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Getting old...

 
 
Future Perfect
14:16 / 14.07.06
I hate getting old at the moment and am blaming it for a couple of things that are proving to be massive pains in the arse.

My first gripe is that (not surprisingly) if I go out and have more than a little apperitif I basically can't function for the next 24 hours at anywhere near my best (not that I mind being slumped on a sofa with only my duvet for company).

More worryingly, I'm increasingly concerned about my ability to read well. I'm really aware that whenever I read pretty much anything that isn't fiction it all makes perfect sense when I'm reading it and then, about an hour later, I could only barely tell you what I'd read. I used to be Tardis-like in my ability to consume information. Now, I worry, reading is pretty soon going to be just pretty words and sounds for me.

Just realised this sounds a bit like a Grumpy Old Man thread and they bug me, them Grumpy Old Men.

What's good about getting older (loads!) and what are you worrying about?
 
 
Thorn Davis
14:35 / 14.07.06

I have back ache today. Back ache! More than anything else in my life, I feel like this announces the onset of old age. Nothing screams 'lame-o grandad' like a man wondering around, palm pressed just above the kidneys going "ooo, me back". I didn't even 'do my back in' doing anything exciting, like snowboarding, or banging too many hott groupies. All i did was, yesterday, run down the street wearing converse trainers (as opposed to something more cushioned). And now its shaken my ageing bones so bad I can't sit up without wincing. I'm going to have to bin them and get some Hush Puppies instead.
 
 
Jub
15:20 / 14.07.06
I quite like getting old. I've felt like a grumpy old sod since I was a teenager and it's just like coming home y'know?

I'm not too keen on the aches and pains or the two day hangovers etc. I do like having the money and freedom to do the things I like - I think it's one of those grass is always greener things. Just enjoy it!
 
 
Cloned Christ on a HoverDonkey
15:25 / 14.07.06
One thing's for sure - getting old is a helluva lot better than not getting old.
 
 
sibyline, beating Qalyn to a Q
15:28 / 14.07.06
yeah, i concur with the not having the same kind of stamina as i used to thing. this problem is exacerbated by the fact that my clubbing friends tend to be in their early 20's.

another thing i've noticed is that i can now tell in pictures that i've gotten older. it used to be that i looked pretty much the same whether at 22 or at 28. now, there's something about my skin... ah well...
 
 
Quantum
15:49 / 14.07.06
"I do like having the money and freedom to do the things I like"

I'd like that. How much older do I have to get? I'm grumpy as fuck with no stamina, a bad back and I'm starting to say things like 'I can't believe teenagers today..." and I'm 31. When do I get the money and freedom?
 
 
MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!
15:52 / 14.07.06
31! Ah, you pup. Those were the salad days.

The worst thing about getting old is that you're like contractually obliged to eat Bridge Mixture, which is this horrible kind of candy gambling and no matter how you play, you always lose.
 
 
paranoidwriter waves hello
16:31 / 14.07.06
I don't like the physical pains involved with getting old either, but maturing mentally is fandabidozi!

Unlike most people I know, I also want my hair to grey, as I've always thought grey hair looks amazing; like those elegant women I've seen in Paris with silver hair, or just a shock of silver that looks like a perfect brush-stroke.

Sadly, I've got a feeling mine will go the way of my father's, like a bird's nest on a frosty morning. Also, the last time I saw my brother he had hair like Nick Fury. Bastard. (Jealous sibling? Moi?)
 
 
electric monk
16:58 / 14.07.06
Also, the last time I saw my brother he had hair like Nick Fury.

My hair's heading in that direction as well, and I'm fairly pleased about it. If I can't grow up to be Nick Fury, I'll take growing up to look like Nick Fury.
 
 
paranoidwriter waves hello
17:10 / 14.07.06
You too, eh? I'm very jealous.

My brother really got off on rubbing the Nick Fury thing in and I ended up threatening him that I'd give him his first eye patch if he didn't shut up. That was when he reminded me that Nick Fury is an expert in a number of hand-to-hand fighting techniques, and that (besides) he's bigger than me and I wouldn't last five seconds. Can't argue with the truth.
 
 
Cloned Christ on a HoverDonkey
18:19 / 14.07.06
Hair.

Hate the stuff. Mine's decided to play a very cruel game on me over the last year or two.

My hairline has started to recede, but only selectively. The centre part of my fringe has remained static, while either side it has chosen to head backwards, then back round behind my fringe.

It's starting to leave a 'fantasy island' of hair stuck on the front of my head. Basically I'm going to end up looking rather silly.

Bald I can handle. Ridiculous I find somewhat less palatable.
 
 
lekvar
21:32 / 14.07.06
I can handle the expanded waistline, I can handle the aches and pains. What gets to me is the dawning realization that nights of wretched excess are a thing of the past. The spontaneous roadtrip, the instant party with 100 of my closest friends, dancing 'til dawn are likely gone for good. And even if I can muster the gumption to party like it's 1899 most of my friends won't stay up past 10 in the evening.
 
 
Jub
12:21 / 17.07.06
I'm 31. When do I get the money and freedom?

oh Quantum. I'm not talking big bucks here / buying a tropical island type money. I'm talking about the little things. The other morning I had chocolate icecream pancakes for breakfast just because I could. I never would have got away with that when I was little.

Near where I work we get a lot of school trips and I remember when I was on school trips thinking I hated the control the teacher had over me and resented walking in line etc. I used to see the people in the area walking about minding their own business without a teacher looming over them and think: you lucky fucks. Now that's me.

As I say, it's the little things!
 
 
Quantum
12:46 / 17.07.06
Oh yes, eating pudding before dinner is still a luxury, and not getting ignored in shops, and being able to buy an ice cream whenever you want goddammit. You know what I like most about being grown up? Not having to go to school. Work is slightly better only because a) you get paid and b) everyone's not going through puberty at the same time.

Old? Saturday I went out in my straw hat and with socks and sandals and a floral short sleeved shirt. All I need is a pipe. My only consolation is that I was carrying a comic* in one hand and had a pack of Magic cards in the other, and was attending a hip-hop festival on the beach.

*200AD's Devlin Waugh, only a fiver!
 
  
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