If 70 is the new 50???....and 50 the new 30???....

[Whip]

What is 30......???????

 

I'm thinkin about about 17!!!!!

 

I have been in contact with a young man lately that I swear is 17 years old. I have to constantly remind myself he's married and 29????

 

Is it just me??????????????????

 

 

Maybe I'm the mutant....

 

 

 

 

 

[Twisties]

What is 30......???????

 

I'm thinkin about about 17!!!!!

 

I have been in contact with a young man lately that I swear is 17 years old. I have to constantly remind myself he's married and 29????

 

Is it just me??????????????????

 

 

Maybe I'm the mutant....

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew!!!! What'd the SQUID do this time?

[Paul Mihalka]

In my eyes everybody under 40 is a kid, boy or a girl. When I send people out on a test ride, I make copy and check the driver's license. In my mind: what is this kid doing riding that bike? I check the license and the kid is 35!

My daughter, now over 40 - and she wouldn't mind reading this - with two little girls, is still MY little girl.

[Bheckel169]

You know what's scary is when you go into the doctor's office and the doctor looks like he just got out of high school and he's supposed to relate to me and understand my health needs. The problem is that the doctors my age are retired.

Bruce

[OoPEZoO]

How do you think us "kids" feel about hanging out with people our parents (or grandparents age)? Bunch of old farts

 

Except Paul.....he is THE OLD FART......and yet still younger at heart than most of the friends I have my own age

[markgoodrich]

What is 30......???????

 

I'm thinkin about about 17!!!!!

 

I have been in contact with a young man lately that I swear is 17 years old. I have to constantly remind myself he's married and 29????

 

Is it just me??????????????????

 

 

Maybe I'm the mutant....

 

 

 

 

 

I thought you were describing my son (and a lot of his friends) until I got to the "married" part.

[Whip]

The other day this dude gets a call and goes into full fledged panic. I watch him for a few minutes and say nothin. He gets on his phone and asks the voice at the other end of the line if he can speak to his father. He then tells the person on the other end of the line that it's an emergency. I am easily within listening range and he knows it. I hear him tell his father that his wife accidentally let their dog out and the dog won't come back.

 

HE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT HE SHOULD DO?

 

I can't imagine at 29 years old making that call to my father, that lives in another state.

 

 

My father thought the country was gonna be in trouble because I listened to The Doors....??????

 

 

My generation is gonna look like geniuses compared to the next.

 

 

 

 

 

[russell_bynum]

Yup.

 

I can't tell you how many times I've seen able-bodied grown men standing on the side of the road with a flat tire...holding a cell phone up to their ear, no doubt calling AAA to come change their tire for them.

 

A friend of mine from work got a frantic call from her 18 year-old son once. He had a flat tire....and wanted her to call AAA and leave work to come make sure they changed the tire. WTF??? When I was 16 and had a flat, I changed it, drove the rest of the way to work, drove to the tire place after work, had the flat patched, and moved on with life.

 

 

I'm continually astonished at the number of completely helpless people there are out there and I'm hellbent and determined that Steven is NOT going to be one of those sissified helpless pansies.

 

 

[Twisties]

Yup.

 

I can't tell you how many times I've seen able-bodied grown men standing on the side of the road with a flat tire...holding a cell phone up to their ear, no doubt calling AAA to come change their tire for them.

 

A friend of mine from work got a frantic call from her 18 year-old son once. He had a flat tire....and wanted her to call AAA and leave work to come make sure they changed the tire. WTF??? When I was 16 and had a flat, I changed it, drove the rest of the way to work, drove to the tire place after work, had the flat patched, and moved on with life.

 

 

I'm continually astonished at the number of completely helpless people there are out there and I'm hellbent and determined that Steven is NOT going to be one of those sissified helpless pansies.

 

 

Wow, what a load of sour grapes. Just 'cause you couldn't afford AAA!

 

sissified helpless pansies

ROFL

 

Look, every generation has it's geniuses and it's dolts. No need for a generational pissing match here.

 

Some young folk grow used to depending on their parents. Some parents go too far the other way. I could tell a few tales about that direction, but I'll just say it ain't no better, and the kids on that end of spectrum don't come out any better.

[Bullett]

The other day this dude gets a call and goes into full fledged panic. I watch him for a few minutes and say nothin. He gets on his phone and asks the voice at the other end of the line if he can speak to his father. He then tells the person on the other end of the line that it's an emergency. I am easily within listening range and he knows it. I hear him tell his father that his wife accidentally let their dog out and the dog won't come back.

 

HE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT HE SHOULD DO?

 

I can't imagine at 29 years old making that call to my father, that lives in another state.

 

 

My father thought the country was gonna be in trouble because I listened to The Doors....??????

 

 

My generation is gonna look like geniuses compared to the next.

 

 

 

 

 

Yep. But occasionally they trick you and are quite competent.

[russell_bynum]

Wow, what a load of sour grapes. Just 'cause you couldn't afford AAA!

 

I have AAA and the KOA Roadside plan. I use AAA mainly so I don't have to go to the DMV. The KOA plan has helped us a couple of times when we broke down and were beyond repair.

 

But a tire change? I can do it myself and be gone before the AAA guy gets there. WTF?

 

I remember my little brother and I driving Mom's Jeep Cherokee in the Texas Hill country once. I was probably 16 or 17, which would have made him 12 or 13. The upper radiator hose burst at an intersection in Marble Falls. We quickly parked and shut it down, diagnosed the problem (gee...there's a big hole in that hose and hot green liquid is coming out...I'll bet that's the problem), then he walked one way to the auto parts store to get a new hose and I walked the other way to the hardware store to get some basic tools since we didn't have any with us. By the time he got back with the new hose and some coolant, I had had old one out. We installed the new hose, refilled the radiator, and finished our drive. I think it was a day or two later before we even remembered to tell Mom and Dad what had happened. It certainly never occurred to us to call for help.

 

sissified helpless pansies

ROFL

 

Look, every generation has it's geniuses and it's dolts.

 

Oh, absolutely.

 

Some young folk grow used to depending on their parents. Some parents go too far the other way. I could tell a few tales about that direction, but I'll just say it ain't no better, and the kids on that end of spectrum don't come out any better.

 

Obviously. But if you raise a kid who grows up to be helpless...who has to call for help anytime anything out of the ordinary happens...then you didn't do a good job as a parent.

[Bullett]

Soooo, Russell? Were you not supposed to be driving Mom's Jeep, or were you not supposed to be in Marble Falls?

[Twisties]

Obviously. But if you raise a kid who grows up to be helpless...who has to call for help anytime anything out of the ordinary happens...then you didn't do a good job as a parent.

 

Oh, now let's not get all lovey dovey here. This isn't gonna be any fun if we all agree!

[Kathy R]

Where do you think all the stupid 50 year olds come from?

 

That being said, I always thought I was so smart when I was young.

 

My friend's 20 year old daughter got a cell phone ticket while making the drive to visit her Mom this past weekend.

Before the daughter headed back to school, she left the ticket with a note telling her Mom to "take care of it right away".

My friend mailed it to the daughter at her college the following day.

The daughter was shocked.

My friend just could not stop laughing on the subsequent phone call.

 

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Back in the early 70's, I taught a few sessions of an adult education class on basic repairs and maintenance of the automobile at one of the local high schools. Little stuff like how to change a tire, fan belt, radiator hose. Actually had to get to such basic things as checking tire pressure. We got into things like inspecting brakes, checking out the charging system, changing bulbs even up to changing spark plugs and wires. Sessions were 8 weeks long, meeting once a week and were packed.

 

I wonder if something like that would sell these days. I'm gonna retire in a couple of years and would like to keep busy and pick up a little extra cash.

[russell_bynum]

Soooo, Russell? Were you not supposed to be driving Mom's Jeep, or were you not supposed to be in Marble Falls?

 

Very funny.

 

(The trip was 100% legit. We were going to see my Grandmother.)

[russell_bynum]

Back in the early 70's, I taught a few sessions of an adult education class on basic repairs and maintenance of the automobile at one of the local high schools. Little stuff like how to change a tire, fan belt, radiator hose. Actually had to get to such basic things as checking tire pressure. We got into things like inspecting brakes, checking out the charging system, changing bulbs even up to changing spark plugs and wires. Sessions were 8 weeks long, meeting once a week and were packed.

 

I wonder if something like that would sell these days. I'm gonna retire in a couple of years and would like to keep busy and pick up a little extra cash.

 

Yeah....I go to the ritzy BMW dealer near work (on PCH in Newport Beach) from time to time because one of their parts guys is an E30 genius and the other has an E39 like Lisa's that he's keeping together. Anyway...the parts department is right next to the cashier's desk and when I'm in there with some mangled old greasy part that fell off my E30 that day, I get to hear what the yuppies are bringing their cars in for. One guy brought his X5 in for a tail light bulb change.

 

LOL. It's a 30 second job and the bulb is cheap and available at every auto parts store. But he called the dealership, spoke to a service advisor, scheduled an appointment, drove to the dealership, waited in line, checked in with the service advisor, waited while a tech walked over and changed the bulb, waited for the service advisor to be done with another customer so he could tell him his X5 was done, waited in line behind some computer geek with a greasy worn-out tie rod in his hand, paid the cashier...and then was able to leave with the bulb replaced. I just had to laugh.

 

 

[russell_bynum]

Where do you think all the stupid 50 year olds come from?

 

That being said, I always thought I was so smart when I was young.

 

My friend's 20 year old daughter got a cell phone ticket while making the drive to visit her Mom this past weekend.

Before the daughter headed back to school, she left the ticket with a note telling her Mom to "take care of it right away".

My friend mailed it to the daughter at her college the following day.

The daughter was shocked.

My friend just could not stop laughing on the subsequent phone call.

 

 

Now that's funny.

[RichEdwards]

Depends on your perspective. Some think the inability to change a tire or tail light bulb makes one lazy or ignorant. My son giggles about the over 40 crowd that can't understand complex graphic software programs or build their own computer to their personal specifications out of readily available parts.

I taught high school for 30 years. Brilliant (curious, ambitious, self-relaiant) and stupid (lazy, dependent, myoptic) people are produced by every generation.

[JustJean]

I have an Autistic 24 year old son who can change his own tire, go get it fixed, get it back on the car and reprogram your entire computer in one day!

 

AND he is going to be graduating from College in 6 weeks with a very hard earned degree.

 

The only thing he can't do yet is cook on a stove. BUT we are getting there!!

[Kathy R]

I have an Autistic 24 year old son who can change his own tire, go get it fixed, get it back on the car and reprogram your entire computer in one day!

 

AND he is going to be graduating from College in 6 weeks with a very hard earned degree.

 

The only thing he can't do yet is cook on a stove. BUT we are getting there!!

 

Priceless. He was born to the right parents. Congratulations on the upcoming graduation!

[tallman]

Depends on your perspective. Some think the inability to change a tire or tail light bulb makes one lazy or ignorant. My son giggles about the over 40 crowd that can't understand complex graphic software programs or build their own computer to their personal specifications out of readily available parts.

I taught high school for 30 years. Brilliant (curious, ambitious, self-relaiant) and stupid (lazy, dependent, myoptic) people are produced by every generation.

 

 

The mother of two of my former detainees was on fnont page.

She failed her drug test.

It is done at the jail.

She placed a bottle with clean urine in a condom and covered the top of the bottle with foil.

She put the condom where condoms go.

When called for her test, she apparently had trouble piercing the foil.

This was noticed.

Arrest and more charges.

I did tell you the test was at the jail, right?

 

Wonder why two of her kids eneded up with me?

 

Some people think it is manly to fix a flat.

Some think it is more Alpha to hire someone to do their dirty work.

 

Reminds me of a sign at a Duke/FSU football game on the Duke side.

"Our graduates can read".

It was countered by a sign that said,

"We hire your graduates to work for us"...

 

Just because I can do, doesn't always mean I want to do.

Best wishes.

[Bullett]

Soooo, Russell? Were you not supposed to be driving Mom's Jeep, or were you not supposed to be in Marble Falls?

 

Very funny.

 

(The trip was 100% legit. We were going to see my Grandmother.)

 

[Bullett]

Back in the early 70's, I taught a few sessions of an adult education class on basic repairs and maintenance of the automobile at one of the local high schools. Little stuff like how to change a tire, fan belt, radiator hose. Actually had to get to such basic things as checking tire pressure. We got into things like inspecting brakes, checking out the charging system, changing bulbs even up to changing spark plugs and wires. Sessions were 8 weeks long, meeting once a week and were packed.

 

I wonder if something like that would sell these days. I'm gonna retire in a couple of years and would like to keep busy and pick up a little extra cash.

 

My Dad told me I wouldn't be allowed to drive the car until I could demonstrate proper use of the jack and change the tire. I haven't needed to use this skill often, but I'm glad he took measures to make sure I knew how to do it.

[Paul Mihalka]

Yep, age difference can work both ways. I quit my original profession of computer system designing when I was 50-something, in part because the 20-somethings were getting smarter than I was.

It can happen even to you, Russell!

[philbytx]

 

I could launch into an "Old Fogey" tirade, but I won't

However, I DO have a problem with any generation calling under 30's "kids", as it does not help the issue one bit !

 

 

[90%angel]

My Dad told me I wouldn't be allowed to drive the car until I could demonstrate proper use of the jack and change the tire. I haven't needed to use this skill often, but I'm glad he took measures to make sure I knew how to do it.

 

Russell did the same thing with me. He couldn't believe my lack of car knowledge when we met. (As evidenced by his earlier rants!). However, I think it's one of those use it or lose it skills. I can't tell you how many times I've seen my tire changed, and I am still not sure I could do it right; I'd be afraid I was missing a step. If it was that, or die on the side of the road, I'd probably be able to figure it out adequately enough, but for now, I'm glad we have triple A, KOA and in my case, Sean Daly (in a bizarre twist of fate, the 3 times I've had flats, Russell hasn't been with me (and we carpool almost all the time), and Sean has been within minutes of me and ends up stuck changing the tire!)

 

I think to a certain degree, the cell phone has enabled helplessness a bit. We CAN call triple A now, so we do that cause it's easier. Kids CAN call the parents for every little thing and get ahold of them every minute of the day, so they do that instead of thinking for themselves.

 

Interestingly, part of the reason I know how to ride a motorcycle now is because we used to ride in so many places where there was no cell service. I thought, if something bad happened to Russell out here, we'd be in trouble. So I thought I should learn to ride so I could go get help if needed. But I enjoyed it so I kept at it!

[Kathy R]

I think to a certain degree, the cell phone has enabled helplessness a bit. We CAN call triple A now, so we do that cause it's easier. Kids CAN call the parents for every little thing and get ahold of them every minute of the day, so they do that instead of thinking for themselves.

 

Quite right!

 

I am not sure I could get the spare out of the trunk!

[yabadabapal]

Speaking of changing tires. When I was a young boy about the age of 12, my mother got a flat tire. So she and I got out of the car and she changed the tire herself. I watched with amazement as my my wonderful mom, who cooked and cleaned and a multitude of over things, could also work on a car. Shortly after, I asked her if I could change the tire. She said next time the tire goes flat, she would let me do it. So, i was so excited, that late that night, I went outside and let the air out of the tire. The next morning, My mom went to get in the car, and came back into the house saying how she couldnt believe the tire was flat again. I said dont worry about it mom. Ill fix it. And thats how I learned to change a tire. Thanks Mom.

[russell_bynum]

Depends on your perspective. Some think the inability to change a tire or tail light bulb makes one lazy or ignorant. My son giggles about the over 40 crowd that can't understand complex graphic software programs or build their own computer to their personal specifications out of readily available parts.

I taught high school for 30 years. Brilliant (curious, ambitious, self-relaiant) and stupid (lazy, dependent, myoptic) people are produced by every generation.

 

Most people don't need complex graphics software programs. I can build complicated enterprise-class IT systems. I have no use for Adobe Photoshop, and if I had to use it I'd be lost. For the most part, there's no reason to build your own computer except just for the fun of it. You can get a perfectly good computer already built much cheaper and faster than building your own....unless you have some really specialized needs...in which case you probably know how to build your own computer. (Which I do, btw. )

 

Anyone who drives (which is most adults here in America) should be able to change a tire, check/add fluids, etc.

 

[russell_bynum]

Yep, age difference can work both ways. I quit my original profession of computer system designing when I was 50-something, in part because the 20-somethings were getting smarter than I was.

It can happen even to you, Russell!

 

I'm well past that point, Paul. I stopped being the alpha geek ages ago. What I'm good at is quickly figuring out the big picture of how various dissimilar systems need to work together, and I'm good at sizing up a problem to pinpoint the most likely areas that could be the cause. And I'm good at translating the technobabble into language that the end-users understand. I deal with the damn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?Space>

 

[Matts_12GS]

Obviously. But if you raise a kid who grows up to be helpless...who has to call for help anytime anything out of the ordinary happens...then you didn't do a good job as a parent.

 

My brother and I, (both IT professionals and both former professional mechanics) frequently disagree about parenting skills. This one event changed the way I would eventually let my child talk to me (this was before he was born)...

 

We driving to a trade show in ATL when his cell phone rang. It was his college sophomore daughter calling from Jackson, MS to get directions to someplace across town. He tried to explain to her that he didn't know where or how she was supposed to get to where she was and that maybe stopping for a map or directions would be advisable...

 

She lit into him with worse language than I have used in bar fights and was screaming at him... He sat there and took it on the phone, eventually finding the atlas in my car and giving her some kind of directions.

 

Had she been my child, she would have been very lucky she was in another state at that point. My mother was right, kids are never to old to get spanked.

 

[Ken H.]

My generation is gonna look like geniuses compared to the next.

 

Nah, they’ll just be geniuses in new and different ways.

 

How may of us here know how to fix a wooden wheel spoke on a horse drawn wagon? “The next generation are idiots! They don’t even know how to fashion and fit a spoke from a tree alongside the trail!”

 

Skill sets are a point in time appropriate, or not, for a point in time. Every generation is ahead/behind the prior in some respects, ahead/behind the next in others.

 

[Matts_12GS]

Skill sets are a point in time appropriate, or not, for a point in time. Every generation is ahead/behind the prior in some respects, ahead/behind the next in others.

 

I believe you are missing the gent from TX's point...

 

This was a simple thing that the person overreacted to, and in his overreaction displayed what Whip (and many others in the thread. IMO) are interpreting as a lack of "life" skills.

 

Fitting a spoke from a tree is certainly helpful, but knowing how to find direction or feed yourself or shelter yourself without having to "phone home" are far more important.

[russell_bynum]

Skill sets are a point in time appropriate, or not, for a point in time. Every generation is ahead/behind the prior in some respects, ahead/behind the next in others.

 

I believe you are missing the gent from TX's point...

 

This was a simple thing that the person overreacted to, and in his overreaction displayed what Whip (and many others in the thread. IMO) are interpreting as a lack of "life" skills.

 

Fitting a spoke from a tree is certainly helpful, but knowing how to find direction or feed yourself or shelter yourself without having to "phone home" are far more important.

 

Exactly. Also...nobody drives wagons with wooden wheels anymore, so knowing how to replace a wooden spoke is not a useful skill for daily life. The modern-day equivalent skill is knowing how to change a tire.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Some people think it is manly to fix a flat.

Some think it is more Alpha to hire someone to do their dirty work.

 

I think it's faster and cheaper to do it myself. That's one big motivator.

 

The other motivator is a sense of, for lack of a better word, "ownership." Not quite in the same sense as buying a thing, but a kind of sense of ownership comes with personally maintaining it, getting to know what's under all the panels. Wash it, wax it, do the mechanical upkeep, change the oil, and so on. There's pride to be had in knowing that it's functioning properly now because you yourself did the work right. Russell's story about the guy who paid a dealer to replace a taillight bulb in his X5? He may have paid for his X5, but he doesn't "own" it in the same way that Russell owns his E30, or the way that I used to own my 1100RT.

 

Or maybe it's just a manly thing, not wanting to go to a service tech and say "I'm too lazy/stupid to fix this, I'll pay you to do it for me."

 

At some point I guess you do run out of time. I have the requisite skills to re-roof a house, but I still hired a professional crew to do the job for us last year. But if we're talking about changing a flat tire by the side of the road, DIY will save you time. As has been noted, you can swap out the tire and be on your way before the AAA guy even shows up at your location.