Sunday, September 25, 2011

I’m Old, Not Dead

This is the post where I post pictures and you guess what the hell is going on. Then I tell you.

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Here I am working the Skirt Chaser 5K tent at the Oktoberfest Triathlon this morning. I shared the tent with two gorgeous seniors from the University of Colorado. I felt old, frumpy, mom-like and old. They talked of studying and plans to make 60K right out of college. I was like, hey, but have you run a  marathon because I do those. And I have a blog.

I tried to hang. The one girl asked me if I knew who Kei$ha was. I might be old but I’m not dead. (Look, I even put the “$” in her name, that has to count for something, right?). I just poke fun. These girls really were awesome and fun to hang out with. I’m just having youth envy and am bitter.

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This is my son, who is 13, driving a 1950 Willy yesterday. That is my dad in the back, lounging. My dad’s friend owns this car, and taught his own son to drive in in. It has no doors and an optional windshield. But, by God, it has lap belts. I also like the sunroof and I’m sure it has heated seats and airbags.

In Colorado you can now get your driving permit when you are 14. This means this summer for Sam. Is it wrong that I cried when I saw this picture? Mostly because he used to drive this: 

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Don’t even pretend you don’t want one of these sweet back hoes (not those kind of hoes). Oh, wait, that might  be a front loader. Forgive me, I don’t work in construction.

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Weird, he even has the same pose in those pictures.

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This is part of the production that is going on around here as the countdown is on for Tuesday’s Taylor Swift concert. There are also posters and hats. I do like Taylor $wift, but I don’t like being trapped in a large venue with 30,000 other screaming ‘tweens. This, however, will be the highlight of Emma’s year. I do it for the greater good. We went last year and I have to say she puts on a good show.

What’s been your favorite concert ever? I have been to SO many, but I actually surprised myself and liked Paul McCartney the best. Maybe I am old.

What’s happened lately that made you feel old?

SUAR

PS: Check this out. These two guys are on Day 37 (115 miles) as they run from New York to California as part of the Transcontinental Project to raise money for Global Kids and Shannon’s Fight. Thanks to the girls from Two Former Fat Chicks for letting me know about this!

42 comments:

  1. I refer to all those construction vehicles as "diggers". Of course my son is only 4, so I can still get away with less technical terms.

    Today I was chatting with some friends (who are actually about the same age as me, but aren't parents) and they were talking about getting IDed to buy alcohol. I rarely drink anymore, and haven't been IDed since I was 26. That made me feel old.

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  2. I don't know who Ke$ha is and I'm not even 40 yet...sigh...

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  3. My brother and I learned to drive in a '78 Jeep CJ5. My dad recently gave me the title and I will be teaching my kids to drive in that very same automobile. No power steering, no power brakes, 3 speed in line 6 that won't go over 65 and consistently pops out of first gear. Perfect!

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  4. Very cute pictures of your son! My son turns 3 this week, and he wants and actual "digger" for his birthday, as well as a toy excavator. He'd like a real tractor too, just to "put in the yard". yeah we moved out of the "country" out here, but we still live in a neighborhood little dude!

    Watching college football makes me feel really old. Like, seeing the players who are so young and thinking about how old I felt when I was there age. I haven't been to a game yet this year, but I always feel very old an ancient. Also, I am going to be hanging out with some of my younger friends at the Detroit Marathon, and I will feel super old b/c I can't hang out all day watching people finish because of my kids. I am not quite old enough for my kids to be self sufficient enough to not care that I am gone all morning though. I am not sure that I am looking forward to that freedom just yet.

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  5. favorite concert ever....a Dave Matthews show at the Muse on Nantucket.
    Something that made me feel old this week was when my husband sent me an article about the Nirvana album Nevermind. It came out 20 years ago this week. I was in college when it came out....that definitely made me feel old.

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  6. Yesterday I felt old when I saw that one of the boys on my son's football team has substantial leg hair (it is 5th-6th mixed and my son is a young 5th grader and this boy might be an older 6th grader, but still - to think of my son starting puberty in the not so distant future freaks me out a little). Often feel old when I realize that music or movies or whatever that I was "into" in the 80's and 90's are now 20-30 years old. Have a conference in a few weeks where there will be a large amount of college students and I'm sure to feel it then too.

    Awesome mom on the TS concert. I'd like to see her and my daughter would LOVE it, but I have a hard time horking out that much for tix (another old thing as it seemed most of the concerts I went to were $20-$30/ticket - but that was in the early 90s!)

    I've seen a lot of good concerts - mostly country music in the 90's (Clint Black, Tim/Faith, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Leann Rimes, Toby Keith) and some that I look at the pics and wonder who those folks on stage are. Been ages since I've been to a concert though.

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  7. Oh - in the construction industry it has to have a narrower bucket (hoe) on the back (thus the term) to be a backhoe. We'd call this a loader or highlift. It is a dozer if it only really pushes (as opposed to scooping too).

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  8. Favorite concert? Either u2 or rolling stones. Both awesome and at least 20 years ago. Now I feel old. Thanks. :p

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  9. I love how you tried to hang with the younger set. Hahahahahahha! I sound so granny-like. My husband likes going to bars and shooting pool with 20-somethings... he razzes them and sounds like such a geezer, but he has such a blast doing it.

    Yeah, NOT a backhoe. English, french and heavy equipment... I can serve as your wiki... We have one of those, too. Wish we also had the coolio jeep :)

    Favorite concert ever... Prince.

    What made me feel old? Nothing can make me feel old... I have a 2-year old. Wait... that's sort of contradictory...

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  10. I think my best concert was maybe Elton John and that was when I was 19 I think. Sad. So sad but true. Guess I'm an old soul with a flare for the flamboyant.

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  11. Overall Springsteen, but Jackson Browne in 1986 at Merriweather Post was pretty darn awesome.

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  12. You? Old?? Ha! I think you're just fishing for compliments again.

    I haven't the faintest idea who Kei$ha is or what he or she does. Same for Taylor Swift.

    Fave concert was Cheap Trick in the old Maple Leaf Gardens. Back when they were a new group. Paul McCartney was pretty good in the band he had before Wings.

    Nothing makes me feel old, though sometimes has lots of complaints about what I'm doing to it.

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  13. What's made me feel old lately is my new job as a 7th grade teacher. No one old teaches middle school. I've only been teaching 16 years, but everyone around me has been teaching about 6 years. I don't even ask how old they are - I haven't worked with 20 somethings for years!

    It's my first visit to your blog - love your title!

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  14. Ke$ha (not Kei$ha) but at least you got the dollar sign!

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  15. I work for a youth organization. One of my staff, who, to be fair, is closer to the 17-21 year olds in the program, than my ancient 32 year-old self, told me, "Our generation can't live without YouTube."

    Then I got carded at the liquor store, and all was right with the world again. :)

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  16. I feel old with just how tired I am lately. :( Favorite concert...hmmm, I'd say Ben Harper/Jack Johnson tour. Have not been to too many though.

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  17. This is a great post - I love the pictures! The best concert I have been to was Big & Rich! I was surprised that it was an awesome concert. If you ever get a chance to see them (and like them, obviously) - do!

    I feel old because I turned 29. You, however, never strike me as old because you do what you do!!

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  18. Taking my girls to Taylor Swift on Wednesday in Salt Lake. Now I am feeling all sorts of pressure to make a shirt or poster or something. Ah! I will feel like a lame mom if I don't!! I saw Lionel Richie when I was in the 4th grade (almost 24 years old) one of my favorite concert memories! It was his dancing on the ceiling tour! I still remember his neon splatter paint outfit.

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  19. I mean to say almost 24 years ago. I was 10 :)

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  20. 14 to get a learner's permit?!! You have to be 16 here and for some teenagers even that is too young. Mind you, you'll love having one less person to run around once he gets his license.

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  21. If it makes you feel better, I still don't understand Kei$ha's name or how you pronounce it. And up until recent, I thought it was Akorn, not Akon. Because I have the tastes of my dad, I always feel old.

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  22. tonight i felt old. we went to a movie and got a babysitter to watch the chits. some reason i always feel awkward and old saying things like "make sure they don't drink anything after 6 or they may pee the bed"...just feels weird. i swear, didn't i just babysit like a year ago?? omg

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  23. oh whoops. forgot to add, favorite concert?? tossup between Celine Dion (no kidding. i swear that chick did 5 zumba classes worth of workout in that show) or a laid back 3 Doors Down concert on church street in Orlando, fl. 1st real date w/ my man to the latter;) i had on a cheetah print tube top. back when i was hotter and much younger

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  24. "youth envy" I get that now as well .... I get over it quickly though ;-)

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  25. What made me feel old....
    I work part time in a group home with teens, and they were talking about movies, and what was the first movie they'd seen at the theatre, I said the Karate Kid, the original, and one girl said "OMG, how old are you?? That movie is from the 80's"
    However I do have some Ke$ha on my ipod that I run to.

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  26. I'm a quasi-parrothead so my favorite concert is Buffet.

    I feel old sometimes but then I'll get carded for buying wine (I live in a college town - the new hires always card EVERYONE. I'm 39.).

    I learned to drive in my friend's Volkswagen "Thing" (an amphibious vehicle. What? Google it. It was yellow. She named it Bartholomew.) when I was 14. It was a stick. That was the only time I've ever driven one. (TWSS).

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  27. I saw Taylor Swift about 6 years ago before she got real big and it was awesome! She came to UW-La Crosse, where I went to school, and performed pretty much everything on her first CD (only one at the time) and then stayed an extra 2-3 hours after the show to sign autographs for EVERYBODY who attended! Not only did she sign autographs, but she took pictures with us and talked to us. She actually helped me put on a bracelet that I bought from her and she took a couple of my guy friends, who were obsessed with her, to her tour bus to show them around. Wouldn't it be awesome if that's how things always were with celebs!

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  28. Not gonna lie, I'm totally jealous about T-Swift!!!

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  29. Most of the time I am completely delusional and feel about a decade or so younger than my 37 years, but the other night at dinner my 5 year old looked at me and announced: "Mommy, you look like you are getting *really* old. Are you going to die soon?"

    Good grief. Time to investigate the Juvederm, or at least try a green cleanse or something!

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  30. My favorite concert ever was Metallica. Even though, they are big sellouts now, they put on one helluva show. It lasted forever and was such a production. Auhmazing.

    But this year, I would have to say Cowboy Mouth on Fat Tuesday. My friend goes every year and now, I'm going to go every year. It was fun. They threw out Mardi Gras beads and I think I only showed my boobs twice. But they have such energy. It was a good time.

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  31. LOVE that they asked you if you know who Keisha is! You're a hot mama so that's all that counts.

    Yesterday I felt incredibly old when I could not read a phone number on my phone w/o reading glasses. This is a new phenomenon for me and I don't like it!

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  32. I feel old when I'm trying to read something and have to hold it at arms length so that I can focus in on it. I think it's time for those glasses.

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  33. I am constantly made to feel old and frumpy by my 16 year old daughter and her friends. Mostly because she always rolls her eyes and asks me "Are you seriously wearing that out in public?"

    Oh the fun starts now! There will be a couple of years of fun until Sam actually gets his license. Sigh, it's such a hassle trying to get a license these days. But congrats to Sam, I'm sure he is super excited!

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  34. LOL - LOVE the side by side pics of Sam driving.

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  35. Great pic of your son and dad! Learned to drive on an old early '70's VW bug. Not quite as cool as the the Willy, but still a bit tough to learn to drive on.

    Favorite concert would be either The Eagles at MRF (Mississippi River Festival in Edwardsville, IL)in the summer of '78 OR Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with John Denver at Red Rocks (front row) in summer of '88. Wasn't a John Denver fan until then. Boy could he play a guitar! Guess I prefer the outdoor concerts.

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  36. Ok.... this is hard to admit and positively horrifying but...when my husband and I went to Bob Evans with the kids and we were all sitting there being a happy family, eating our yummy pancakes: an older couple came up to our table a told me and my husband that we were such great grandparents to these boys and that we should be so proud at how good they were being.Now, I am 42 and feel that I look young for my age and my husband is 46 and looks young for his and our boys are 8 and 11. I thought I was going to choke on the food i was chewing.. I turned bright red and just like any other smart and sharped mouthed mother would do....I let my husband handle it. I cant even remember what he said, I think I lost my hearing at that point.

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  37. I go to school everyday with people who are 10 years younger than I am. I feel old every time I get the profs' references to movies and music from the 80's and my classmates don't. I asked a classmate if she remembered that scene in Steel Magnolias where the one character says something about someone's ass looking like 2 pigs fighting under a blanket, and my classmate hadn't even seen the movie.

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  38. Favorite concert-The Eagles.
    Feeling old? My youngest nephew is 16 today...........yeah, I'm feeling it.

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  39. BEP (Black Eyed Peas - not that I had to tell you that b/c you are all hip) was the best concert I went to and not just because of Fergie but b/c JT was there (that's Justin Timberlake) and yes I just did this last week.....

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  40. Paul McCartney is AWESOME in concert! I've seen him a few times (and I'm 32... I guess that's old, too :S)

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  41. Someone called me "a middle aged mother with a wrinkly stomach" last week. Nevermind that she has never met met and was looking at a picture of me in a full swimsuit and couldn't see my abs. I'm 33! And dear 20 something single gal who has no idea the work I've put in after birthing 8 children in less than 12yrs, my abs freaking rock! And I seriously hope that I live to be older than 66. Can't wait till she grows up and stops making assumptions.... :/

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