Jack Broom

At 68, Joy LaJeret has applied for enough jobs to recognize some of the code phrases potential employers use.

They don't come right out and say, "You're too old." But they might say something subtle such as: "We're looking for someone who would grow with the company."

She's even heard this: "With all your experience, you'd probably be bored with a job like this."

But LaJeret, of Redmond, Wash., has kept working part-time office jobs while training for something better. She can't afford to retire.

SEATTLE -- Of all the things Erik Lindbergh remembers about his famous grandfather, one that sticks with him best is their debate over how to pronounce the word "helicopter."

Charles Lindbergh, who had made the first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, brought a toy helicopter to his grandson on Bainbridge Island in the early 1970s, and Erik thanked him for the "HELL-i-cop-ter," the pronunciation used today.