Random 5 for December 22, 2024 – Holiday season, cell phones, clothes, life, aging

Gallery

Posted on by

It’s Christmas week! – How did that happen? It was just the 4th of July then bam we were into pumpkin season. All of us here, furry and not furry, wish you a great holiday in whatever way you celebrate.

Did you hear the angels sing? – The beloved husband upgraded his phone from a very old low-level android to a new, spiffy iPhone. The technology is different so there is a learning curve. The older you get the longer the curve. His curve is as long as an interstate highway. He’s been wrestling with transferring contacts and data. Whatever the directions or YouTube tell him to do, is not available on his old phone. Yes, he’s a bit cranky but cranky with a spiffy cell phone.

The fashion parade – I really should do a weekly update on the fashions at Starbucks. I go for my morning coffee when people are going to work. When I worked, I loved to dress up. Jewelry, makeup, nice clothes – I enjoyed it all (yes even the pantyhose). Now people dress…ummm…oddly. One morning I swear a woman was going to work in pajama bottoms. It’s possible they were patterned pants but what a weird pattern. Yesterday, a woman had gold sequined pants on. It was 7:30 a.m.! Where does she work? A casino? I enjoy the show and yes, I do judge! (I tried to download a photo of the gold sequined pants, but it’s getting more difficult to use pictures from the internet these days!)

Seasons of life – We have a friend who is deciding on where he wants to live. His huge four-bedroom home is far too big for him alone. He looked at continuous care facilities where you start out in a cottage and move to an apartment, then into a care unit as your health and abilities decline but he thought they were for old people (he’s pushing 80). He looked at condominiums and townhouses, but he hasn’t decided. It’s been a few years of indecision. Life has a season and it’s best to accept it and adjust when you can do it on your own terms. I wish him luck. It took us several years to move here but it was the right move, and we love it.

Activities at an active age village

What is old anyway? – The older you get the more your definition of old changes. I’ve always said old is 20 years older than me (and I’m sticking to that!). I called myself middle-aged into my 60s when a friend pointed out that I’d have to live to 120 to be middle-aged. “Old” is not a bad word. It comes with perks, and I use the age card frequently. For me elderly is the bad word. It denotes a declining condition that I don’t want to ever get. I remember a new employee working for me (she was 24) thinking that 30 was pretty damn old. Yikes!

So how was your week?

64 thoughts on “Random 5 for December 22, 2024 – Holiday season, cell phones, clothes, life, aging”

  1. Both my brothers recommended I replace the old laptop with a new mac-air, for security’s sake. I am now officially recommending if you get told this to go hide in a closet. It isn’t a learning curve. It’s a crazy learning race with constant switchbacks and Apple has chosen to make it harder with each curve. Anything they could make different and harder? That’s the way they went. And I think I’ve gotten a lemon. Everything I learn I forget when I go to the hospital. It makes me very tired. And it’s snowing in WP. I forgot about that, too. I could make it go away but I don’t remember how and it will stop soon anyway.

    Boy howdy I am turning grouchy.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Spiffy is challenging (Sr. Staff is debating which spiffy he wants – he’s got to do something his phone is constantly deducing it wants to do what it wants to do which is never what it is supposed to do. Not looking forward to it…I’ll have to listen and hear all his fighting with The Curve of new. HAHA
    Got a giggle over your Starbucks report – here I was worried you might be affected by striking barristas – and that would be a horrible Grinch driven Christmas. glad you are still merry there. Wishing you the Merriest Christmas ever

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I know – this year has just flown right by! People are definitely much more casual anymore. It is very possible the pajama girl was going to work. I have seen some things you would absolutely not believe!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Congrats on the hubs’ new spiffy phone. One nice thing with them is there’s the knowledgeable and helpful community to figure stuff out. Good luck.

    I’ve stopped trying to understand people’s clothing choices. I think that’s a definite sign of aging…aka getting old. As if the creaky constantly in pain joints wasn’t clue enough, you spend most of your day scratching your head wondering what ‘those folks were thinking.’ 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I keep redefining old, too. I don’t think I’m old at all, but lately everything makes me feel old. Eh, one moment I feel old, then, luckily, as age would have it, I don’t care! The only good thing about getting older is you learn not to care about stupid stuff, minor stuff, or other people’s opinions. Life has its own checks and balances.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Well, I worked in Downtown Detroit in the business district from 1978 until my boss and moved a mile away to Stroh River Place. I took the bus and everyone, no matter what type of office they worked in, was “polished” which sounds like an old-fashioned term, so let’s call it neat and clean.

    I know I am getting old when I see how people go to work and especially when I watch the newscasts, I want to know where the dress code is for these news anchors and/or reporters with plunging necklines, skin-tight dresses/skirts, minimal make-up so they looked washed out and straight, no-style hair (and BTW, some of them way too old for the hair style and the clothing style). I’ve always been “old school” when it comes to how you dress/act in the workplace.

    I’ve got to get with the program and learn my phone. I got the simplest smartphone, (a Lively a/k/a Jitterbug), for some of its medical capabilities should I need it, since I live alone and have no family, but I just rely on flip phone which I carry on me every time I leave the house. My excuse is I don’t call anyone and if I do call someone it is on the landline, which AT&T plans to stop supporting in 2029. Young kids know how to operate a smartphone … I’ll learn one day, but in the meantime I’ll be like Scartlet O’Hare and say “I’ll think of it all tomorrow” or “tomorrow is another day”

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Elderly is a bad word, but something they called Biden sounded just as bad. What was it? Fragile?

    I’m so sympathetic to your beloved husband. I would hate to do all the work of changing from Android to an iphone.

    I would be fun to see your Starbucks fashion parade.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I don’t think Biden is fragile, just a normal 81 year old guy! Fragile is more about people on walkers or wheelchairs or in other ways incapacitated. You are not elderly. It ranks right there with fragile!

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Speaking of being cranky and cell phones, I just found out one of my cats does NOT like me watching or listening to anything on speaker phone. As soon as I do, she starts gnawing at the nearest body part: MY BODY PARTS. It is actually pretty funny.

    Merry Christmas

    Liked by 1 person

      • That is funny. Bugs, the cat I got when I started college, used to walk back and forth past my keyboard, when I was doing homework, to get attention. If he didn’t get enough, the keyboard became a good place to lie down: he rarely got enough.

        I took a music theory course in high school, and we had to do solfeggio. When I practiced at home, with my Siamese, Poppy, at my side, it usually went something like this “do me so do OW!” That was usually about how much she would tolerate before she attacked. It was the funniest thing. Poppy was such a cool cat.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. I just upgraded my phone recently and even though it was Apple to Apple, there still is a learning curve. I know that I’m probably ignorant of at least half of what it is capable of, but I don’t care.

    I think I just started to see the deterioration of what was considered appropriate work attire just before I retired. I was shocked at what some people showed up in (yes, I’m pretty sure those were pajama pants). Now that I’m no longer working and can wear pretty much what I want – which is usually comfy, casual – I like when I go somewhere that allows me to dress up a bit.

    Best holiday wishes to you, beloved husband, and the kitties!

    Liked by 1 person

    • I like looking nice. I always did even as a kid. Either people see “nice” differently than I do or they don’t care. The sequined pants were snazzy. It was just so early in the day. Maybe a work party. I do not see a lot of “put together” people going to work at my Starbucks.

      Like

  12. At a job interview in 2001, I was asked how I felt about having a supervisor several years younger than I was to which I replied I wasn’t worried. However, as the interview progressed and I was asked how I would deal with a payment being received with no details of the sender, I mentioned audit trails and being able to back track payments to the remitter. She didn’t like it, and my application didn’t go any further. I wonder if it was because I knew more than she did about the banking system or had come up with a response she hadn’t thought about.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Probably both. I interviewed two women my age for a job reporting to me. Both were so concerned about appearing to want my job. I was retiring in a few years and would have liked someone who could slide into it. Neither one were considered for more reasons than that but it was annoying to be assured several times that they didn’t want my job!

      Liked by 1 person

    • I haven’t heard about dress for success in a long time. It wasn’t around before the pandemic. Then people started to work from home (in their pjs). When they went back to the office, I don’t think they remembered how to dress.

      Like

  14. Hi, Kate – This post was completely relatable to me from start to finish (new phone, crankiness, learning curves and all). Your thoughts on ‘what is old anyway?’ was particularly relatable. Two days ago, I took the bus into town and the bus driver said to the teenaged thugs (who had taken over the front seats reserved from the disabled/elderly) that one of them would have to give up their seat to me. (There were plenty of other seats at the back of the bus). I ignored the entire commotion and headed to the back. Two minutes later, one of the thugs got up, purposely slammed past me and muttered ‘you can have your f****ing old lady seat’! I’m sticking with your mantra that “old age” is 20 years older than I currently am…maybe even 25 years older! D

    Liked by 1 person

    • Too bad he couldn’t be nice about it! 🙂 I’ve told this story before so if you heard it, I apologize. My brother and his wife were in a bad (really bad) car accident a few years back. My SIL was hospitalized for 2 months. When she came home she needed a lot of help. My brother has long term care insurance so I suggested that he tap it for aid. He told me he’s saving it. I asked what for. He said for when he’s old. He was 88 at the time. I thought I’d bust a gut laughing. However, he is doing very well at 94 and is still saving his LTC insurance!

      Like

  15. Merry Holidays to you and all those you hold dear, Kate. Tell the Sassy Cats we love them. They are mentioned here in conversation often.

    I am getting ready to upgrade to an iPhone 16 PM and leaving my 12 PM with someone who wants it for the camera. I got my first iPhone in 2008. I get a cranky each time I upgrade but they are so much fun and it’s all about the camera for me.

    Aging is bewildering.

    Liked by 1 person

    • He bought an iPhone 16 Plus which may be more than he needs but it should last a long time if he gets to know it better. We all including the Sassy Cats wish you a great holiday whatever way you celebrate. Still considering moving?

      Liked by 1 person

      • This feels like home but hurricane season scares the H E double L out of us. Nothing like being in the path of three hurricanes and several more that side swiped us… makes you do some thinking. Our house stood strong and had minimal damage but others were not so lucky. It’s beautiful here. It would be hard to leave. It’s on our mind but no decision has been made to leave. Hoping next hurricane season they all stay in the Atlantic and become fish storms!

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Husband upgraded my new iPhone and there’s a learning curve for that as well! But the worst was when my laptop upgraded and, unbeknownst to me, the settings for the touchpad changed. The amount of swearing because I could no longer drag and drop files was EPIC.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I really don’t like to upgrade desktops. I end up doing it when the system I’m using is no longer supported and programs aren’t syncing. Sometimes it’s better but not always.

      Like

  18. Merry Christmas! It is easier to go from Android to Andoid and iPhone to iPhone so I wish him the best and hope he finds the perfect YouTube video. I have a friend who has been trying to decide to move for three years and as the time goes by her spouse becomes more frail. I agree, best to make the decision when you are able and can actually enjoy the move. Clothes today are an interesting phenomenon. Aren’t you as thrilled as I am that we aren’t in HR at this point? No way would I want to be trying to herd those cats. 🙂 Old I think depends upon your mental and physical conditions. I sure do get a lot of doors held for me though these days. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • The perks for being old are great! Too many people wait to long to move or adjust (if you are lucky, you can age in your current home with some adjustments). I don’t think dress is as defined as it was in our day. I remember having a talk with a VP because she had shorts on (they were fancy Bermuda shorts but nonetheless shorts) and they weren’t allowed. She called me an old frump as I remember it but she didn’t wear them again.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. The next time a younger person visits have them deal with the phone. That is what I do. I don’t have enough brain cells left. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Sadly, there are no younger people around anymore. My youngest nephew is 40 and not nearby. He can have Target set it up or he can call his tech guy. He doesn’t have brains for this either.

      Like

  21. I’m so glad I have a tech guy who transfers everything from one phone to the next for me. I got an apple watch and I can’t figure the damn thing out and it has been sitting unused for a couple months ago. My tech guy says the watch really is helpful…maybe I’ll have him come set it up for me and teach me about it in January. As it is, he just had to replace my not-that-old but dying laptop with a new one and I’m still getting used to that. When did our lives become one piece of tech after another??!

    Liked by 1 person

    • I know! He will probably call our tech guy tomorrow. It’s just not worth the aggravation. I hate upgrading anything technical because it’s not easy (or intuitive — that’s a term bandied about like it’s true). I still have a Fitbit but even they have changed. I can no longer manage it on my desktop but have to do it on the watch which for me takes longer.

      Like

  22. Time gets weird as we age……it flies by and then on top of that you forget what flew! Anyway, we do the best we can to keep up with the joy of aging. We need to downsize but the husband is in denial so here we are. Three story house – four bedrooms, etc. two old folks and a cat. Sigh. About what people wear to work these days – interesting isn’t it. Lots of VERY casual stuff…some of which does look like PJs…I’m from the dress up/heels/put-together days vs. the “throw together” present. I guess if the work gets done that’s the important thing. HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and yours !!

    Hugs, Pam

    Liked by 1 person

    • Our generation raised kids to not care so much about clothes! Denial is happy place. Some people spend their whole like in it. For us, downsizing was hard with the beloved husband’s need for a workshop and guitar room. This house fit the bill but I often wonder is it would be too big for just one of us. The yard is considerably smaller and we don’t miss the 100 ft. driveway to plow when it snowed.

      Like

Comments are closed.