Thursday, May 31, 2007

Old Fogeyville

Okay, the comments for that last post got me thinking: what are the signs of definitely having reached Old Fogeyville?

I’ve come up with some ideas, but I’d be interested to hear yours too. Not that I’m implying any of you are old fogeys or anything…

  • You don’t recognize teen pop stars when they’re standing right next to you, or without significant Googling.
  • You remember the world before Googling.
  • You use ‘the’ in front of nouns like email, as in “I used the email to contact her.”
  • The idea of getting dressed up and throwing on lots of makeup and jewelry and doing your hair all pretty makes you groan rather than wriggle in anticipation. (I’m picturing the difference between getting ready for a high school dance and getting ready for a work holiday party.)
  • You fondly recall the day your family got its first microwave.
  • You know all the words to “The Facts of Life” theme song.
  • You remember Meg Ryan from ‘As the World Turns’.
  • You remember when the Burger King was just a guy in a cape with a big red beard.
  • You own something you refer to as “a housedress.”
  • You can perfectly recall where you were for any significant cultural event prior to the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986.
  • You can no longer drink more than one alcoholic beverage and be expected to behave yourself. (You know who you are.)
  • Children you babysat in high school are now themselves graduating from high school.
  • You can predict tomorrow’s fashion trends by flipping a few pages further in your own childhood photo album. (I don't think Snoopy handbags are on the horizon, but my 80s clothes are sooooo trendy right now!)
  • You remember life before cell phones, and can admit that some aspects of it were good.
  • You have friends you have known for decades.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok, well, my "housedress" is a "moo moo," but anyway you put it - it's fairly unattractive! :-) And thanks for the "Facts of Life" mention - now that song is stuck in my head! (you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...the facts of life, ohhhh, the facts of life!)

Frazzled Farm Wife said...

Ok, that offically classifies me as an old fogey. I have never have a housedress, however.

Anonymous said...

I actually found myself sneering in derision at the radio the other day "that's not music, it's got a weird beat and I can't understand the words". My partner says that the truly scary thing about that is that I still listen to the radio, let alone still remember what one is. I also said a few years back, in total seriousness "kids these days have no respect". I'm 31. I can't believe I've turned into my grandmother at 31. And a sad confession: I have a housedress, as funky as it might be, its essentially a house-dress. Shoot me if I'm ever caught describing it as a "frock" or pants as "slacks" (that may be an Aussie thing).