# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/61 "2024-11-04T16:00:38Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > when she drew a complete blank on the name Steve McQueen, we were, let’s say, surprised. What a heathen. Everyone knows who Steve McQueen is! He’s the distinguished [British filmmaker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McQueen_(director)) who won the Academy Award for directing _12 Years a Slave_, of course. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/62 "2024-11-04T17:13:38Z")
The other grandfather in my grandchildren’s lives is dying. He has turned down going on the heart transplant list. I have just now tried on my black suit and am sending it to be pressed. More and more our conversation on cards night is of illnesses and funerals. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/63 "2024-11-04T17:26:45Z")
Back in April my wife and I went to go see Steve Hackett (former Genesis guitarist from the Peter Gabriel era) in concert. It was the “Foxtrot at Fifty” tour - 50 years since the release of the Genesis album “Foxtrot”, which was played in its entirety during the second set. No, it wasn’t really all of that that made me feel old. It was standing in a line for the men’s room with a bunch of other old farts. I’m used to seeing long lines for the ladies’ room at shows, but not the men’s room. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/64 "2024-11-04T17:31:10Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > No, it wasn’t really all of that that made me feel old. It was standing in a line for the men’s room with a bunch of other old farts. I’m used to seeing long lines for the ladies’ room at shows, but not the men’s room. About 15 years ago, a friend of mine and I went to a Yes concert, and had a similar reaction. At that time, he and I were both in our mid 40s, and we were probably a decade younger than the average attendee. (Also, it being a 1970s prog rock band, the audience was easily 90+% male) What struck us was that, throughout the concert, there were continually guys getting up to go to the restroom (it probably didn’t help that the venue was serving beer in the lobby). My friend and I joked that it felt like an ad for Flomax (a med to treat prostate enlargement). ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/65 "2024-11-04T19:06:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > (Also, it being a 1970s prog rock band, the audience was easily 90+% male) How come back in my younger days when I was a big Yes fan, nobody told me where to go to find all the guys? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/66 "2024-11-04T20:06:28Z")
Elvis Presley released his first single, _That’s All Right Mama_, 70 years ago. The Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan for the first time 60 years ago. The Ramones, Blondie and a bunch of other groups formed 50 years ago. _Stop Making Sense_ was released 40 years ago. _Buddy Holly_ by Weezer was released 30 years ago. (It later became well known by being included in the Windows 95 CD.) Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” was 20 years ago. The top song from 10 years ago was _Happy_ by Pharrell Williams. This year an immense number of people are paying a lot of money to hear Taylor Swift lip sync. I had to lookup the last 3. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/67 "2024-11-04T20:12:16Z")
I don’t think of getting older as being a bad thing. Now, _aging_ is another matter, entirely: > **[Aging: The Biology of Senescence - Developmental Biology - NCBI Bookshelf](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10041/)** > > Entropy always wins. Each multicellular organism, using energy from the sun, is able to develop and maintain its identity for only so long. Then deterioration prevails over synthesis, and the organism ages. Aging can be defined as the time-related... ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/68 "2024-11-05T15:23:55Z")
I’m 63. It’s been years since I’ve been able to enjoy a music awards show. In fact, I don’t even bother anymore. The last time I tuned in was probably 5 years ago and I did not know any of the artists or songs! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/69 "2024-11-05T16:10:22Z")
I’m a little older than you are. IMO if you don’t listen to current top 40 across most all genres, of course you’ll have no idea about current performers or tunes. I sure didn’t until I updated my listening habits from 1970s-80s standbys to “whatever is currently popular” channels. Yeah, I hit [skip] more in some genres than others. But after some attitude adjustment on my part I now listen to a much wider and fresher variety than before. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/70 "2024-11-05T19:29:01Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You know you’re old when people don’t bother asking, they just assume and give you the senior discount. sorry to tell you that senior discount is not an extremely widely known concept (on a global scale) … except for probably public transport/museums/etc … ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/71 "2024-11-06T14:57:22Z")
Then another sign of being old is, I don’t like much of the new music! Once in a while I’ll hear a new song that I like and will put it on my play list. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/72 "2024-11-06T15:13:01Z")
Along with the music industry itself I’ve switched to the attitude that music is disposable. Like a zip-lock bag you _can_ deliberately seek out the opportunity to use / listen to it again. Or not. Pick one of the hundreds of current hits “channels” & let it run. A month later ~~all~~ most of the songs will be different. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2024, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/73 "2024-11-07T23:57:41Z")
I just thought of another way of know I’m old. Anniversaries. Today is the 63rd anniversary of my arriving in the Congo when we moved there to join my dad. My bedside table, which my parents bought for me early and which I still use, isn’t technically an antique (100 years old) but it is 3/4 of the way there. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2024, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/74 "2024-11-08T02:46:04Z")
A couple of years ago, realizing our intern at work was technically young enough to be my son (as in, younger than my _relationship_ with my husband). Now I occasionally have my former boss sending me interns to discuss my career path as I’m apparently _a mentor_ to people. I have a call with someone tomorrow who is looking for career advice. It’s very weird. I was discussing qualifications and accreditations with my current boss, and he says he’s looking forward to my accreditation in something coming through, as it’s good to train new people since the longer-serving employees will one day want to retire. I laughed because while I don’t know his age, I know I’m at least a couple of years older than him. That career path? It’s been a winding road for me! ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2024, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/75 "2024-11-08T03:00:35Z")
I recently went to go see Social Distortion in concert, a band that has been around since at least 1980. Although they can broadly be classified as a punk band, I figured it would be a relatively chill night with a bunch of old people reliving their youth. Instead, I was surprised to find there was a large contingent of 20 somethings slam dancing, crowd surfing, and generally being rowdy as hell. My younger self would have been extremely into it, but I found their antics kind of annoying. _That_ was when I suddenly realized I was old. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2024, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/76 "2024-11-08T03:05:45Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > All the rest is fresh news to me. You might want to get that checked out. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2024, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/77 "2024-11-08T03:42:19Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I’m younger, but she was the Principle girl actress for Disney in the 60s. > > Parent Trap, That Darn Cat, Pollyanna and several others. > > Daughter of famed actor John Mills also. > > Her older sister played Nanny, in the Nanny and the Professor around 1970 or so. She also plays a police commander(?) in the recent movie Trap. I mentioned it in the movies thread and when no one acknowledged it I thought “of course no one else knows who I’m talking about”. I went to an eye doctor today and was told I have (mild) cataracts. It was a weird thing to hear and I guess the doc noticed the alarm on my face because he quickly explained “everyone gets them; it’s just part of aging.” ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2024, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/78 "2024-11-08T09:43:33Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I’m younger, but she was the Principle girl actress for Disney in the 60s. And before that in some notable British films that maybe didn’t have much impact abroad, notably _Whistle Down The Wind_ and _Tiger Bay_ ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/79 "2024-11-08T14:35:37Z")
I guess it must be a near-universal for men in their early to mid 30s to realize perhaps quite suddenly that most athletes are now younger than them. As a boy, athletes are probably the adults ,outside your own circle, that you follow the most closely, and it is a given that they are older than you and perhaps role models. Realizing that they are now younger is a rather jarring transition to the reality that you are approaching middle age. And when the athletes of your childhood start dying, you realize you have become old. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2024, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575/80 "2024-11-08T14:49:40Z")
None of these metrics of not being hip make me feel old, cause I was never hip. I did however just have a wake up call. My 88 year old MIL has, through five cancers and surviving two partners, been very functional and independent. Doing great for 88. These last weeks she’s had some new medical issues requiring family discussions about how to support her function and options. Talking to her brother my wife mentioned about just being 22 years behind her mom. That was a reality check. I am working and have no interest in not working. I am feeling good and in good physical condition. No health issues and no concern about not knowing what is new in culture. But two decades comes up fast and ain’t much time. No matter what the clock will catch up by then. I’ve joked about that before but this makes it more real to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575.md?page=5)