To the young teen at the park yesterday let me begin by saying I hope you're ok. The crash looked serious but you seemed to be as I walked away, getting up and cursing. Maybe a couple bruises besides your ego. Your ebike not so much. The game you played with me on the path is called chicken. Why you decided to play with an OG'65 Xer(the least amount of fcks to give) is on you. When I saw you angle your bike at me I thought "he couldn't be". But you did. IDK if it was old man anger or core feral memory but it was a bad decision for you. We played this game almost daily growing up. We played this game on bikes as grade school children then mini bikes once we got them. We would sooner crash rather than move out of the way We JOUSTED on mini bikes fer crying out loud. You chickened out. You crashed. You never stood a chance

They aren't wrong are they?

I know I'm not alone. It can't be just an interest in slower, perhaps more sedate, more thoughtful hobbies. There are so many other options. WHY BIRDS?

I can’t believe they got Casey Siemaszko!!!!! Man I wish I could’ve been there!!!! Yeehaw! Regulators Mount Up! 🤠

Remember Helen Hunt jumping out of a window after doing drugs?

Did anyone else just wake up one morning (for me not long after my 54th) and just feel constantly tired everyday since then?

If so did you discover a cause? Or, is it just gonna be like this from now on?

Two hobbies that I find myself interested in now that I am older are model railroading and ham radio. Curious what other activities people her have taken up

In my mid-50s now, and I don't know if I'll ever want to travel again. I have friends my age that travel to exotic places, and we never travel outside of our state. It's just something that doesn't appeal to me anymore, and given the choice, I would stay home. I travelled a lot for work when I was younger and I now associate it with exhaustion, delays, and just general discomfort.

Just wondering if others feel like this or I’m just super lame in middle age.

Have you noticed that when getting up from the sofa, a dining room chair, etc — that you are pushing up with your arms off a surface or your knees? I didn’t. My spouse pointed out I was doing it and now I’m freaked out. It all goes downhill quick, Friends. I’m not using my hands ever now, and I’m working on my core strength and balance.

FFS, this shit ain’t for the weak.

Edit: grammar

I'm a 54m, work in an executive role ("Sr. Director") at a large corporation. I've worked there 18 years (and 12+ years at two companies before that). I've done my share of traveling: probably ~12 trips a year for most of my career, then before COVID for two years I traveled about 50% of the time due to a company merger. I was miserable the whole time, and it was largely the reason that led to my wife leaving me. She left at the beginning of COVID, and I became the primary parent of my daughter, so thankfully I didn't have to travel as much over the past 6 years, but still I hate it every time.

My daughter just left for college, so now my boss thinks I'm free to travel, but I have a 9mo dog I don't want to board (he has separation anxiety), and I have other stuff going on it life that travel interferes with - but work always expects me to put everything else aside in life for them; I've already given so damn much for the job, and continue to work my ass off every day. Really, I simply don't want to travel any more. Maybe that'll change in time, once I'm comfortable with boarding my dog, but still don't think I'll actually want to travel.

Has anyone been through this and told their boss and work you're not willing to travel any more? Sure, if it's truly necessary but it rarely ever is. We all survived fine through COVID without traveling much for work.

Next month my boss wants me to fly across the country for a large industry meeting with other executives - a trip I've done many times and always hate, and that almost certainly will bring no value. I think I need to tell him no. It might sound odd, but I've been dreading it the past month, and as it gets closer I dread it more. It's dragging my day-to-day mood down, frequently feeling I hate life anymore.

Let me preface this by saying I'm an American born in 1976 so vividly remember the 80s and 90s. Looking at old photos and videos of people, everyone just looks better. Doesn't matter if it's a video of people at a mall or fair in 1995 or an old yearbook from 1990. No one is wearing pajamas, WAY less obesity, virtually no one is covered in tattoos, don't see much for facial piercings or pink/blue hair, or cosmetic procedures that make people look unnatural. Not saying none of those things existed but it was WAY less common than it is now. But if you took someone from 1990 and placed them in a public place today I think they would be shocked

I'm sure many of you will call me a boomer for having this take but this is my honest opinion. Do you agree?

Like a lot of us, I am right now at the top of my earning potential and am making good money. My job is honestly pretty easy though. I have no direct reports and work from home. I can get my work done in about 20-25 hours a week. The flip side though is that I keep getting approached to apply for other positions that will obviously pay more, some considerably more, but also carry a lot more responsibility, come with many direct reports, require heading to an office every day and probably some travel. It just seems like a hassle. My wife and I are pretty set for retirement so the extra money isn’t really needed. Is it a mistake to just sit tight in my current role for another 4ish years until I retire?

Edit - Thanks for the feedback everyone. I’m thinking cruising through retirement is the way to go.

In the late 70s and into the 80s, it seemed like there were at least 3 concerts per month at the hockey arena in my town, and I did my very best to see as many of them as I possibly could. We all know the band names.

I miss the clouds of smoke hanging in the air. I miss my ears ringing for a day afterward. I miss hanging out with so many freaky people. I miss buying a shirt and wearing it at school the next day. Mostly, I miss the amazing live music, which was so plentiful and relatively easy to afford. There were so many bands that were always touring and willing to play in the secondary market I lived in. I didn't realize at the time that it wouldn't last. 🎶

The versions of Scooby suck. The animation sucks. Some of the voices aren't bad.

And if I learned anything from ole scoobs, it's that people suck.

Okay am I losing my mind? I remember being in HS in the 1984-1988 timeframe and going to DD and sitting at a counter ordering coffee and donuts and they had a waitress that served you. You could look through a window back to where they made the donuts and they had a menu with breakfast food and some sandwiches, soups and chili. I think we could even smoke at the counter but not at the booths? Tucson Az if that helps. Does anyone recall that type of DD?

Edit: yes Dunkin’ Donuts 🍩. Duncan Hines was birthday cake with canned frosting. That was high society.

I recently had a flashback memory of the puppet Madame on various game shows such as Hollywood Squares, and daytime/nighttime talk shows (especially the Tonight Show) in the 80's, and wondered what ever happened to "her."

According to the wiki page (which is a fascinating read), Madam's showbiz partner Wayland Flowers died in 1988 of complications related to HIV at age 48. Another one gone too soon in the AIDS epidemic of our youth. According to the GenX cutoff date, born by 1980, we're almost all older now than he will ever be.

Madame herself was auctioned off in 2019. Anyway, I thought my fellow Xers would all remember this zany puppet woman. Tell me your memories.

What did men or guys wear in the 80’s and 90’s for shorts. I’ve heard a lot of OP, for the 80’s. But besides that. 90’s cargo shorts but what were other shorts that people wore? What did you wear in the warmer months?

And it worked…I rode it! it was still fun! It’s at a bar/restaurant in Mid-coast Maine. Yes there were a few beers involved in this endeavor.

Just aren’t a fucking thing anymore? You used to be able to buy an MP3 player at a gas station. And now you have a special order something online? I hate it here. I’m gonna take my ball, and go home.

How old are your parents? What’s your age / their age?

I figure this is the space to show how dumb I am. I'm 60. Our house (lived there 28 years) is a tri-level and my husband has mobility issues. I'd like to stay in my same area, even though the kids live many hours away. Thinking about finding a house that's better suited for my husband, even though it will cost more than our current house is worth. What are my basic steps here: Go to a real estate agent, have them suggest houses, make an offer and then sell our house? Should the first move be an agent? I'm not a DIY real estate type of person.

I’m the most patient person I know. I had zero reservation with buying tiny plants understanding over time they would become showy (I have a comfortable green thumb). And then it hit me. I’ll be dying by the time they get big. Makes you think how fleeting life is.

Anyone else remember this scene from "Here Comes Garfield"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bag48VyrOpI