# You know you've gotten old when... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 6, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452 "2017-01-06T14:32:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/101 "2017-01-14T12:11:26Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > When grocery stores start playing your favorite hits as Muzak. I haven’t heard Muzak or its imitators in a retail store in Lord knows how long; it’s all original recordings these days, just from different times and genres. That may be what you mean, but IME even that tends to be all over the place, with the tunes just as likely to be of recent vintage as from the ‘classic rock’ era. For instance, my wife and I stopped at the Weis supermarket in Upper Marlboro on the way home from work one evening in the past week or so. We were there just long enough to hear exactly four songs over the sound system, all of which I recognized. They were: Badfinger, “No Matter What” (1970) Gnarls Barkley, “Crazy” (2006) Queen, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (1979) Fitz and the Tantrums, “The Walker” (2015) In that order, too, IIRC - some serious bouncing back and forth across time. That was unusual, of course - usually if you’re in the grocery store for 20 minutes or so, the music is all from roughly the same era the whole time. But the thing is, around here at least, the era is equally likely to be the 1970s or the past few years, or somewhere in between. Just sayin’ your grandkids are as likely to recognize the music in the supermarket or at the Denny’s as you are. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/102 "2017-01-14T13:42:35Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I haven’t heard Muzak or its imitators in a retail store in Lord knows how long; it’s all original recordings these days, just from different times and genres. “Muzak” is a subscription music service, much like XM radio. They play original recordings now, and have for some time. It surprised me when I worked at McDonalds in high school. “This isn’t muzak, it’s the Backstreet Boys.” ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/103 "2017-01-14T18:01:54Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > You remember when your choices at McDonald’s were ten cent hamburgers, twelve cent cheeseburgers, ten or fifteen cent fries and sodas, or a 20 cent milkshake. Or when you remember the five cent coffee at Woolworth. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/104 "2017-01-14T20:32:12Z")
Woolworth? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/105 "2017-01-14T21:01:34Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Woolworth? > > 😉 It was where goldfish and baby turtles went to die.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/106 "2017-01-17T20:14:10Z")
Need my eyebrows trimmed more often than I get my hair cut. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/107 "2017-01-17T20:41:37Z")
Your nose hair stands out, because it’s silver. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/108 "2017-01-17T22:29:20Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > When grocery stores start playing your favorite hits as Muzak. Even the original Muzak stuff was quite contemporary. It didn’t take long for a song to be converted into elevator music. Nowhere close to old enough to make one feel old. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/109 "2017-01-17T23:42:32Z")
> [@Marion\_Wormer](#): > > I’ve been places where I’m the oldest adult in the Building! Many years ago (I’d guess it was the year 200 or so) my husband and I went to an AC/DC concert with some younger friends. The 20-something men in the row in front of us came in with their beers, glanced at me and did a doubletake. I looked around, and said to my husband, “Jesus, this is depressing. We’re the oldest people her.” He looked around and shrugged. “Yeah, we are – except for the band of course.” ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/110 "2017-01-17T23:53:56Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > Me, too. My paternal grandparents lost siblings in the 'flu epidemic. My father’s school was closed for a few weeks due to the 'flu epidemic. I know I’ve posted this before, bus since you all are old, I’m sure you won’t remember: You know how you can refer to yourself as being a “[POTUS] baby,” naming the President who was in office when you were born? For example, since I was born in 1953, I’m an “Eisenhower baby.” My paternal grandfather was a “Lincoln baby.” ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/111 "2017-01-18T00:45:13Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > Many years ago ( **I’d guess it was the year 200 or so** ) my husband and I went to an AC/DC concert with some younger friends. The 20-something men in the row in front of us came in with their beers, glanced at me and did a doubletake. > > I looked around, **and said to my husband, "Jesus,** this is depressing. We’re the oldest people her." > > He looked around and shrugged. “Yeah, we are – except for the band of course.” \ I think you win. As does AC/DC apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/112 "2017-01-18T01:26:32Z")
When the younger people just dont get the references: “Thank you sir may I have another”. “Hey Grandpa, what’s for supper?” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/113 "2017-01-18T02:01:16Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > You know how you can refer to yourself as being a “[POTUS] baby,” naming the President who was in office when you were born? For example, since I was born in 1953, I’m an “Eisenhower baby.” Truman baby here. Missed Roosevelt by mere months. My parents were Wilson babies (barely). ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/114 "2017-01-18T02:10:07Z")
You spend a week in Las Vegas, alone, and the riskiest thing you do is eat lunch at Chipotle. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/115 "2017-01-18T02:16:19Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > … when you begin an anecdote and realize midway through it that you’re going to have to [explain a handful of things](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6186617&postcount=25) to the younger listeners in order for them to understand your tale. When you tell someone about a fantastic new, impossibly expensive and futuristic gadget you saw a few years ago, then realize that all phones now come with that same gadget as an app, and it’s free. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/116 "2017-01-18T15:13:41Z")
When someone asks you the time, you say “quarter to 11” and they give you a blank stare. When your customer holds out a handful of change and asks to take what you need because they don’t know how to count it.Or give you a card for less than a dollar. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/117 "2017-01-18T15:57:43Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Truman baby here. Missed Roosevelt by mere months. Oh, you mean young Roosevelt. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/118 "2017-01-18T21:09:58Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Oh, you mean young Roosevelt. 😃 I’m not THAT old! ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/119 "2017-01-18T21:37:13Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > I was watching a Youtube show yesterday about teens/20-somethings where they tried to name 80s action movies based on the posters. Okay, I get young people not recognizing \*\*Die Hard \*\*or **Lethal Weapon** , but the shocker was when one girl exclaims “That guy used to be governor! Are you saying he used to be an _actor_!?” I know which show you’re talking about. I was watching a video from them of kids listening to the Beatles, and one of the girls said, “They’re not as good as One Direction.” I choked. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452/120 "2017-01-22T01:37:48Z")
I teach at middle school and high school. Every day makes me feel old. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-youve-gotten-old-when/776452.md?page=7)