Friday Update - 08/07/2026

Tuesday was the 50th anniversary of the worst date in my life.

I was 19 years old and had already been out with Annie a couple of times. I really liked her and was hoping our relationship would progress into something more. So when the chance came to see the Grateful Dead at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ on August 4, 1976, I quickly called her and asked if she wanted to go.

She did. So we made plans.

The afternoon of the concert, I picked her up, and we made the two-hour drive to the stadium. We were going to meet two of my friends there and sit together for the show. About 30 minutes before the show was due to start, Annie saw some friends in another part of the stadium. She said she was going to go say hello to them and would be right back.

The concert started. Annie had not returned. I figured she had a hard time getting back to where we were and would be back shortly. I was wrong.

The Dead played their first set, about 90 minutes, and took their traditional break. Annie had still not returned. I kept expecting her to return before the second set started, but she never did. Two hours later, when the Dead had finished playing their encore and the show was over, Annie appeared next to me.

“Do I still have a ride home?” she asked.

“I am not going to leave you here,” I replied, and we headed out to the car.

It was a very tense drive home. She never explained what had happened, and I never asked. I really did not want to know because no explanation would have made a difference. I knew I would never see her again.

I dropped her off at her house. That was the last time I ever saw her.

In an odd coincidence, the second-worst date I ever had was also at a Grateful Dead concert. That was when my date threw up on my foot during the intermission. The lesson I learned was that as much as I liked going to Dead concerts, they were not a good choice for dates.

If you are interested, you can watch the video of the Roosevelt Stadium concert on YouTube.

Here are some things I’ve seen in the news over the past few days that you might want to read and think about.

• New mRNA flu shot approved. The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new mRNA-based flu shot this week. The new shot is said to be 27% more effective than standard flu shots. The new shot has been approved for adults ages 50 and older. Whether you are comfortable with mRNA vaccines or not, you can learn more about the shot here.

• Does our diet fuel colon cancer? A new study published in the journal Gut may show links between the Western diet many of us eat and an increase in colon cancer. This article in Science Alert discusses the link.

I’ve just started reading Dead Girl Blues by Lawrence Block. This 2020 release is a dark crime fiction story from one of the genre’s masters. It’s written as a series of journal entries from a man who murdered a woman when he was in his mid 20s and seems to have gotten away with it. He discusses his memories of the event and his life since it happened. I am only halfway through, so I do not know how it ends. I would not reveal the ending even if I knew.

The book is short, well-written, and easy to read. That is a welcome change after reading two novels that were both difficult and slow to read,

Now that the World Cup and baseball’s All-Star Game are done with, it’s time to focus on the rest of the baseball season. I am a longtime Phillies fan, so I continue to watch the games with hope, but I am always ready for the Phillies to collapse.

That’s it for this week. Look for my regular Living After 60 column next Tuesday, and another Friday Update next weekend. Thanks for reading.