Getting Old

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Some of the nonsense contained herein may be very loosely related to The Sisters of Mercy, but I wouldn't bet your PayPal account on it. In keeping with the internet's general theme nothing written here should be taken as Gospel: over three quarters of it is utter gibberish, and most of the forum's denizens haven't spoken to another human being face-to-face for decades. Don't worry your pretty little heads about it. Above all else, remember this: You don't have to stay forever. I will understand.
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Lamia
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According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were
kids in the 60's, 70's and early 80's probably shouldn't have survived,
because:

Our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint
which was promptly chewed and licked.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with pans.

When we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets, just flip-flops and
fluorescent 'spokey dokey's' on our wheels.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or airbags - riding in the passenger seat was a treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle and it tasted
the same.

We ate chips, bread and butter pudding and drank fizzy juice with
sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing.

We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or can and
no-one actually died from this.

We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then went top
speed down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.

After running into stinging nettles a few times, we learned to solve
the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and could play all day, as long as
we were back before it got dark. No one was able to reach us and no-one
minded.

We did not have Play stations or X-Boxes, no video games at all. No 99
channels on TV, no videotape movies, no surround sound, no mobile
phones, no personal computers, no DVDs, no Internet chat rooms.

We had friends - we went outside and found them.

We fell out of trees, got cut, and broke bones but there were no law suits.

We had full on fist fights but no prosecution followed from other parents.

We played knock-the-door-run-away and were actualy afraid of the owners catching us.

We walked to friends' homes.

We also, believe it or not, WALKED to school; we didn't rely on mummy
or daddy to drive us to school, which was just round the corner.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls. We rode bikes in packs
of 7 and wore our coats by only the hood.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard
of...They actually sided with the law.

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem
solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion
of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned
how to deal with it all.

For those of you who aren't old enough, thought you might like to read
about us.

This my friends, is surprisingly frightening......and it might put a smile
on your face:
The majority of students in universities today were born in 1986........They are called youth.

They have never heard of We are the World, We are the children, and
the Uptown Girl they know is by Westlife not Billy Joel. They have never
heard of Rick Astley, Bananarama, Echo and the Bunnymen, Nena Cherry or Belinda Carlisle.

For them, there has always been only one Germany and one Vietnam.

AIDS has existed since they were born.

CD's have existed since they were born.

Michael Jackson has always been white.

To them John Travolta has always been round in shape and they can't
imagine how this fat guy could be a god of dance.

They believe that Charlie's Angels and m*****n Impossible are Films
from last year.

They can never imagine life before computers.

They'll never have pretended to be the A Team, RedHand Gang or the
Famous Five.

They'll never have applied to be on Jim'll Fix It or Why Don't You.

They can't believe a black and white television ever existed. And they
will never understand how we could leave the house without a mobile phone.

Now let's check if we're getting old...

1. You understand what was written above and you smile.
2. You need to sleep more, usually until the afternoon, after a night out
3. Your friends are getting married/already married/divorced.
4. You are always surprised to see small children playing comfortably
with computers.
5. When you see teenagers with mobile phones, you shake your head.
6. You remember watching Dirty Den in EastEnders the first time around.
7. You meet your friends from time to time, talking about the good Old
days, repeating again all the fun you have experienced together.
8. Having read this, you are thinking of forwarding it to some other friends because you think they will like it too...





MMmm i dont remember any of the above, a friend sent it to me by mistake - 'onest Guv :innocent:
Intimations of mortality are all about me.....
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markfiend
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:cry:

That's all I can say.
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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rian
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markfiend wrote::cry:

That's all I can say.
We're all gonna die :cry:
I think someone set my soul alight
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andymackem
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9. When you arrange to meet someone, you agree a time and a place and just go there. No texting, no string of messages to update your journey in progress, just turning up in the pub at 8.00 as agreed.

10. You use a telephone call as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.
Names are just a souvenir ...
Russian footie in the run-up to the World Cup - my latest E-book available from https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DGJFF6G
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Mrs RicheyJames
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<signs nostalgically>

Those most certainly, were the days.......... :(
Only a paand.
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lucretia
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Totally brilliant - thanks and I'm not depressed at all.

The cell phone is the number one EVIL of the 21st century, I can't believe how people are so manipulated by that stupid thing.

11. Never HAD a phone at my house (that was a luxury for the larney people) ... just went around (i.e. walked) to your mates after school, said where you would be meeting, hitched there (lordy, bless my soul!) and everything was perfectly cool the rest of the evening - even if it did take up to three hours to get to the intended destination.
All of us usually left en masse, together, in a group/gang or whatever (safety in numbers and all that), WALKED to the train station (sometimes that would take up to two hours in and of itself, with all the shenanigans along the way), rode train home and WALKED the rest of the way to your house.
No incident, no fights, no muggings, no rapes, attempted kidnappings, shootings or whatever - just a jolly good night out with yer mates.
one day at a time
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Rivers
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12. The Sisters of Mercy were a living rock and roll band that recorded albums and they were available to buy in shops.
And we are nothing but experience in the eyes of nature,
And we will live forever in the eyes of nature.
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Hojyuu-obi
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Rivers wrote:12. The Sisters of Mercy were a living rock and roll band that recorded albums and they were available to buy in shops.
:(
A.E. @ [url]www.thesistersofmercy.com[/url] wrote:Contrary to what you may have heard, read or smoked: the Sisters play live with alarming regularity. Far too often, according to some folks.
:roll:
Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
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emilystrange
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one of my best friends is 16... she's scary!

with the aid of my mobile phone, i can have some very indepth and earthy conversations with the girls without having to be careful who hears me etc... definitely an improvement
I don't wanna live like I don't mind
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Dark Angel
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but what was life like before computers? :?

oh yeah I used to go out more and move around in the evenings :roll: :lol:
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James Blast
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Dark Angel wrote:oh yeah I used to go out more and move around in the evenings :roll: :lol:
I remember them in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s my typing is faster and my srplzing better now though :roll:
"And when you start to think about death, you start to think about what's after it. And then you start hoping there is a God. For me, it's a frightening thought to go nowhere".
~ Peter Steele
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Planet Dave
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Ain't it great to have done all that though. Warms me inside it does. Christ knows what the world'll be like by the time my boys are trying to find their way in it.
'What a heavy load Einstein must have had. Morons everywhere.'
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Mrs RicheyJames
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lucretia wrote:Totally brilliant - thanks and I'm not depressed at all.

The cell phone is the number one EVIL of the 21st century, I can't believe how people are so manipulated by that stupid thing.

11. Never HAD a phone at my house (that was a luxury for the larney people) ... just went around (i.e. walked) to your mates after school, said where you would be meeting, hitched there (lordy, bless my soul!) and everything was perfectly cool the rest of the evening - even if it did take up to three hours to get to the intended destination.
All of us usually left en masse, together, in a group/gang or whatever (safety in numbers and all that), WALKED to the train station (sometimes that would take up to two hours in and of itself, with all the shenanigans along the way), rode train home and WALKED the rest of the way to your house.
No incident, no fights, no muggings, no rapes, attempted kidnappings, shootings or whatever - just a jolly good night out with yer mates.

I do agree with some points here. But to suggest that crime didn't happen in the good old days is a tad naive don't you think??
Only a paand.
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markfiend
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Sexygothâ„¢ wrote:But to suggest that crime didn't happen in the good old days is a tad naive don't you think??
I think that's true. However, although the past is inevitably tinged with nostalgia, I think that the fear of crime was less prevalent back then. Certainly there was not as much panic about children being abducted and/or murdered (and I grew up in Saddleworth, in the shadow of The Moors of Hindley/Brady infamy) whereas the actual incidence of child-murder by strangers has stayed approximately the same for decades.
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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Planet Dave
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markfiend wrote:
Sexygothâ„¢ wrote:But to suggest that crime didn't happen in the good old days is a tad naive don't you think??
I think that's true. However, although the past is inevitably tinged with nostalgia, I think that the fear of crime was less prevalent back then. Certainly there was not as much panic about children being abducted and/or murdered (and I grew up in Saddleworth, in the shadow of The Moors of Hindley/Brady infamy) whereas the actual incidence of child-murder by strangers has stayed approximately the same for decades.
Whereabouts in Saddleworth? That's my neck of the woods too. Have we had this conversation? My memory......
'What a heavy load Einstein must have had. Morons everywhere.'
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markfiend
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I lived in Greenfield until I was 11 or so. If we have had this conversation it's my memory too. :innocent:

Actually I've done a search, and the closest I can find is this conversation I had with QB discussing my shameful past, in which Saddleworth gets a mention.
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
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Mrs RicheyJames
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markfiend wrote:
Sexygothâ„¢ wrote:But to suggest that crime didn't happen in the good old days is a tad naive don't you think??
I think that's true. However, although the past is inevitably tinged with nostalgia, I think that the fear of crime was less prevalent back then. Certainly there was not as much panic about children being abducted and/or murdered (and I grew up in Saddleworth, in the shadow of The Moors of Hindley/Brady infamy) whereas the actual incidence of child-murder by strangers has stayed approximately the same for decades.
Fair point. But don't you think that crime is more feared these days simply because there is more widespread publicity on these matters? the Daily Mail for instance!!
Only a paand.
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Thea
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Sexygothâ„¢ wrote:
lucretia wrote:Totally brilliant - thanks and I'm not depressed at all.

The cell phone is the number one EVIL of the 21st century, I can't believe how people are so manipulated by that stupid thing.

11. Never HAD a phone at my house (that was a luxury for the larney people) ... just went around (i.e. walked) to your mates after school, said where you would be meeting, hitched there (lordy, bless my soul!) and everything was perfectly cool the rest of the evening - even if it did take up to three hours to get to the intended destination.
All of us usually left en masse, together, in a group/gang or whatever (safety in numbers and all that), WALKED to the train station (sometimes that would take up to two hours in and of itself, with all the shenanigans along the way), rode train home and WALKED the rest of the way to your house.
No incident, no fights, no muggings, no rapes, attempted kidnappings, shootings or whatever - just a jolly good night out with yer mates.

I do agree with some points here. But to suggest that crime didn't happen in the good old days is a tad naive don't you think??
Crime existed - but wasn't anywhere near as much a worry for kids. I grew up in a village where I got unmercilessly picked on (I was an easy target) and that was the worst that would happen. Even the REALLY bad kids at school were only ever in troble for nicking sweets or summat of that ilk.
Now it's all kids mugging other kids at knifepoint - even in the middle of nowhere.
Then again, when i was in school, noone had anything anywhere near as valuable as phones, ipods or rare pokemon cards ( :roll: ) and if you did, you didn't take the f**king things to school or walk round town with them in your pocket.
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Planet Dave
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markfiend wrote:I lived in Greenfield until I was 11 or so. If we have had this conversation it's my memory too. :innocent:

Actually I've done a search, and the closest I can find is this conversation I had with QB discussing my shameful past, in which Saddleworth gets a mention.
Naw, I imagined it. Still, small world, I'm from Stalybridge, but moved up to Carrbrook (small hole next to Mossley) when I was a sprog. Used to play cricket round all those villages (Greenfiled, Delph, etc). Moved to Leeds when I was 18. Stayed here.

Consequently, I adore It's Grim Up North and the even better b-side Jerusalem On The Moors.
'What a heavy load Einstein must have had. Morons everywhere.'
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Gripper
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13. Just for now I live in the same area I did as a child. Nowadays the avenues are packed on both sides with traffic in the evenings and at weekends. But, sometimes on weekday afternoons I ride my bike down the same roads, and everyone's at work so there are no cars parked along the kerbs...and I'm suddenly in 1973 again.
My car's faster than your mum, but not as dirty.
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Debaser
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Gripper wrote: But, sometimes on weekday afternoons I ride my bike down the same roads, and everyone's at work so there are no cars parked along the kerbs...and I'm suddenly in 1973 again.
Sp do you peg cigarette card to your spokes? Or were you more of a 'turn your racing bike hadle bars the wrong way round' kind guy?
:lol:
Five cups of coffee just to be myself...when I'd rather be somebody else
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Gary
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thank god, im still young.. just.. :P
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lazarus corporation
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my 34 years now weigh just that bit heavier on me after reading this thread - thanks :(
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boudicca
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It's my 21st on Wednesday, but I am more than slightly alarmed because -

*I am familiar with the genius that is Rick Astley!
*Better Leave The Light On For Me by Belinda Carlisle is my first musical memory.
*My desk at school had an ink pot on it and a fold down lid.
*I've yet to learn to work a video recorder never mind a bloody DVD.
*My mobile phone has a big rubber arial sticking out of it.
*I whinge about kids programmes that are all about foster homes and being offered drugs instead of friendly postmen and crime-solving mice.
*The last (and only) video game I played was Frenzy, on a BBC Acorn computer.
*I remember the Berlin Wall coming down, although I was only small.
*I remember wanting Douglas Hird to win the Conservative leadership election after Maggie went because he 'looked like a nice man'.
*I have read every Famous Five book.
*I can sing you the tune to Jim'll fix it and Why Don't You.
*The telly in my room is a 1976 Amstrad (made 7 years before I was born) - it's black and white, and you have to tune it in like a radio.

Oh yeah, and I listen to the Sisters Of Mercy! :lol:

To coin a phrase - go figure. :von:
There's a man with a mullet going mad with a mallet in Millets
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Mrs RicheyJames
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boudicca wrote: *I can sing you the tune to Why Don't You.
:
Got that bloody song in my head..............Cheers for that :roll: :lol: :lol:
Only a paand.
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