You know you are getting old when:

[LizzieMaine]

She never uses my name at all when she talks to me. She never even says "Hello" when I pick up the phone. She says "well, my bladder's actin' up again" or "what's wrong with these g-d Red Sox/Patriots, will you tell me that?" Sometimes both in the same sentence.

 

[ChiTownScion]

I once got into a discussion with a kid at school about why most everybody in the Peanuts comic strip called Charlie Brown "Charlie Brown," instead of "Charlie." The thought had never occured to me that there was something peculiar about that, because I'd heard people referred to that way all my life. Whenever my mother is talking to me about my sister, she always calls her by first name/last name, and I assume she does the same thing when she talks to her about me.

And yet, Linus and Lucy were never addressed as Linus van Pelt or Lucy van Pelt, nor was Schroeder addressed as Schroeder... well, whatever the hell his last name was (I don't think that Schulz ever told us).

When my mother addressed me by First, Last, AND Middle name, I knew that I was in for it. On the other hand, a very good friend's little 3 year old girl had quite a crush on me when I was about 30, announcing to her mom, employing my first and last name, that she was going to marry me! Quite a little character. Never happened, but she did end up as the ring bearer in our wedding.

 

[Bigger Don]

When you're teaching a college class and one of the students is the daughter of one of your kindergarten classmates...

When the fist baseman on your little league team posts pictures of his grandchild...

When an NFL Offensive Coordinator is the nephew of one of your HS classmates...and the "kid's" father was the little brother of your classmate.

When a (different) classmate retires as an admiral.

 

[Zombie_61]

Here's another Lizzie, I would be very careful with.
Oh yes ma'am.

Yeah, from what I've read she was a bit...whacky.

 

[green papaya]

When your no longer "Eye Candy" to the ladies and they dont even give you a second look, the ladies use to do the cat calls a lot more.

 

[Zombie_61]

When your no longer "Eye Candy" to the ladies and they dont even give you a second look, the ladies use to do the cat calls a lot more.

If a lack of cat calls is the barometer for getting old, I've apparently been old my entire life.

 

[Fading Fast]

When your no longer "Eye Candy" to the ladies and they dont even give you a second look, the ladies use to do the cat calls a lot more.

Definitely a sign of aging is noticing who is and isn't noticing you anymore. At 52, I'm all but dead to women under 35, I might as well be 100 years old as far as they are concerned. Above 35 it's a jumble. My girlfriend likes to point out that I'm too old now for all but the oldest of cougars (she's helpful that way). It all makes senses, but it is a bit jarring each time you notice the age shifting higher.

 

[green papaya]

Definitely a sign of aging is noticing who is and isn't noticing you anymore. At 52, I'm all but dead to women under 35, I might as well be 100 years old as far as they are concerned. Above 35 it's a jumble. My girlfriend likes to point out that I'm too old now for all but the oldest of cougars (she's helpful that way). It all makes senses, but it is a bit jarring each time you notice the age shifting higher.

something I noticed while shopping at the local Supermarket, several of the middle aged ladies are noticing me, and show interest, and making eye contact, smiling, they must know Im no longer a young buck? but it took awhile, since I still dont have much grey hair unless you look really close and see a few grey hairs on the side, some of the younger ladies still show interest, my natural dark color hair probably fools them.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I never look at anybody, unless they're carrying an uncased trombone down my street while wearing nothing but a speedo. That's a thing that happens here.

 

[GHT]

I never look at anybody, unless they're carrying an uncased trombone down my street while wearing nothing but a speedo. That's a thing that happens here.

I'm sure I've told this tale before. Amnesia, another sign of getting old. My wife and I were going out one bitter cold January, Saturday night. We drove by a hospital that cared for patients with mental health issues. One of the patients, (presumably) had just left the hospital wearing just his shoes, the rest of his attire was neatly folded over his arm. Let me tell you, the trouser furniture did not respond to the cold. "Did I just?" I said, turning to my wife. "Yes you did," she replied, before I could finish the sentence. That image, it's seared on my brain.

 

[sheeplady]

I recently went through my closet and pulled out the clothes I now feel too old for. It was sad, but I'm closer to 40 than 29, and I felt silly wearing something that I associate with 29 year olds.

 

[belfastboy]

If a lack of cat calls is the barometer for getting old, I've apparently been old my entire life.

Yep, me too. Guess I was born "old"

 

[GHT]

I recently went through my closet and pulled out the clothes I now feel too old for. It was sad, but I'm closer to 40 than 29, and I felt silly wearing something that I associate with 29 year olds.

Don't feel silly, you are much too young to be close to 40.

 

[Zombie_61]

I recently went through my closet and pulled out the clothes I now feel too old for. It was sad, but I'm closer to 40 than 29, and I felt silly wearing something that I associate with 29 year olds.

This brings to mind the recent news of a "study" conducted in the U.K. which determined women should stop wearing jeans at age 53. It appears a different, unrelated, but apparently essentially the same, "study" was conducted in the U.K. earlier this year which determined the "cut off" age should be 47. It seems even the Fashion Police can't make up their minds.

As far as I'm concerned, age shouldn't be a determining factor for such things. If you've got it, flaunt it (within the commonly accepted societal guidelines of "decency", that is). That being said, your decision was based on your own personal level of comfort rather than peer pressure, so I support your decision even though I might not agree.

 

[Trenchfriend]

When you buy some of the old-fashion yummy nutwedges from your nice old family-bakery around the corner, after a long long time of having none of these goodies and after coming home and unpacking them, you look at them and think:
"Huuh, so little? But, they were bigger in my younger days??"

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

Some years ago an economist worked up a prediction based on the declining weight of the American candy bar coupled with its increase in price while shrinking. He arrived at the conclusion that by some date in the future, we would have a weightless candy bar that cost several hundred dollars.

 

[LizzieMaine]

This brings to mind the recent news of a "study" conducted in the U.K. which determined women should stop wearing jeans at age 53. It appears a different, unrelated, but apparently essentially the same, "study" was conducted in the U.K. earlier this year which determined the "cut off" age should be 47. It seems even the Fashion Police can't make up their minds.

As far as I'm concerned, age shouldn't be a determining factor for such things. If you've got it, flaunt it (within the commonly accepted societal guidelines of "decency", that is). That being said, your decision was based on your own personal level of comfort rather than peer pressure, so I support your decision even though I might not agree.

The closest I come to wearing jeans is the dirty denim overalls I wear for climbing ladders and fixing drains at work. There are no jeans made that fit my body with anything remotely approaching comfort, so I'm more than happy to stay far away from them.

What bugs me is the insistence that any woman over 40 or so needs to cut her hair into a short, severe crop. It's a big cultural thing here -- the "menopausal helmet" -- and one which I feel quite free to ignore. My hair's up under a head rag most of the time, but I reserve the right to let it down any damn time I feel like it. And no, dying a streak of your Menopausal Helmet blue or green doesn't make it any more flattering, or you any more "hip."

 

[Trenchfriend]

The closest I come to wearing jeans is the dirty denim overalls I wear for climbing ladders and fixing drains at work. There are no jeans made that fit my body with anything remotely approaching comfort, so I'm more than happy to stay far away from them.

What bugs me is the insistence that any woman over 40 or so needs to cut her hair into a short, severe crop. It's a big cultural thing here -- the "menopausal helmet" -- and one which I feel quite free to ignore. My hair's up under a head rag most of the time, but I reserve the right to let it down any damn time I feel like it. And no, dying a streak of your Menopausal Helmet blue or green doesn't make it any more flattering, or you any more "hip."

I call it "mommy-haircut", from the 90's. But in German, it sounds much more mocking. "Mutti-Frisur"!

At the middle-aged with or without "menopausal-red", we are saying in Germany. Also Pixie-haircut.

But the older crop looks better, to me:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_(hairstyle)

Why, no woman tries this, here in old Europe??

 

[Zombie_61]

...What bugs me is the insistence that any woman over 40 or so needs to cut her hair into a short, severe crop. It's a big cultural thing here -- the "menopausal helmet" -- and one which I feel quite free to ignore...

My wife's hair has hung lower than her shoulders (to her waist, at one point) the entire time I've known her, which is now about 37 years. Her sister, who is four years older, "butched up" and got what I call the "Midwestern Hausfrau" haircut before she turned 40, so when my wife turned 40 her sister started pestering her about it. "You're older now, when are you going to cut your hair?" My wife tolerated it with good humor for the first year or so, but eventually grew tired of the subject and finally had a few "choice words" for dear sis. Now they can jokingly tease each other about it, but for a while there it became such a sensitive issue that my brother-in-law and I were ready to rent a boxing ring in Las Vegas and broadcast their fight on HBO.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
I'd pay to see that.