn't screwed things up again.