It's Official...I'm Past It

[phatbac]

Hello my name is Aaron im 30 years old. i dont know how many days that is but it seems like it has been more than a few.

I turn 31 in jan 16th and it seems like im not young anymore with each birthday that doesnt have a 2 on it.

something i noticed about 25 is the older you get the more people start taking you seriously. i guess im looking older too with people taking me more seriously. looking older is never a good thing i think!

[ozzy]

Well I was exactly 22 and a half on the 30th of December. This day is marked as a special day for me because it is the day that actually makes me feel old. Reason being because now the RSM's can come home and be younger than me still.

[Zechariah]

I can still remember the first time some kid called me sir. That was sort of a momentous shock. It didn't make me feel old, at least not exactly, and I wasn't (being in my 20's) but maybe the shock was because it was new to be on the receiving end of respect for a change.

I was raised having sir and ma'am instilled in me as respectful terms of address, and they're still a common part of my vocabulary. These days, though, except for when I'm at the VA clinic or hospital, I notice more and more women giving a sort of down turned eyebrow at my use of ma'am. Does ma'am offend women, or make them feel old?

Aging never bothered me at all, until, that is, I had to start over with competing in the job market in my 50's. It was then that I discovered the new and unpleasant experience of learning, first hand, that age discrimination is real and very much alive and well.

[Moksha]

How old are the folks here.

I am feeling way old. I ran into a guy I went to school with and I couldn't get over how old he had gotten. He probably thought the same of me. Told me of another childhood friend who had died a few years ago. Yikes, I remember so vividly playing basketball together with him.

Saw Janis Ian on TV - she had white hair and looked old. I remember when she looked young. Same goes for Paul Simon and many others. Jay Leno used to have black hair with a single streak of white. Now even a bit of black hair is hard to detect. Where does time go?

[Moksha]

... what's amazing is..I was 42 when I started on this site.

Can you remember the site growing older?

[Elphaba]

Saw Janis Ian on TV - she had white hair and looked old. I remember when she looked young. Same goes for Paul Simon and many others. Jay Leno used to have black hair with a single streak of white. Now even a bit of black hair is hard to detect. Where does time go?

I see the same things, Moksha, and I think it is one of the reasons I'm having such a hard time with my age. Everyone I grew up with looks so old. Additionally, I never see some of them anymore. Paul Simon is one of them, though it sounds like you saw him.

It depresses me terribly to see how old they all look, because I know I look the same. Additionally, every once in a while I'll watch something on television, and have no clue who the young actors are.

And worst of all, Johnny Depp is going to get old. I just don't think I can handle that!

Elph

[pam]

Aging never bothered me at all, until, that is, I had to start over with competing in the job market in my 50's. It was then that I discovered the new and unpleasant experience of learning, first hand, that age discrimination is real and very much alive and well.

I think that is what I'm encountering.

[Dravin]

And worst of all, Johnny Depp is going to get old. I just don't think I can handle that!

Elph

Just cherish the moment Elphaba:

[SMG]

I am 28 years old and could really care less about my age. I'm just glad that I made it through my teens and early twenties in one piece! No one believes me when I tell them my age. Most want to peg me at 21 or younger, which is frustrating when you want to be taken seriously. :S

[Elphaba]

Just cherish the moment Elphaba:

Yes, he's a cutie there, but I prefer him a little older.

THIS is MY Johnny.

Admit it Dravin. Even you're drooling over him.

Elph

[pam]

I am 28 years old and could really care less about my age.

So since you "could" care less...could you care more?

[Elphaba]

I was raised having sir and ma'am instilled in me as respectful terms of address, and they're still a common part of my vocabulary. These days, though, except for when I'm at the VA clinic or hospital, I notice more and more women giving a sort of down turned eyebrow at my use of ma'am. Does ma'am offend women, or make them feel old?

When it's part of your normal vocabulary I think it's cute. A young kid who was a friend of my daughter's in high school was raised to call women ma'am, and I got a kick out of it. He wasn't even saying it out of respect--he said it without thinking.

How old are the women who are giving you the down turned eye? If they're young, they might not like it. I wouldn't have when I was very young.

I got over it. :)

Elphaba

[Dravin]

Yes, he's a cutie there, but I prefer him a little older.

THIS is MY Johnny.

Admit it Dravin. Even you're drooling over him.

Elph

No, but I wouldn't object to looking like him when I'm his age, that's for sure.

[Elphaba]

No, but I wouldn't object to looking like him when I'm his age, that's for sure.

Me too!

Elph

[Dravin]

Me too!

Elph

I said like not at.

Edited January 2, 2010 by Dravin

[Elphaba]

I said like not at.

I know.:)

I just figure he's about the best-looking person on the planet, so if I had the chance to look like him, why not? I could live with that . . . and that too.

As Captain Jack I might be act like a girly girl, but I could pull it off!

Elph

[Dravin]

I know.:)

I just figure he's about the best-looking person on the planet, so if I had the chance to look like him, why not? I could live with that . . . and that too.

Elph

If that happened I picture you going the way of Narcissus. :)

[Traveler]

Today at 6:41 p.m. I turn 62 and my wife has already decided I'm feeble. Our conversation this morning as she was leaving.

"Don't forget to take the brownies out of the oven"

"OK"

"Remember they come out at 8:37"

"OK"

"Don't forget to turn off the oven"

"OK"

"Do you know how to turn off the oven"?

"Well, let's see. There's this big black dial that has O F F printed on it. With six years of college I recognize the word and understand the concept".

My wife loves chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I like white cake. Guess what kind of birthday cake she bought?

While we're on the subject of age. How old are the folks here. I know it's not polite to ask, especially ladies their age, but noone knows us . Your screen name my be Mary, but your name could be Riley. Just for the record, my real name is not Mr. Church Mouse. If you don't want to put your exact age how about 20-30, 30-40 and so on. We'll see how many vain people we have here.:):):)

According to the calendars kept here on earth, I think I am about 12 to 15 billion years old. Sorry I do not remember when I was born. When I get back home, I will ask my father.

The Traveler

[Zechariah]

When it's part of your normal vocabulary I think it's cute. A young kid who was a friend of my daughter's in high school was raised to call women ma'am, and I got a kick out of it. He wasn't even saying it out of respect--he said it without thinking.

How old are the women who are giving you the down turned eye? If they're young, they might not like it. I wouldn't have when I was very young.

I got over it. :)

Elphaba

Well, not that young, now that I think on it, maybe 30's and 40's mostly, I'd guess. But maybe you're right, just the same. Maybe they still feel too young to appreciate being called ma'am, especially by some "old" guy.

[Zechariah]

I think that is what I'm encountering.

Well, I hope this doesn't make you feel worse, but some months ago I decided to check into the laws against discrimination in hiring. Though it seemed to me, for some time, that I was being passed over for jobs because of age, it wasn't until a prospective employer turned me away flat, telling me outright he wanted someone younger, that I knew, without question, that this was a problem, so decided to check into it. Unfortunately, what I discovered was that such laws don't apply to businesses with under a certain number of employees (though I don't know if, or how, those laws may differ from state to state).

I had to conclude that the reasoning behind size of employee base being a factor is that the slack (supposed) left by older or injured or disabled workers, couldn't be accommodated unless there were a sufficient number of other employees to make up the anticipated difference in job production. While I could, at least, understand the practicality of that, it didn't make it any easier, only more frustrating, knowing, due to the kinds of work I'd done in my life, that virtually any job I would apply for would be with small enough businesses, with few enough employees, that they could legally refuse to hire me, simply because they didn't like my age.

[Moksha]

I just figure he's about the best-looking person on the planet, so if I had the chance to look like him, why not? I could live with that . . . and that too.

Elph

Have you considered what a mess all that drool underneath the mirror would make?

[CreoleCath]

Aw, criminy..13,203 days old and counting down to 1,000,000..

[dazed-and-confused]

21,1119 days as of today.......57 years, as of today......405 in dog years, as of today.....zzzzz...zzzzzzzzzz...zzzZZZZZZZzzz..ack.....cough......mmppphhhhhfffff.......

what?

[lost87]

22 years old as of a month ago....sad day. getting old isn't very fun.

[Elphaba]

Well, I hope this doesn't make you feel worse, but some months ago I decided to check into the laws against discrimination in hiring. Though it seemed to me, for some time, that I was being passed over for jobs because of age, it wasn't until a prospective employer turned me away flat, telling me outright he wanted someone younger, that I knew, without question, that this was a problem, so decided to check into it. Unfortunately, what I discovered was that such laws don't apply to businesses with under a certain number of employees (though I don't know if, or how, those laws may differ from state to state).

I had to conclude that the reasoning behind size of employee base being a factor is that the slack (supposed) left by older or injured or disabled workers, couldn't be accommodated unless there were a sufficient number of other employees to make up the anticipated difference in job production. While I could, at least, understand the practicality of that, it didn't make it any easier, only more frustrating, knowing, due to the kinds of work I'd done in my life, that virtually any job I would apply for would be with small enough businesses, with few enough employees, that they could legally refuse to hire me, simply because they didn't like my age.

I managed an editorial department responsible for developing curriculum for one of the state's technology colleges. I needed to hire another editor, which was a fairly rigorous process for two reasons: 1) I tested the bejeepers out of all of the applicants to make sure they knew the basics of curriculum development, as well as proper punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc. If they failed my tests, it ended there.

I had one applicant who passed with flying colors and who had impaccable experience. This woman put me to shame, and I was a very good curriculum writer.

So, to me, horribly overworked and crumbling becuase I kept having to re-do my editor's work because they didn't do it right the first time, having a person in my office that I didn't have to babysite was to die for.

2) Once I made my decision, my applicant had to intereviewed by the Board of Directors. I thought it went swimmingly, but afterwards, I was told no, I could not hire her.

There was no effort to hide the reason why. This woman was middle-aged.

In response to my protestations (outrage), they came up with every excuse imaginable as to how she couldn't possibly do her job as good as a younger person could. And even if she could, the younger person would learn, and thus stay with the college longer.

It was absurd. I tried to explain to them how it was insane to not hire this woman, but they refused to readdress her application. The twinkie I ended up having to hire made my job worse, not better.

In all of my years as a manager, I always wanted the older applicant, because they not only worked harder, they made sure their work was accurate. And all without me having to shadow them every step of the way.

But, today, with jobs so scare, they can turn anyone away they want, and unfortunately, that is often the older applicant. I can't breathe when I think of how that must feel.

Good luck.

Elphaba