You Know You Are Old When

[Oaktree]

Slipped on ice at the gas station this morning and landed flat on my back. I'm starting to feel it this afternoon. The worst part is, I saw it when I got out of the car but forgot it was there by the time I was done pumping the gas!

Did that in my own yard 5-6 years ago. One of those early winter storms where it rained, then froze, then a couple inches of powdery snow on top. Hadn't frozen fully when I went to bed, so the sand I put down just soaked in & frozen over.
Landed with one leg under me, knee bent about 20° further than it really wanted to. Pain was so bad I could barely move...after lying there for 10 min or so was able to crawl back to the house (getting up the steps was extremely painful), called wife at work.
She came home, got me out of my outdoor clothes and grabbed a set of crutches from the garage that I'd found at the dump a few years earlier.
It was probably 3 weeks before I could walk very well. Leg still occasionally bothers me still.

 

[Engineer42]

?? why? That's a pretty standard reply, here.

Heck, the Spanish even formalized it. "de nada" = "it's nothing", from every english to spanish dictionary and text book on earth.

The last few pages read like a whole bunch of tedious people who waste too much energy getting annoyed with things that don't really matter, here.

Tedious? No, it's just annoying to see how lazy and unsocialized society has become. Customer service seems not to be taught or required at most businesses anymore. I don't need a parade when I do business with someone, but the same common courtesy I extend should be able to be reciprocated in return in a somewhat proper manner. I would rather you just nod your head than answer with "no problem".

Not wanting to be a Mr. Manners here, but it's just not how I was taught and raised. Most youths could benefit from a more proper vocabulary and manners.

And I couldn't give two hoots of owl **** of how the Spanish interpret it. English is the language here.

It's bad enough the person waiting on you cannot perform simple math, but it sure seems like you are interrupting their cell phone/Facebook/texting to get them to wait on you.

Oh, and get off my lawn!

 

[WinterDeere]

Tedious? No, it's just annoying to see how lazy and unsocialized society has become.

Yes, tedious. You make a good example with the attitude of acting like you're interrupting someone's day to get basic customer service. They're being paid to be there to serve you, that's a legit complaint.

But to make a big deal about "no problem" instead of "you're welcome" just seems silly to me, when "no problem" is probably the standard response you're going to get from 99% of locals around here. Likewise with "got you", that's just the phraseology of a new generation, and the intent in both cases is politeness. If you take it otherwise, that's on you, not the person offering it.

It'd be best to try to not equate a bad grammar with a bad attitude. They're independent of one another.

 

[NoTrespassing]

?? why? That's a pretty standard reply, here.

Heck, the Spanish even formalized it. "de nada" = "it's nothing", from every english to spanish dictionary and text book on earth.

The last few pages read like a whole bunch of tedious people who waste too much energy getting annoyed with things that don't really matter, here.

LOL, I'm only slightly annoyed. It seems as though you are more than slightly annoyed at my post. I'm also slightly annoyed when I see people wearing sweatpants to church.

 

[Engineer42]

Yes, tedious. You make a good example with the attitude of acting like you're interrupting someone's day to get basic customer service. They're being paid to be there to serve you, that's a legit complaint.

But to make a big deal about "no problem" instead of "you're welcome" just seems silly to me, when "no problem" is probably the standard response you're going to get from 99% of locals around here. Likewise with "got you", that's just the phraseology of a new generation, and the intent in both cases is politeness. If you take it otherwise, that's on you, not the person offering it.

It'd be best to try to not equate a bad grammar with a bad attitude. They're independent of one another.

We can agree to disagree and drive on.

 

[WinterDeere]

LOL, I'm only slightly annoyed. It seems as though you are more than slightly annoyed at my post. I'm also slightly annoyed when I see people wearing sweatpants to church.

I'm not annoyed at all by your post, actually. I think it just sounds petty to worry about such small things, particularly when I participate in at least some of the infractions listed above, due to local custom.

But I'm right with you on the people wearing sweats to church. Even on a 100F day when the A/C is broken, I'm wearing a shirt with a collar and dress slacks. It really ain't that much of a hurdle to show at least a little respect to the venue.

I guess we all have our own hang-ups.

We can agree to disagree and drive on.

No problem.

 

[scootr]

Old people can be disturbed by new colloquialisms. It is the same for every generation. The new generation adopts a new word or phrase in an effort to be unique or different from the previous generations. Today 'fire' describes what we called 'cool' which my parents called 'very nice'. Greetings and salutations change. No problem means the service rendered was easy or a pleasure to give. Try to be understanding instead of being angry when common replies sound different. Changes to the English language are not going to stop. Get over it

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm slightly bothered when I offer a "thank you" for a service rendered and the reply is "no problem".

I respond “My Pleasure” or “Happy to Help” or “Happy to be of Assistance”

 

[ultrarunner]

Did that in my own yard 5-6 years ago. One of those early winter storms where it rained, then froze, then a couple inches of powdery snow on top. Hadn't frozen fully when I went to bed, so the sand I put down just soaked in & frozen over.
Landed with one leg under me, knee bent about 20° further than it really wanted to. Pain was so bad I could barely move...after lying there for 10 min or so was able to crawl back to the house (getting up the steps was extremely painful), called wife at work.
She came home, got me out of my outdoor clothes and grabbed a set of crutches from the garage that I'd found at the dump a few years earlier.
It was probably 3 weeks before I could walk very well. Leg still occasionally bothers me still.

Yep… missteps are my new caution…

Walking in leaf covered landscape and dropped into a covered hole… days later still painful from something so simple…

 

[NoTrespassing]

I respond “My Pleasure” or “Happy to Help” or “Happy to be of Assistance”

I like all of those! A simple, "you're welcome" is what I'm accustomed to.

Does anyone get called "Chief" i.e.: "What can I do for you Chief?" This usually comes from a 20 something male in a parts or hardware store.

As far as new phrases are concerned, I've been exposed to plenty by my 13-year-old, NO CAP!

 

[MossRoad]

Seems to me it’s time to start looking for a job!!!

I retired in 2017 at age 56.

Now what do retired guys do? Putter around and fix stuff!

So I took a job maintaining residential facilities, and spend my time puttering around fixing stuff and getting paid for it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Several retired coworkers stopped by and the ones I had a chance to speak with are enjoying retirement but said after 25-30 years here they miss their work friends… especially around the holidays.

 

[garry1p]

You know the old saying in a Corvette, when you run over a nickel you can tell if it's heads or tails.

Well, YKYO when you trip over a nickel because you no longer pick your feet up high enough.

 

[rontaki]

Yes, tedious. You make a good example with the attitude of acting like you're interrupting someone's day to get basic customer service. They're being paid to be there to serve you, that's a legit complaint.

But to make a big deal about "no problem" instead of "you're welcome" just seems silly to me, when "no problem" is probably the standard response you're going to get from 99% of locals around here. Likewise with "got you", that's just the phraseology of a new generation, and the intent in both cases is politeness. If you take it otherwise, that's on you, not the person offering it.

It'd be best to try to not equate a bad grammar with a bad attitude. They're independent of one another.

All true. There is a subtle difference between "you're welcome" and "no problem", in that "no problem" implies that the speaker did not have to go out of their way for you.
Start with the misuse of homonyms and texting-style shortcuts to common words, if one is to take up arms against linguistic misbehavior. My 1 cents worth. (forgot to refresh my pocket change)

 

[JasperFrank]

 

[BravoXray]

I retired in 2017 at age 56.

Now what do retired guys do? Putter around and fix stuff!

So I took a job maintaining residential facilities, and spend my time puttering around fixing stuff and getting paid for it.

I am the family and local fix-it guy and computer guru.
I think I'm going to get a hat that says "OGTFT" on it.
Stands for Old Guy That Fixes Tings.

 

[Dan Hunter]

You're not alone my friend. Or, you ask for something and get "I got you".

Arrrggh!

I'm slightly bothered when I offer a "thank you" for a service rendered and the reply is "no problem".

No problem? No tip.

 

[drssg]

I am the family and local fix-it guy and computer guru.
I think I'm going to get a hat that says "OGTFT" on it.
Stands for Old Guy That Fixes Tings.

I used to have that title, but I think the nieces and nephews have picked up the slack as they get older. My FIL used to require regular help, but he has dementia now, and he doesn't access a computer or cell phone.

He wears an analog watch with a date display. He handed it to me one day, and he said the date was wrong. It wasn't wrong, so I gave it back to him and told him it is good. He said, "You're a genius!"

I guess it's good to be appreciated, even if it's for nothing.

 

[WinterDeere]

I used to have that title, but I think the nieces and nephews have picked up the slack as they get older.

I have set up a 2-tier support system with extended family, much like Dell or Xerox. My teens are tier-1, the grandparents get them first, when they call with a question on how to fix their smart phone or tablet. The support ticket only re-routes to tier-2 support (me) when the kids fail.

The grandparents would rather talk to the kids than me, anyway.