Apr 02, 06 | 2:34 pm
Early Bird : A Memoir of Premature Retirement
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Early Bird : A Memoir of Premature Retirement 
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to retire early and spend your days paddling around the pool of a retirement home and playing Mah Jong at the clubhouse? Rodney Rothman, a former head writer for The Late Show with David Letterman, decided to do just that. He moved in with a senior at Century Village, a retirement village located in Florida, and experienced the senior. Rothman did a short interview with LifestyleDaily writer, Elana Rubin.
1.) Tell us a little about yourself...
R: 32 years old, born in Queens NY, moved to Westchester when I was 7. Went to Middlebury College in Vermont. Sagitarius, I love pineapple.
2.) As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
R: Since I was nine or ten, a writer, though I had no idea how to go about doing that. I once took the train into New York when I wa a teenager to try and get a joke on SNL. Went to the lobby of 40 Rockefeller and tried to talk my way in. It did not work.
3.)Do you still keep in contact with anyone from the book?
R: Sure, I still have lots of friends there. I'm probably the only person I know who routinely gets voicemails and emails from elderly people he is not related to.
4.) You remarked about finding a Jewish girl in the book. What traits of the older women did you enjoy that you wish some of the 20 and 30 something Jewish girls possessed?
R: Hmmm, dangerous question. I think people in our generation are too picky, myself included. I envied the older people I met because they seemed to be not as burdened by high expectations.
5.) Not that I'm asking you to generalize, but what popular misconceptions did you find untrue about the retirees? What was true?
R: People think that all older people are grouchy, or that you become more grouchy as you get older. while down there I learned that people don't change as much as you think. If you're grouchy when your 20, you're grouchy when you're 80. Its just that we don't call it "grouchy" when a person is 80, we use other words that are not printable.
6.) If you were given the choice to write comedy for any show past or present, which would you choose?
R: SNL in 1975 would be fun. And of course Who's The Boss, 1987.
7.) You've just been cast opposite Alan Alda in a new groundbreaking series on FX......Nevermind I have no related question. It just sounds like a great idea.
8.) You are given one "Mr. Yuck" name tag, what famous person do you give it to and why?
R: Whoever came up with the phrase "Mr. Yuck"
9.) You are a good Jewish boy; have you called your mother lately?
R: Talked to her this morning. She is in Chile right now.
10.) What do you hope to do next in life?
R: I'm thinking about going to the gym.
Mr. Rothman's book is available online at amazon.com.
Article by Elana Rubin of FutureFashionista.com.
