Moderate musings on my lifestyle or Confessions of an ex-yuppie

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Wandering through the nooks and crannies of my brain as I’m wont to do on occasion, I find a nubbin that’s been plinging me for a bit. Nothing major, just something that festers and gnaws when I’m not looking, then stares at the ceiling and whistles innocently when I turn my gaze sharply upon it.

I’m officially an ex-yuppie.

This, in and of itself, is not the problem. Nay, I say. The problem lies in the fact that almost all of my friends are still yuppies. I am now that person that can only pay for dinner at places that I wouldn’t be seen in. I just sat down and figured out the average income of my friends, and it’s around US$150,000.

Mine? $0. No matter what currency you figure it in. Nada. Zilch. Sound and fury.

There are a couple of men I dated in the past year that I think would not have moved a relationship forward with the likes of me. It’s too embarrassing. I mean, sure, I clean up well, can have a conversation without saying, “like” or “you know,” and know my chardonnay from my beaujolais, but can you imagine?

Stockbroker #1: Hail, fellow yuppie. Have you tried the brie yet? And who is your lovely escort for the evening?

NymDate: Oh, that’s Nym. She’s a psychologist. Well, she quit that, really. She’s an actress. Well, actually she’s not acting right now. She’s bartending. Well, see, to be honest, she’s not even bartending right now. She sorta got fired. She…umm…she reads a lot.

Nym: <trying to stick her chest out further so everyone doesn’t think she’s a complete waste of space>

Stockbroker #2: Has anyone seen Mitzi? I think she needs her IRA massaged.

Hell, I know I’m a good person. I know that people like me. But when you have nothing to do with your time, it messes with your sense of social reality. I’m just getting ready to go out on a Tuesday when my friends are tucking themselves into bed, preparing for another 14 hour day at Microsoft. How long before they tire of my need to stay out until 500a? How long before they realize that my carrying eight dollars around at all times is not eccentricity, but the last of my money in the world? I ask you, what will it take for them to understand that “I cannot pay the rent this month” is not a euphemism for my 401K rolling over?

<sigh>

Anyone else left the work force recently and noticed a change in attitudes? Or, conversely, I’d love to hear the other side. Which of you yuppies has a friend like me? I know if you’re friends money doesn’t matter and blah, blah, yackity-schmackity, but doesn’t it bother you a wee bit? Deep down in the reptilian brain?

2

I’ve got a friend just like you, Nymy. Flights are cheap, why don’t you just go ahead and book one, fly down here and I’ll show you.

Oh, yeah- the money thing…bummer.

The dating thing: money isn’t so much of an issue, as long as the person is expecting of a free ride <coughexfianceecough>. You seem a decent enough woman, I’m sure some lad will snap you right up.

3

You sound like you might need to ponder this.

Keep your head up, girl.

4

Okay, I’m not a yuppie in ANY sense of the word, but I’d like to chime in my thoughts, if I may. Having been fired from a lot of jobs, as I have (when you get to know me, you’ll quickly be able to tell why), I’ve discovered the proper explanation. I am now a stand-up comedian, Nym. I used to have day jobs when I did this at night. When I was fired from a job, I merely told people that I was a comic. If they asked if I was performing in the area soon, I’d simply tell them I was on sabbatical while trying to write new material.

PS: I’d never kick you out of bed for carrying $8 with you at all times. :wink:

5

EXACTLY what was going thru 99-44/100 per cent of the male minds on this thread!

Unfortunately it is not an enlightened thought, but the truth is the truth and among we Non-Yuppies that’s worth something.
[list][list][list][list][list][list][list]:cool:

6

If I remember my '80s correctly “Yuppie” stood for “Young, Upwardly-mobile, Urban Professional.”

Mmmmm. I hope I am upwardly-mobile in that my next job will either pay more than, or by more satisfying than, my current one. I am urban (and urbane) and professional. But “young?” Not since the '80s . . .

7

True. But I said it first. Again I call “dibs.” And the guys that were thinking the same thing I did know the importance of calling dibs. According to Dave Barry, calling “dibs” will hold up in court.

8

Nym, oh, Nym…

I heard a country western song in a bar not too long ago: “I spent my last 10 bucks on birth control and beer.”

If it makes you feel better, I am broker than broke. I’m working now, but in June/July I was without an assignment for almost three weeks and I’m playing major catch-up right now. I don’t carry eight dollars around in my purse, I carry rocks that I picked up on the beach and a used-bookstore copy of Watership Down. I sometimes don’t go places because I only have enough CTA fare to get me back and forth to work until the next time I get paid. And I’m trying to save for school next spring. I have to put my student loans back into forbearance, if they’ll let me.

I can relate to the other part of your rant too. I don’t know many yuppies here, but everyone I went to college with is crazy rich or doing something crazy prestigious by now or in the process of completing law or business school (on their way to crazy rich). I couldn’t afford to go to my 5 year reunion in July, but I’m sorta glad because I don’t think I could have borne it - standing there in my one threadbare, marginally acceptable black dress and pretending to smile while everyone talked on and on about how they are surviving the stock market situation - I’ve never been remotely NEAR the stock market.

I survive by reading a lot of library books and lately I’ve taken up swimming at the local public pool. I try not to buy anything that I don’t need or do anything that I can’t afford to do. I’m lucky that my current company stocks the pantry with oatmeal, bread, milk, peanut butter, and fresh fruit - it’s gotten me through many a day. I take a lot of walks.

9

Well, I always hate to admit it, but Mrs Chance and I could certainly qualify as yuppies. I don’t think we ARE (in the pejorative sense) but we fit the basic profile.

Two professionals, one in marketing, one in software design. Two cars (including, yes, an SUV), a big house in the mountains, one baby, mid-thirties, etc…

But our circle of friends comes from the same basic background: mostly suburban kids from DC/Baltimore who went to the same school (Frostburg State University!).

But while some of us are truly yuppified others have other priorities.

One young couple (26 and 28): Teacher (special ed) and editor. They do well for themselves and know it.

One pal. Lives for gaming. All else is secondary.

One pal. Webmaster. Condo. Girl. Enough.

Another couple. Sells ‘healing magnets’ and raises kids. Trust funds are nice.

Others have run off to the peace corps (and come back) or become nurses or whatever they want.

We certainly don’t seem to have the 'I’m wealthy and you’re not so don’t come ‘round here’ attitude going on. That would be well…rude.
And rudeness bugs the hell out of me.

10

I hate to admit it, but we’re beyond yuppies. We’re Dinks - double income, no kids. And yes, we have plenty o’ friends who don’t make much money. My whole family, for example.

I can’t say that it makes much of a difference. Sure, we have friends who we do the pricey stuff with - go on vacations, stay in B&B’s, drink expensive Scotch, etc. We also have friends who we go camping with, drink cheap beer, and play with our dogs together. Also, at the times where we end up going out with the the people who have smaller means, we tend to pay for stuff more. Not obtrusively, but Mr. Athena will tend to just pick up the check. It’s the same thing we tend to do with our more wealthy friends, only then, it’s like a male ritual. “Let me get the check.” “No, let ME get the check.” “Nooo” “Yes, it’s MINE!” and the winner then urinates in the corner to mark his territory (OK, not really, but you get the idea.)

11

Nym

Good for you that you decided to follow your dream and act!

Mrs. Zebra is an actress and she temps to contribute to bank account. However with the slow down temp jobs are getting scarce and she sometimes might not get a job for a week or two. She feels guilty and sometimes contemplates taking a job. (almost everyone she temps for offers her a job, some of them would pay more than my job but they would at least double the income she gets from temping)

So we don’t have the money we could have and we don’t get to do all the cool things that other people around us do. We have been saving for over a year to go to France for vacation which (knock on wood) we will do in November.

But it is all worth it to see her on stage. She is currently in an off broadway production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream (Hermia) and is loving every minute of it and she meets with an agent on Monday!

12

Zebra, can I say here that you rock and that your wife is lucky she has you?

Good luck to Mrs. Zebra.

Many people who follow their dreams don’t achieve them. 100% of people who don’t follow their dreams don’t achieve them.

13

I participate on a little email list of some mom friends. Most of them are pretty well-heeled. One’s husband made a mint in software, and is now retired and doing whatever he wants in his early thirties. Another one has family money, and I can’t even discuss the luxuries they enjoy. The others are combinations of lawyers and doctors and software engineers and stuff. Everyone’s living pretty nice.

Except one mom. She stays home on their farm, raising organic vegetables to feed their family. Does a little pottery. Her husband is a journalist for a small-town paper in a mountain town. Their car is ancient (they only have one). They do a lot of free things (library, public pool). Don’t fly off to Bali or Argentina like the other moms have. And you know what? I think she has the richest life of any of us.

Oh stop vomiting, everyone. I mean it. I really do envy her.

I think it’s cool and gutsy that you’re taking the road less travelled instead of going for the big bucks.

14

Now that is a sig quote I can go for!