The moments I don’t find my keys and wallet in their usual place in the little basket near the door are the moments my pulse rate increases. My FIL sets his keys down…wherever…and we probably get a phone call at least once every few weeks asking if we happened to see his keys last time we were over. 
They’re in the front right pocket of my trousers*; or likewise another pair of trousers; or sweats; or on the kitchen counter; or the shelf by the front door; or my office desk; or the kitchen table; or the bedside cabinet; or the coffee table in front of the TV; or on top of the bookcase on the landing; or on the mantlepiece; or with my cycling gear.
Sometimes they’re someplace else.
j
* - not jeans - I’m old, but not that old.
Wait a minute. Is it the wearing of jeans or referring to them as jeans that you consider suggestive of age?
I sure seem to see a ton of young adults and children wearing jeans. To the contrary, the term “trousers” impresses me as tending archaic. And in some instances, I’ve felt jeans less appropriate wear for certain older people.
I am really anal about some things. So much so that people notice and comment on it. At least I think that’s what they’re referring to when they mutter “Asshole!” after talking to me.
British reference. Thanks to Jeremy Clarkson, wearing jeans has become associated with (being polite) middle aged men. It’s (one of several thing which are) referred to as The Clarkson Effect.
j
Wow. I’ve worn jeans since I was a kid. I own a few pairs of jeans and two pairs of “not jeans” (khaki type things) and that’s it for long pants.
Do you realize that many women’s pants don’t have pockets? It’s our burden to bear… But even when I wear pants with pockets, my keyring is too bulky to be comfortable - 2 car key fobs, 3 keys, the keychain fob itself, and a couple of discount shopping tags.
I keep mine in my drawer at work in nice weather (in the winter I keep in my jacket pocket). At home, I have one of those small RFID-blocking boxes on my computer desk, and I keep them in there. When out and about I KEEP 'em in my front pocket.
Never heard of it, and don’t know who Jeremy Clarkson is. Thx for the explanation.
Are you saying that in Britain jeans are NOT associated with people younger than middle age? What do they wear? Other than leggings on women, over here, I gotta imagine jeans outnumber all other styles of trousers.
Here, if anything, I’d think something like “Dockers” would be more suggestive of age.
Pre-covid/working from home this was the fouir places. Wallet was the same except back pocket (and obviously not in the ignition).
Now both should be on the front-left of a dresser. If, not they are in one of the above places.
For the phone I have a sort-of joke. Spot 1 is by the bed. Spot 2 is table by the spot where I work, Spot 3 is on couch in living room. Spot 4 is kitchen table. Spot 5 is in my pocket. If none of the above then have someone call and it’s usually it’s between the couch cushions or something like that.
Hah - looks like I’m a couple of decades off the pace - from 2001 (though there may have been a little bit of wishful thinking in the story). See Para 9.
It’s the Clarkson of Top Gear, who I thought was pretty well known in the US. The jeans industry may have recovered, but no, I wouldn’t wear jeans for fear of the association. As for what other people wear, I honestly couldn’t say. My late New Year’s Resolution - spend more time looking at the legs of strangers. (/hijack)
j
You’re absolutely correct, and I apologize. It is quite a sore point between me and my wife, who may be getting her revenge, as the trend seems to be to eliminate pockets from men’s shirts - the home of my phone.
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I adopted my current policy of (almost always) leaving my keys in the rack, after the umpteenth time I couldn’t locate my keys anywhere, I tend to have only two modes of conduct:
- The default mode, completely unorganized.
- For things that are really important or that have pestered me too many times: Extremely Organized.
#2 is a sort of defensive mechanism against #1
They are in a leather holder on the side table by the front door. And they immediately go there after I come in from anywhere (as well as my wallet), so I know exactly where they are.
In the US, at any rate, jeans are ubiquitous for all age groups. Young to old wear them. Maybe the really old just wear chinos all the time rather than jeans, but middle age people wear jeans have been a thing for decades over here.
Even when I’m at home, I want pockets. That’s kind of the whole point of wearing pants.
We have such a hook as well. Keys live there 24/7 except when we’re out and about - we’re actually pretty diligent about putting them there right after we get home.
When out and about: I have a carabiner on my keyring; my husband has a leather belt clip on his. In both cases the keys get attached to a belt or belt loop, and stuck in the pocket. Very rarely I’ll clip mine on the “key strap” in my purse (though I generally do not carry a purse any more).
Our son’s car now has only one key. We gave him our car back in 2020 when his elderly one died and we bought a new one for ourselves. I made a point of giving him both keys to the car, as he was away at college. Naturally he lost one. That key is currently on the key hook as well (I hope).
Wallet is always in the pocket of the pants I’m wearing. When I had wrist surgery in 2018, I didn’t want to be fumbling with a purse, so I bought a stretchy coiled key holder. The snap-hook part connects to my belt look; the other end connects to a ring on the wallet. Since I work from home, and wear the same pair of jeans for most of a work week, the wallet stays there even overnight. When I toss the jeans in the wash, the wallet goes on the bathroom counter until I get dressed the next day.
My keys, this time of year, are in the right-hand pocket of my coat. As soon as I put my coat on, I know where my keys are.
I always keep them in my left pocket. Which is a problem because that’s where I keep my cell phone as well. Those things have gotten bigger over the years. About two and a half months ago, my phone fell on the ground while I was digging out my keys and the screen was so badly damaged I had to eventually replace the phone. The new one has a cover which will hopefully provide some protection, though that thing also makes it bulkier and a worse fit in my pocket.