Hey! I was hit by that same truck!
How come that driver still has his license?
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Hey! I was hit by that same truck!
How come that driver still has his license?
Because, the state doesn’t suspend, rescind or confiscate a Pep Boys driver’s license.
Look and listen. The truck will not surprise you if you’re paying attention.
BTW, that is the original autonomous vehicle.
I survived the hit OK, but now my pants never stay up.
As long as it isn’t a hearse you’re doing fine.
I turn 60 this year. Recently is the first time I have felt “old”. I am blaming it on the COVID I had.
Old age. Yeah, tell me about it. I went to my 50 year high school reunion recently. The only way I knew who was who was by the old yearbook photos pinned to our clothing. If not for those I wouldn’t have recognized anyone. If I had passed her on the street I wouldn’t even have recognized the hot babe I dated in that long ago time of beads and bell bottoms. And we knew each other very well. But, I suppose that’s better than being found in the In Memoriam section of the program.
Everyone thinks they’re going to be the exception to the rule, that old age won’t be so rough for THEM.
Everyone’s wrong, trust me.
Defining moments in one’s life: the first time you are adressed with the polite form of the second person singular — for my native language (Dutch) that is u, in German it is Sie, in French vous. You anglosaxon lot don’t have the experience. And then you are hit by the old-age bus.
My old-age bus was actually my girlfriend’s motorbike. It broke my back (i.e., it caused a herniated disk) three years ago, and I haven’t recovered since.
I never procreated (you can thank me for that — by not procreating, I contributed a lot more to a possible survival of the human race than most), but I suppose the empty nest is such a defining moment in life.
Esprit de l’escalier: of course becoming a parent counts as a defining moment in one’s life — for those irresponsibles that are making babies.
Treppenwitz: I became aware I was an old geezer when the young girl at the desk asked whether I wanted stamps at the check-out.
feralboy12 @ 3 “…but now my pants never stay up”. Count your blessings: soon you won’t remember to put them on in the 1st place.
I get my free bus pass in two months time (Ah… Scotland!) and Boy! Am I going to hit the town and … buy some horlicks?
Seriously, my ‘bus’ hit me hardest a few years back when I’d forget variable names halfway through some coding. Analysis suddenly just took ages.
@feralboy12 @3, that’s why we wear our pants up to our chests, to get it over the belly and still stay up. It’s that or suspenders, then we’d have to work on not dragging the damned things inside of the toilet.
Bruce Fuentes @5, did that last Nov. Felt old when I had to bury my wife. Still feel that way and worse.
Of course, it’s raining and I’ve not felt great when it rains for years…
René @10, I was going to add parenthood, but you got there quickly enough. I still remember holding our firstborn and thinking, “Oh fuck, now what do I do?”. That was swiftly answered by baby, diaper changes galore and feedings incessantly, burp and get vomited on.
Been spit up on by a dozen babies over the years and we only have two kids and three grandkids. I’ve always loved small kids, got some years before they turn into assholes like us old farts. ;)
Ouch.
Would have been funny when I was younger but now time rockets past so horribly quickly and I get back from work and hurt so much, it’s, yeah. Can relate to this quite a bit .. already .. sadly.
The year is WHAT now?!
René @ #8 — Of the several defining moments I have experienced in my life, there are two directly related to my age. When I was in my late 20s I quit being carded for going into clubs or buying alcohol. I was very pleased by the change. I felt I had arrived at being an adult. The next came in my late 60s when I quit being carded for senior discounts at stores. Not such an upbeat moment realizing that I was obviously so old…but defining nonetheless.
I have a new pup, and I had her in for her well-puppy visit yesterday. I mentioned to the vet that she was a bit loose, though mostly outside, which is good. The vet recommended some anti-diarrheal kibble, which, fine, I paid eighty bucks for. So I’ve got the pup (a big one, a blue-merle Dane) in one hand, and the big sack of kibble over my other shoulder.
A forty-something mommy sees the old man struggling, and sends her teenage son across the parking lot to help me schlep the kibble to the car. I say to him: “the bag might have a rip in it, so hold it carefully”. But do I turn down the offer for help? No, I do not. I live on the 3rd floor, and there’s no elevator, so the sack is still in my Kia. I first need to find a younger girlfriend, then I’ll have HER carry it up.
But yes, I let a teenager carry the kibble to my car yesterday. Sic transit gloria mundi.
Robro, your comment is appreciated. I don’t do emoticons, but it would be a checked box.
The last time I actually felt old was in my 30s. I should say “most recent”, not “last”. I’m sure it won’t really be the last time. But I’ll enjoy middle age as long as I can. Aging feels better than it looks… at least so far.
René@8
It may be analogous to being called “Sir” or “Ma’am” in a store. I never use either term and now I wonder what age it starts. I doubt anyone would address a 10 year old as “Sir”. An 18 year old, I don’t know.
Since I work with people almost entirely younger than I am, often by 25 years or more, I have to keep reminding myself of the asymmetry. I look at them and usually think “adults, just like me.” To them I am probably “the old guy in the room.” At least if I were in my early 30s, that is how I would see someone approaching 60.
I remember (and this was before I was 50) going under my desk to plug in my development workstation after an office move. Someone much younger asked if I needed help. I thought “The day I can’t plug in my own box is the day I call it quits, for good.” (I said “No thanks, I’m good.” but kind of wish I had let loose unfiltered.)
The trick is to tie an onion on your belt. That’s what we did in my day.
Haven’t quite reached it yet mainly because I look younger than my age . But having Covid, getting tired quickly and having the exhaustion irritate an old injury was eye opening . Not used to feeling draggy like that .
Also up until about 5 years ago I used to think teens acting up in the back of the bus was still funny . Now it’s like,”damn kids need to shut up!”
Oggie: Mathom@20 They don’t have any white onions because of the war. The only thing you can get are those big yellow ones.
The final straw came when my Doctor started to use the phrase “people of your age.” I told her that at my age (retired) every day is Saturday. She wasn’t amused.
I was talking with my younger brother a couple of days ago. I said, “You know, I turn 65 in six weeks, but I don’t feel old.”
Bro then reminded me that I had just spent 10 minutes describing in detail my shoulder injury, chronic back pain, osteoporosis, and struggle losing the heart-attack fat on my gut.
Snarky bastard.
One minute your friends are turning 30 … blink of an eye and you are “celebrating” their 80th birthday…
Oh, and to quote Monty Python “No one ever expects [the Spanish Inquisition] Old Age”.
Hairhead #25
I have a brother like that.
But my snark on him involves my never having a trans-tibial amputation.
For me it seems to be milestones the media recognizes. Usually it’s 50 years. This week it was it was the movie version of Cabaret, a movie I haven’t seen since it was broadcast on TV, I assume, sometime in late 1972.
I don’t remember much about it except for melodies.The romance, politics, history, and gender bending were beyond me.
I think I might try to watch it and see what I missed.
I don’t know if I would call it wisdom but age, for some, can bring a more enlightened perspective.
It’s called nostalgia, fishy.
(It’s pretty good, go for it. Not happy, but)
I’m old enough to contribute to this conversation, but I refuse to do so.
robro@15,
Damn! You just reminded me I forgot to ask for my 5% discount yesterday at a shop which gives them. And I had my free bus travel pass with me (see astringer@11), too. But in self-mitigation, I hadn’t actually used it to get there – I cycled.
John Morales@30,
Nostalgia’s not what it used to be!
Diapers to diapers
Fuss to fuss.
Re: brightmoon @ #21…
I, too, don’t look my age. Twice, in our (as of today, 51 year) marriage, some medical person has told my wife that her “son” (me) could take her home now. Fortunately, the first time she was feeling too ill to do anything and the second time she just laughed.
Sadly, I could relate to this at the ripe old age of 13. Puberty was not kind to my body, and chronic pain has been my constant companion ever since. I’m 40 now, and so, so, so tired of this absolute bullshit.