# When I'm 64, and other reminders that you are old **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 27, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788 "2018-12-27T15:08:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/61 "2018-12-28T17:25:11Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > … > > While we’re all discussing turning 64, I’ll mention this line from a Simon and Garfunkel song (“Bookends”): > > [In this interview,](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2014/12/01/art-garfunkel-explains-song-lyrics-how-terribly-strange-to-be-in-his-70s/#3b5049d21f50) Art Garfunkel discusses his thoughts when he wrote that line, and how he feels about being in his 70s now. Great interview(s). Simon & Garfunkel were the soundtrack of my senior year of college (1969-70). ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/62 "2018-12-28T17:28:48Z")
Turned 64 this year. I don’t really feel old, but after being out of commission for 2.5 months this summer due to foot surgery to remove a melanoma, I definitely feel the clock ticking. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/63 "2018-12-28T18:34:11Z")
Seems every year a celeb that was in their prime of their lives and on top of the world when I was younger dies, usually at “rightful” age. And I am older than they were at their prime. That’s when I feel old. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/64 "2018-12-28T19:07:14Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > This year I was talking to a young man wearing an Oklahoma City hat. I mentioned it was really bad what happened in Oklahoma City. > > His response? "What happened there? > > People don’t know about the greatest act of terrorism by an American against his country? > > Damn, I’m old. Well, people don’t tend to define their homes by one event the way they do other places. Also, people don’t tend to talk about events that far in the past without some sort of lead up or specification. I wouldn’t say “It’s terrible what happened in Manhattan” to someone and expect them to know about 9/11. Or have my mind immediately go to the Birmingham campaign if Birmingham police were mentioned. If you mentioned the year of the event, it’s a bit different. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/65 "2018-12-28T19:15:12Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > This year I was talking to a young man wearing an Oklahoma City hat. I mentioned it was really bad what happened in Oklahoma City. > > His response? "What happened there? > > People don’t know about the greatest act of terrorism by an American against his country? > > Damn, I’m old. Well, there’s more than one thing that happen(ed) in OKC. The Thunder losing in the NBA Finals? etc. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/66 "2018-12-28T19:50:39Z")
Asking what is good on the menu, and the waitperson suggests the half-sandwich and a cup of soup, says “You can find it on the Senior Menu on the back page” then asks if I want the AARP discount. ---
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/67 "2018-12-28T20:04:13Z")
College students didn’t need to work, except maybe a summer job. Backpacking around Europe was a thing. There were lots of good jobs which required few skills. People retired on defined benefit pensions. Renting a one br apartment on a minimum wage job was possible. Hitchhiking, at least for white people, was possible. Cops didn’t look like they were members of a SWAT team. There WERE no SWAT teams. Public transportation was reliable and cheap. Gas was cheap. The pot was awful and mostly seeds. There was no good beer. Or bread. Flying was easy; buy a ticket with cash and get on the plane. No ID required. Cars didn’t last long. Getting 100,000 miles was extraordinary. Bodies rusted. No power steering or brakes. Women did not drive SUV sized vehicles. You needed to be a Teamster to crank the wheel. Employers were not abusive; they didn’t want the union on their ass. And so on. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/68 "2018-12-28T20:48:38Z")
> [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](#): > > College students didn’t need to work, except maybe a summer job. Backpacking around Europe was a thing. There were lots of good jobs which required few skills. People retired on defined benefit pensions. Renting a one br apartment on a minimum wage job was possible. Hitchhiking, at least for white people, was possible. Cops didn’t look like they were members of a SWAT team. There WERE no SWAT teams. Public transportation was reliable and cheap. Gas was cheap. The pot was awful and mostly seeds. There was no good beer. Or bread. Flying was easy; buy a ticket with cash and get on the plane. No ID required. Cars didn’t last long. Getting 100,000 miles was extraordinary. Bodies rusted. No power steering or brakes. Women did not drive SUV sized vehicles. You needed to be a Teamster to crank the wheel. Employers were not abusive; they didn’t want the union on their ass. And so on. “Bodies rusted.” Sadly, that’s my main problem these days… ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/69 "2018-12-28T21:29:08Z")
I was talking to some of my relatives who are Post-Millennials (born 2000 or later) and none of them knew what cassettes were–either audio or VHS. I’m sure they have no idea about rotary phones or payphones or typewriters or black and white television. One of them was surprised I still use a CRT television; he had never seen a working one before. Also my brother-in-law took one of them for a ride in his old truck and they had no idea to use a window crank to put down a car window. Speaking of payphones, I don’t think I’ve even seen one in over ten years. (Granted I wasn’t actually looking.) Are there places that still have them? ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/70 "2018-12-29T02:00:34Z")
When I was born there weren’t even 50 states yet. Hell, when my kid sister was born there weren’t 50 states. She turned 60 on Christmas Eve. I remember watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/71 "2018-12-29T04:59:25Z")
I remember hearing the Mario Lanza Drink Drink song on the radio. I’m 69 (and a half.) ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/72 "2018-12-29T05:39:13Z")
I have money to a street person today and she said “Bless you Uncle.”. _SIGH_ I remember when I used to call old people “Uncle”. _Double SIGH_ ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/73 "2018-12-29T05:40:15Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > When I was born there weren’t even 50 states yet. Hell, when my kid sister was born there weren’t 50 states. She turned 60 on Christmas Eve. > > I remember watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. LOL. I tell my brothers and sisters I was the only one born in the STATE of Hawaii! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/74 "2018-12-29T08:07:16Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > When I was born there weren’t even 50 states yet. Hell, when my kid sister was born there weren’t 50 states. She turned 60 on Christmas Eve. > [@lingyi](#): > > LOL. I tell my brothers and sisters I was the only one born in the STATE of Hawaii! 😃 There’s another one for me – there were only 48 states when I was born. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/75 "2018-12-29T09:19:24Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I hate (almost) all music everyone is listening to. > > I go to be early and get up before dawn. > > Dinner must begin before 7:00 pm, and can be as early as 5:40 > > I go to more funerals than weddings. Check. Check. Check. Not quite there yet, phew. I was thinking recently of my first year of University and realized that it was 26 years ago. OK, no real surprise here, just add 1 with every year that passes. But I started thinking : I was 18 then. I’m 44 now. When the same amount of time elapses, I’ll be 70 :eek:. Also, while looking at some almost-30-year-old pictures, I realized that not only I remembered that particular day very well but, more disturbingly, my father was younger then than I am now. In my mind, he is still in his 40s. In reality, he turned 72 last month and, to be honest, his age is starting to show. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/76 "2018-12-29T13:06:33Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Speaking of payphones, I don’t think I’ve even seen one in over ten years. (Granted I wasn’t actually looking.) Are there places that still have them? They were all over my county till very recently. There’s a large Amish community here, but apparently no longer large enough to make pay phones worth the expense. But if you watch old episodes of _Rockford Files_, you’ll see Jim using them all the time! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/77 "2018-12-29T14:28:15Z")
Around here, some pay phones have stickers on them that say “THIS PHONE WORKS.” ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/78 "2018-12-29T18:24:23Z")
Let me see. I remember Hot Rods, before muscle cars. Bun boards, Milk being picked up from the farms in Milk cans. Listening to radio shows Watching Walt Disney on TV when they were building Disneyland USING SLIDE RULES The phone had a 6 volt battery and you cranked the handle to get the operator Oh and I remember a time when if I fell I bounced. Now I just go thud with no bounce. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/79 "2018-12-29T18:27:32Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > Check. > > . > > I was thinking recently of my first year of University and realized that it was 26 years ago. OK, no real surprise here, just add 1 with every year that passes. But I started thinking : I was 18 then. I’m 44 now. When the same amount of time elapses, I’ll be 70 :eek:. > > . I some times think about the old training ship, TS Golden Bear, when I was attending the Maritime Academy. It has been replaced twice and they are now in need of replacing the Third Golden Bear. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788/80 "2018-12-29T18:29:36Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The thing that I find most alarming is that at age 70, I can see the end of my life. Let’s say I live to be 95. That’s only 25 years away. I can EASILY remember 25 years ago-- 1993. That was the day before yesterday. That’s what rattles me. I’m “only” in my mid-50s and though I’m healthy now, I’m surmising that by the time I hit 75 I’ll be on borrowed time…some 20-something years from now…and the last 20 years was like a blur to me. It’s just like you say: it may as well be the day before yesterday. On the plus side, my parents were/are the first in my family to live past their mid-60s. Still doing pretty good in their late 70s. Maybe the sliding scale of healthier living will favor my generation of family even more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-im-64-and-other-reminders-that-you-are-old/826788.md?page=5)