Astroboy, you told us you were 36, and your profile says you’re an English teacher (where you teach doesn’t really matter).
Belioeve me, nobody is going to think you’re, “like, all OLD and stuff” if you construct a sentence in that way…nor that you’re an English teacher.
I brought this to the Pit because, although I think it’s just a minor puff of smoke rather than a true flame, your sentence points up a problem that really rankles me. The English language is being so abused by people like teachers and, maybe even worse, television news anchors, that kids hardly know what correct English is anymore.
Your use of “like” and “and stuff” points up the problem, because as a 36-year-old, and a teacher, you shouldn’t be talking and writing as if you were in middle school. You should be setting an example.
I am constantly irritated by news anchors who mispronounce common English words. I don’t get upset with others, but I do with them, because I believe that, whether they know it or not, they (and you) are the stewards of the language. Educated people, for example, should know that “complex” has two pronunciations, depending on the part of speech, and that they are not interchangeable. The word complex is a noun, referring to an aggregation of buildings or a psychological syndrome. The word complex is an adjective, modifying a noun. News anchors are constantly referring to someone having a complex problem when they mean complex. The only ones with a complex problem should be archetects and mental patients.
That’s only one example, but that’s the point. It’s an example, a poor example set by people to whom youngsters look for the right example.
“But, Peter Jennings says it that way!”
“But, my teacher said…” You get the point.
By the way, happy birthday!