Mar 8, 2011

Getting Older


I'm no stranger to feeling old. What are some of the hallmarks of aging?
Losing your hair, needing glasses, memory loss, hearing loss, thinking most modern music is just "noise" sound accurate? How about confusion with technology, or getting cancer? This all happened to me in high school. Last year I got my hip replaced. And I'm not even 30 yet. (Though it's getting closer).

But it wasn't until recently that I finally knew I was getting old. What did it for me? Two things, actually.


and
Not to mention the fact that neither of these are current news anymore, I might as well be complaining about microwave ovens or even the interhighway, talking pictures and steam engines or how the heck Ryan Seacrest is still hosting American Idol. But those things I was ok with. (Except Seacrest).

These things, not so much.

Can someone explain to me the appeal of twitter? To me it sounds like blogging for the lazy or remedial quotes from the illiterate. (And I already thought blogger was blogging for the lazy.) And I'm sure that my views of the website just further cements my age and status of no longer being 'with it.'

I think my contempt of Twitter began with news of Ashton Kutcher amassing twitter followers or "twits," as they are often called, (I'm sure I'm the first to make that joke). Ashton Kutcher is such a concentration of douche that if someone wrung him out the water would cover most of the world's surface in a grim reality of Kevin Costner's creatively named Waterworld.

I am avoiding twitter at all costs right now, though the closer I get to graduating and seeing most/all designers have a twitter feed on their portfolio websites, I feel I may have to abandon my dear principles and follow the crowd. And such dear, dear principles they are as well.

I'm no stranger to musicians/singers dressing strangely. After all, I grew up in the 80's.
Glorious, confusing, gender-bending 80's.

After all, my favorite singer growing up (and still, actually) what this man:

But Lady Gaga I just don't get. I think she dresses and acts that way not for any artistic statement, but for attention. Granted, it's not the lowest a person has ever gone to be famous,
picture unrelated

But it's definitely up there. Once Lady Gaga did her thing and wore garbage, bubble wrap and a midget hobo skin for attention, I decided I might not know what is cool anymore. (though the 5 o clock shadow on her armpit isn't cool, is it? I'm right about that, right?) Not to mention her repetitive dance beats that sounds more out of date than, something out of date.
Why can't artists be judged for their music alone? Why are musicians the only people who are regularly called artists nowadays? What ever happened to TV dinners, Jack Parr, vinyl records or the Studebaker? Why are over the hill wannabe hipsters who had cancer ranting about a female singer with a zipper on her eye instead of just accepting that he's getting old? Some questions have no answer. I don't know what's cool. Maybe I should just accept the greatest truth ever uttered by Grandpa Simpson:
I used to be with 'it.' Then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it.' And what's 'it' is weird and scary to me. And it will happen to you.

6 comments:

Mark Beckstrom said...

You are an old soul - which I think means you like Aretha Franklin and Nat King Cole.

However, I still swear that you and Tracie carried out much of your courtship via text messages (I remember some very high bills) - so you're not as technology averse as you profess.

And I heard twitter followers referred to as "my tweeps" the other day.

Time only goes faster.

Miss you. H&K to TLee&Moby

Heather Mae the DIY Gal said...

First of all, you don't get to complain about being old until you have teens in the house and are approaching 40 like me.

Second, I don't even know how Twitter works.

Third, I agree with you with all the stuff you said.

And according to Seth, I am "old-fashioned" Gasp! It was just yesterday that I thought my mom was.

JanB said...

Yes, if you think you feel old now, you will long for these days by the time your children are teenagers.

Charlo said...

eh. twitter has kind of gotten to the point where it is all people marketing crap. I see the point to an extend, but now that people check fb on t heir phones, it is kind of superfluous.

and GaGa is what we call an stripper who has a 4 year olds taste in clothes

Ammon said...

Two quotes come to mind about your current state of mind:
"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."
and
"I grow old, not up."

Dude, I'm 5+ years older than you--you're not allowed to feel old.

Austin said...

Until you get cancer, a metal hip or start balding, yes I am :)