Old Folks Indicator: Are you an old folk?

[Hugin]

I noticed there are several threads lately directed toward
the oldster DU set... To aid you in determining if you
are one of this group read through the following indicators.

You may be an old folk if:

1) You've ever worn or even know what "Toughskins" are.
2) You've ever casually pointed with your middle finger.
3) You've ever or are wearing socks (of any color) with
sandals.
4) You've found it necessary to use a map or other scrap
of paper rolled up in the car window to block out that
bright sun light which somehow manages to get past your
atomic test quality wrap around sunglasses.
5) You've discovered a taste for some of the sweeter wines.
(Such as Boone's Farm or other fine Tokays.) "Just to change
the taste in your mouth." ;)
6) You've ever found your age a good excuse to act like you
know nothing about computers.

Any 4 of those 6 qualifies you as an oldster.

Anyone have any to add to this list... I'd be glad to
know about them before I discover them on my own.

[Samurai_Writer]

1. I only got the first one...

I remember my little brother wearing toughskins.All that other stuff -- no way!

Bella, still cool at 44.

[Arugula Latte]

12. Me too.

That scared me at first. Knee reinforcements in pants -- check. However, the rest don't apply. I'm 39.

[Wickerman]

2. aw, get off my lawn, ya damn kids!

*&%%@!

[Hugin]

9. Hey great!

I forgot that one... My mind must be going.

[Wickerman]

13. No, I meant, get off my lawn, ya damn kids

you're gonna ruin my crabgrass!

:)

[demnan]

3. Sweet wines?

Never!

[Radio_Lady]

5. I've loved Concord Grape wine all my life! Manischewitz or other

brand. Didn't have anything to do with age, frankly.

Regarding item #6 -- I'm married for 32 years to an engineer, age 70, who got on the bandwagon of the developing technology in the early 1980s. He taught himself to type in his 50s (he was a marketing executive for most of his life, trained as an electrical engineer, but never learned to keyboard in school.) Lastjobs before retirement include contacting work for several companies as a software engineer, before joining Egghead.com in Vancouver, Washington in 2001.

I'm going to be 66 this month, and he brought me into the Internet age as an "early adopter" years ago.

[Hugin]

8. #6 is not saying anything about actual ability with computers...

It's only stating you've ever used the assumption of aged
ineptitude by others to get out of fixing their computers.

[Radio_Lady]

16. The answer is "NO" for both of us OLD FOLKS! In fact, my husband --

will take on repairing our computers (and others) because he considers that a challenge. He's 70 and he's stayed up all night with these problems in the past and fixed most of them.

[supernova]

4. I've only done one. I had a pair of toughskins. About the wine,

Normally, as a person ages, their tastes tend toward the dry and the savory, the sweet, not so much.

I do know several oldsters who never considred drinking wine before, but do try to enjoy a glass now and then for the health benefits. I have noticed novice wine drinkers tend to enjoy the sweeter wines. I did when I was younger. I now most definitely prefer the drier wines. I can hardly drink sweet wines anymore.

My point is it could just be a case of undeveloped palate, rather than an inidication of "oldster."

OK, back to work now that I've overanalyzed that subject. :crazy:

[Hugin]

7. I'll make a note of it...

:)

[Katidid]

6. What ARE "toughskins"? n/t

[Hugin]

11. See this link for a full explaination...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=3266089&mesg_id=3266089

[Radio_Lady]

17. Here's a link showing "Toughskins" from Sears --

http://www.searsarchives.com/brands/detail/toughskins1976.htm

Both of our "boys" -- now age 46 and 36 -- wore them. Man, they WERE tough! They felt like boards, even after washing!

[warrens]

10. Whew! 0 for 6

Guess I still have a couple of years. So what are toughskins, anyway?

[aeolian]

14. I so want a pair of atomic-test-quality wrap-around sunglasses!

I would look, just, ubercool.

[YankeyMCC]

15. Whew! Only 3 apply

[In_The_Wind]

18. half way there

1 ~ knew about them but didn't wear them

2 ~ a little more than casually
6 ~ well ... it's true :blush: but I'm learning :argh:

[Amelie]

19. BAH! That ain't nuthin!

This is an email I received in 1999 from my then-89 year old great uncle. Let me know if you want his responses; he was there for most of these, and fills in with pretty interesting nostalgia:

How many of these do you remember? Not just told about, but remember because YOU WERE THERE!!
1. Blackjack chewing gum
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water.
3. Candy cigarettes
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed bottles. (THE CAN HAS RUINED THE TASTE)
5. Coffee shops with tableside jukeboxes (IF I HEAR THE "BLUE TANGO" AGAIN I WILL VOMIT!)
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers
7. Newsreels before the movie
8. P. F. Flyers (THE BEST!)
9. Butch wax
10. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (Beachwood-4578)
11. Peashooters-homemade (ABOUT 100 PEAS PER MOUTHFUL. A FEARSOME WEAPON)
12. Howdy Doody
13. 45 RPM records (AND THE INSERT ADAPTORS)
14. S & H Green stamps
15. Hi-fi's
16. Metal ice trays with levers (THAT BROKE)
17. Mimeograph paper
18. Blue flashbulbs
19. Beanie and Ceil
20. Roller skate keys (WHAT ABOUT SPRINGSHOES?)
21. Cork popguns (AND THE RUBBER BAND ONES)
22. Drive-ins
23. Studebakers (TUCKERS TOO, WITH THE CYCLOPS EYE LIGHT)
24. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-5=You're still young
If you remembered 6-10=you are getting older
If you remembered 11-15=Don't tell your age
If you remembered 16-24=You're are as old as dirt.

[Hugin]

21. Great list!

Mine is from first hand experience. But, yours is so inclusive!

[CBHagman]

23. I still have some 45s in the closet at home.

Mind you, they're from the '80s, not earlier, but I think they still count.

The list in the initial post did not apply to me at all, but 16 of the items above did, very much so. How about these others? Remember?

*The expression "sounding like a broken record"

*Crusader Rabbit cartoons on TV

*Decoder rings of any kind

*Real girdles and stockings for the ladies

*Getting cigarettes and macadamia nuts on airline flights

*Heck, getting food, or a reasonable facsimile of the same, on an airline flight

*Cigarette commercials on TV

*Nuns in habits

*The knife grinder visiting the neighborhood

*The Fuller Brush man

*Test patterns on TV

*Double features

[eleny]

20. You know you're old when...

You unwrap Christmas gifts very carefully, so you can save and reuse the wrapping (and especially those bows) next year.

You only buy Christmas cards after Christmas, when they are 50% off.

When there is a sale on toilet paper, you buy 100 rolls and store them in your closet or in the bedroom of an adult child who has moved out.

You have a vinyl table cloth on your kitchen table.

Your stove is covered with aluminum foil.

You use the dishwasher as a dish rack.

You eat all meals in the kitchen.

You save grocery bags, tin foil, and tin containers.

You use grocery bags to hold garbage.

You don't own any real Tupperware -- only a cupboard full of used but carefully rinsed margarine tubs, takeout containers, and jam jars.

You also use the jam jars as drinking glasses.

You have a collection of miniature shampoo bottles that you take every time you stay in a hotel.

The condiments in your fridge are either Price Club sized or come in plastic packets, which you save every time you get take out or go to McDonald's.

Ditto for paper napkins.

You never order room service.

You carry a stash of your own food whenever you travel (and travel means any car ride longer than 15 minutes).

You feel like you've gotten a good deal if you didn't pay tax.

You reuse teabags.

You use a face cloth.

You keep most of your money in a savings account.

Your toothpaste tubes are all squeezed paper-thin.

You love to go to $1.75 movies.

You love to go to $1.50 movies even more.

You hate to spend more than $5 for lunch.

You can get a buzz on Coors O'Douls or Miller Sharps.

You can't bear to throw things away.

You drive around looking for the cheapest gas.

You add more than the amount of water recommended when making orange juice from concentrate.

You love Las Vegas, slot machines, and blackjack.

You wash and reuse ziplock bags.

You use doilies to decorate your furniture.

[Hugin]

22. Another great list!

I'm learning... I'm learning.