# I just realised I am old **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2024, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575 "2024-11-02T12:50:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/361 "2026-08-09T13:58:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But she still knew who they were, and, presumably, liked their music. Kids These Days can like good music from any era: All of it is easily available. Oh yeah. It’s great and I didn’t want to sound dismissive. And while I sort of have nostalgia for cleaning a record and putting it on the turntable. And those big massive speakers, It’s very nice to just tell Alexa to play pretty much anything I can think of. My wife and I listen about 3-4 hours a day. That’s very nice about being old. Sit on the back porch, play chess and listen to Pink Floyd or whatever floats our boat. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/362 "2026-08-09T14:35:46Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > And while I sort of have nostalgia for cleaning a record and putting it on the turntable. My husband once used the expression “broken record” with an adolescent client. The kid had no idea what he was talking about. > [@teelabrown](#): > > I’m 70. In the last year or two I’ve developed a phobia of driving on mountain roads with a steep drop-off on one side, or across bridges where you can see the ocean on either side of a steep ascent I have that phobia already. Sometimes I have nightmares where I have to go over a tall bridge. That’s the whole dream. I don’t fall and die or anything, I just have to drive over it. Horrible. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/363 "2026-08-09T14:54:13Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I have that phobia already. Sometimes I have nightmares where I have to go over a tall bridge. That’s the whole dream. I don’t fall and die or anything, I just have to drive over it. Horrible. No problem with mountain roads (used to navigate them daily). But roofs are a problem. I’ve replaced may roofs in my life. But certainly no more. My balance has gotten wonky, as demonstrated by my bike riding skills and my skinned knee. But I’m still out there doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/364 "2026-08-09T15:01:07Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > > > have to drive over it. Horrible. > > No problem with mountain roads (used to navigate them daily). But roofs are a problem. I’ve replaced may roofs in my life. But certainly no more. Good for you! My 87-year old grandfather thinks he still belongs on roofs. He hasn’t dealt that well with the limitations of age. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/365 "2026-08-09T15:34:37Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Good for you! My 87-year old grandfather thinks he still belongs on roofs. He hasn’t dealt that well with the limitations of age. Sheeesss. Last time I was on a 4/12 roof, I roped my self in. I threw the climbing rope over the house and secured it, and bought ascenders and a new harness (oddly, my old one shrunk) I was setting up my sat dish and had a bunch of tools to coral, so it was a busy place. But it scared me. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/366 "2026-08-09T17:11:14Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > I’m 70. In the last year or two I’ve developed a phobia of driving on mountain roads with a steep drop-off on one side, Hell, I’m 58 and I have that already. I’ve never liked sheer heights and was always edgy and hyper-focused driving the exposed edge of the old [Devil’s Slide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Slide_(California)#Former_State_Route_1) even in my twenties. These days as my reflexes slowly erode, if I am heading say up the coast to Bolinas or something I will comfortably drive north on Highway 1 on the coast on the interior lane. But I will avoid driving the stretch south say between Stinson Beach and Muir Beach with its hairpin turns and zero shoulders. I always cut inland at Pt. Reyes Station because driving that now makes me sweat and slow down and nobody following me needs to deal with that nonsense. That’s not you becoming your mother, that’s you adapting to the reality of not having the reflexes of someone half your age. I don’t sweat it, nor should you 🙂. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/367 "2026-08-09T17:35:42Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > I’m 70. In the last year or two I’ve developed a phobia of driving on mountain roads with a steep drop-off on one side, or across bridges where you can see the ocean on either side of a steep ascent (like the westbound Richmond Bridge on San Francisco Bay). This has put a crimp in our road trips. I suppose it’s a side effect of getting old, but I sure hate it. I hate turning into my mom at this late stage. Glad you overcame you fear of flying, which statistically is very silly. But fears about driving on long bridges over water seem to me to be quite reasonable, especially for an older person whose driving skills may not be as sharp as they once were. It’s a phobia that I share. There’s one particular bridge in this area that is both long and high and crosses a large body of water. I almost never need to drive over it but absolutely hate it when I do. It sure doesn’t help assuage my concerns when I sometimes hear on the news that the bridge is closed due to high winds. I don’t know exactly why they do this but I’m guessing it’s because vehicles with a large side cross-section relative to their weight, especially big trucks, could be pushed out of control in high winds. My phobia conjures up images of some truck careening out of control and crashing through the guardrail, taking two or three cars down with it into the watery abyss! ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/368 "2026-08-09T17:42:14Z")
I’m 77. I just bought my first cane today (for my current hip arthritis, and to help with recovery after my hip replacement surgery). Frankly, I’m hoping that the results of the surgery will help me to feel less like an old person. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/369 "2026-08-10T02:40:15Z")
I was just at immigration today and there was this really old man also there. White hair, hearing aids and the whole works. We all had our paperwork out so I could glance at his application, and he is only four years older than me. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/370 "2026-08-10T09:33:20Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > She nodded sheepishly. “Yeah, my Dad made me listen to them all the time growing up.” My 4th graders last year kept telling me one of their teachers made them listen to 60s & 70s music ad infinitum. “Penny Lane” & “Sounds of Silence,” on repeat for an hour. Those are great songs, but I’d be tearing my ears off too. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > “Nah, that doesn’t look like her.” What did he Google? [Bangs and bad teeth Cher](https://www.google.com/imgres?q=1970s%20cher%20smiling%20bad%20teeth&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flookaside.fbsbx.com%2Flookaside%2Fcrawler%2Fmedia%2F%3Fmedia_id%3D122139653331026530&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgroups%2FDoYouRememberThe70sFanClub%2Fposts%2F5053760938225848%2F&docid=vc1-7AumSl6D2M&tbnid=oNgceyLycyvseM&vet=12ahUKEwif2aaR1ZWWAxXNCYYAHc3WDlIQnPAOegQIPBAA..i&w=1080&h=1340&hcb=2&ved=2ahUKEwif2aaR1ZWWAxXNCYYAHc3WDlIQnPAOegQIPBAA)? from 1970? [Or _Moostruck_ Cher](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZIjyJItIb3FwYfamzd1Mhse5330sxD1tSYbOUcblYWA&s=10) from 1987? > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Someone else replied that there was no internet when the song and video were released in 1985 > [@fachverwirrt](#): > > no one has any idea who Ethel Merman is Liza Minelli? > [@puzzlegal](#): > > They asked my mom, and were shocked when she told them she didn’t have a TV in her youth, because no one did. I once described my mother’s experience in a dark room for two weeks with the measles, before the vaccine, to some colleagues under 25. She got the radio in her room, because her family had the TV. “They only had one TV?” 🫢 "They only had one _radio_? 🤯 And the procedure for dealing with her clothes-- she had to put them in a paper bag and close it, and the first few days, they were thrown out, but after that, some powdered bleach was tossed in, and the bag was shaken, then put outside for a day “Why didn’t they spray it with Lysol?” “Did her mom have to wear PPE?” 🫩 > [@Moriarty](#): > > A few months ago I had to explain to a client (who was around 20 years old) what a _phone book_ was. Never explained what one was, per se, but have explained a couple of times the trop, if I may use that term, of the strong man ripping a phone book in half. > [@teelabrown](#): > > I suppose it’s a side effect of getting old, but I sure hate it. I hate turning into my mom at this late stage. Deterioration of the vestibular system is a symptom of aging. You can develop vertigo even if you never had it before. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > My 87-year old grandfather thinks he still belongs on roofs. He hasn’t dealt that well with the limitations of age. My grandmother relinquished her license voluntarily at age 88 (seniors get a state ID free when they do this, and it’s normally about $15). She had caused an accident that could have been very, very bad, and was not, only by grace of the fact that she was going slower than the posted speed, and another driver was a quick thinker. As it was, it was a one-car fender-bender. The county where my grandmother lived motivated seniors to voluntary give up their licenses by providing free transportation services. There were vans that made regular rounds to popular shopping places, restaurants, etc., and would work you in where you wanted to go, albeit, you might not get your chosen time, they’d get you as close as they could. If you had a medical appointment, or something like social security, you had door-to-door service, scheduled to drop you off 15 minutes before your appointment. And its hours were something like 5am to 11pm. It was so good, my grandmother was always saying that had she known, she would have turned in her license much earlier: it had been years since she’d driven at night, in bad weather, or on the highway. She could have done a PSA for them. FWIW: services for seniors in that state were supported by profits from the lottery, so, there was tons of funding for all kinds of things. It was a result of legislation my grandmother championed in the 1980s, when she was in her late 60s, and embraced aging by becoming an activist. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > One of the younger co-workers said, “This must have blown up the internet when it premiered.” Someone else replied that there was no internet when the song and video were released in 1985; I was too busy being reminded how old I was. Was it at least a young person who replied? there’s a 25-yr-old at work who is always either misunderstanding something about the past, or making an incorrect pronouncement about it (“the Bicentennial wasn’t that big a deal either”). Then there’s a 22-yr-old who corrects her (the country was healing from Vietnam & Watergate, etc., etc.) She’s then going to have explain Vietnam and Watergate. And probably “tape.” Also, who Carter, Ford & Nixon were. PS: I Googled up those images of Cher, but I can’t remember how to embed them. Can someone tell me? if I miss the window, I can send the URLs to a mod. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/371 "2026-08-10T12:58:06Z")
[quote=“ThelmaLou, post:316, topic:1009575”] what you want is independent living like I have, not assisted living. [/quote] > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > a moving company that specializes in moving old people from their big-ish houses into smaller apartment.The company packed everything moved it and I unpacked it. When my mother moved to a “home”, it was an easy move. The facility has 400 residents, (300 in independent apartments, the rest in separate wings for assisted care and nursing care.) The facility provided the moving service. The mover sent a wonderful woman (half organizer-half social worker-half interior designer-half psychotherapist!) to examine the entire contents of the house, meeting many times over a week or two With my mother, she took inventory and they decided what was appropriate to take to the new, and smaller, condo in the facility They measured all the furniture, sorted all the clothes, sorted all the relevant kitchenware, measured all the pictures on the walls, decided which knick-knacks to keep,etc. On moving day–it was easy! The workers began packing at 7 am. By 7 pm, my mother moved into her new condo–completely and totally ready for use. In one day, the movers re-created a mini-version of her original house. The pictures were hung on the wall in the same positions as before, the clothes hung in the closet in the same order, the medicine cabinet in the bathroom was full of the same items as before, the drawers in the bedroom dresser were full, the kitchen cabinets were arranged, the knick-knacks were on the shelf, the grandkid’s artwork was attached with magnets to the refrigerator, the bed was made and ready for sleeping in, ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/372 "2026-08-10T19:25:28Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Liza Minelli? I’m not sure if you’re suggesting that Ethel Merman is Liza Minelli (I love a good conspiracy theory, but no), or that Liza Minelli knows who Ethel Merman is (almost certainly, but alas I have never taught Liza Minelli). ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/373 "2026-08-10T19:54:58Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > When my mother moved to a “home”, it was an easy move. > The facility has 400 residents, (300 in independent apartments, the rest in separate wings for assisted care and nursing care.) The facility provided the moving service. > > The mover sent a wonderful woman (half organizer-half social worker-half interior designer-half psychotherapist!) to examine the entire contents of the house, meeting many times over a week or two With my mother, she took inventory and they decided what was appropriate to take to the new, and smaller, condo in the facility > They measured all the furniture, sorted all the clothes, sorted all the relevant kitchenware, measured all the pictures on the walls, decided which knick-knacks to keep,etc. Wow! I didn’t realize such services existed! If I can find such a person – who would be worthy of sainthood – it would start to make the Big Move seem almost feasible! A good real estate agent can also be helpful. My previous house was quite a different situation and a long time ago, but the real estate agent sent – and paid for – a cleaning service to scour the house clean from top to bottom. That was after she had recommended a couple of brothers in the renovation business to fix up a few things. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/374 "2026-08-10T20:43:41Z")
Is it a sign of aging when one of the highlights of the week is refilling your pill dispenser? [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71sll9Y2rdL._AC_SL1500_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71sll9Y2rdL._AC_SL1500_.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/375 "2026-08-10T20:47:58Z")
It depends on the pills you put in there: [![](https://cdn.quotesgram.com/small/31/12/1558762489- __KGrHqJ__ k4F_8p3GYihBQTSfI_Uqw__60_35.jpg) ](https://cdn.quotesgram.com/small/31/12/1558762489-__KGrHqJ __k4F_8p3GYihBQTSfI_Uqw__ 60_35.jpg) (Which probably shows my age) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/376 "2026-08-10T23:50:07Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > And the procedure for dealing with her clothes-- she had to put them in a paper bag and close it, and the first few days, they were thrown out, but after that, some powdered bleach was tossed in, and the bag was shaken, then put outside for a day > > “Why didn’t they spray it with Lysol?” Interestingly, per Google, > Lysol was created in 1889 by German chemist Gustav Raupenstrauch. It was originally launched in Germany to help stop a cholera epidemic. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/377 "2026-08-11T03:56:59Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Interestingly, per Google, Yes, Lysol has been around for a very long time. However, the aerosol spray version (as per the quote from @RivkahChaya 's students, “Why didn’t they spray it with Lysol?”) was only introduced in 1962. Prior to then, it was only available in a liquid form, sold in a bottle. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/378 "2026-08-11T14:54:30Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > Oh hello. I turned 50 yesterday. Now what? 50s are a weird age. Some people look 80. Some people look 35. Some people are grandparents. Some have very young kids. Some people have been married 30 years. Some are trying to date 25 year olds. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/379 "2026-08-11T15:28:06Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Some people have been married 30 years. Some are trying to date 25 year olds. Sometimes these are the same people. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/380 "2026-08-12T00:01:11Z")
Today at work I listened to two young people talk about “older Millennials” like we were an anthropological phenomenon. Of note was the sad condition of our lives when we had to transition from cassettes to CDs to MP3s. When I protested “Older Millennial?!” One of them shot back, “Technically it’s called geriatric millennial. I was being nice.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575.md?page=20)