The joys of getting old(er) – discuss

[Nirish guy]

You’ve deteriorated early then...I guess it’s all that Guinness!

Well, all depends what you mean as on one hand I'm still thankfully managing to just about hold it all together and still dont look too out of place on a night out......HOWEVER .......under the veneer or hair gel and botox I really wish men were more honest and open with each other about ageing as I cant deny this last two or three years has been a seemingly constantly new rhyme of WTF when being honest with myself, between my hearing starting to go, by reading eyesight going to crap and reading glasses now being used WAY more that I ever thought I'd need. Through to new spurts of hair growing from places I never had hair before or simply creaking and having to bend over and stretch each morning and night just to get in and out of bed without wrecking my back ( any more than it already is).

No one tells you this shit about ageing and so you think that all of a sudden you must be coming down with a ton of serious medical issues that need urgent attention, until you DO confide in someone a bit older who THEN laughs and says "ohhhh YEAH dont worry that happens all of us, welcome to the club !" Fuck if only someone had warned me at least I might not have shit myself just so much thinking I was dying ! And dont even start me on hard ons not being the hard ons I USED to have, no one talks about THAT either it seems - well, again until after a few beers and THEN the truth comes out round the table ( if you're in genuine and true company that is) otherwise you just get the "ohhhhh I'm 70 and still fuck like a 20 year old and no viagra for me thanks" - yeah, RIGHT !

Ha, reading the above you can sort of tell it's my 50th next week and I'm feeling ( dreading) it coming eh ! :-) Oh well, no doubt I'll wake up the day after and realise it's just another day and my body will keep decomposing at the same rate as before ( or faster perhaps .....omg, please dont tell me THAT too !!

* opps sorry Mods -I've just realised that we (I've) drifted so far off the topic with my above that I can hardly remember the topic anymore ! Do feel free to edit, move or delete the above to a new thread, perhaps entitled "I
So, is getting old(er) really shit then or what?" or some such thing if you wish

[arsenal]

Well NIrish I was sorry to read that you feel that as you're 50 it's time for you to pursue a more sedentary lifestyle. Still, it gives you more time to chase around after fictitious Matt, a most worthwhile activity.

[Jellybean]

Well now, NIrish-guy, let’s look at the positives of being fifty, there’s . . . er . . . em . . . well then there’s . . . oh dear, I’m having trouble thinking of any. Ah-ha, yes, there’s . . . no, not that one, it doesn’t qualify. But then there’s . . . nope, that one doesn’t qualify either, it’s more of a negative.

Hmmm . . . let me think, there must be loads, ah, yes, I’ve thought of three things . . .

1. They say fifty is the new forty, don’t they? Yes, I’m sure they do.
2. And, what joy! Soon you will qualify for a Thai retirement visa – what fun you’re going to have applying for it! Just ask all those members currently trying to figure out if they qualify.
3. And cripes, how could I have forgotten, your free bus pass is a mere 10 years away. Bet you can’t wait!

There must be many others, sorry I just can’t think of any. Perhaps other members can jump in and make up for my temporary memory lapse.

[Nirish guy]

Well now, if I wasn't going off to slit my wrists BEFORE I DEFINITELY am now .......

Ha, actually aside from the whole bits falling off you thing I guess one benefit in getting older is that you've learnt to take things in your stride more and generally have a bit more "wit" ( i.e street smarts) than when you were 20 or 30 and so you can smell bullshit when it's being directed at you a whole lot quicker and deal with it accordingly in a much speedier fashion than you would have before perhaps.

You also tend to give a shit less about people and they might think of you too, either about the whole gay thing certainly or just about life in general, so those to me are two definite positives.

And re the whole having more wit thing I guess as you go through life you may not notice that so easily, but when you've a younger guy living with you can see that much more quickly as you point out some very obvious (to you) pitfalls that they're about to make in their life or their work meaning you do tend to stop and just stand back and think "shit, I guess I MUST have learnt SOMETHING up to now after all" !

The other smart part of there then is of course also knowing ( or at least trying to guess) when to stand back and allow your other half to make the obvious mistake that you can see coming, so that they too can learn from their OWN mistakes and not always from yours - as sometimes as I've found its just easier, quicker and you get more thanks AFTER the event for just being there to help pick up the pieces WAY more than you do for always saying "hmmm, you know, I maybe wouldn't do that if I were you because......"

Other plus points are that as you realise how the world "really" works you tend not to stand in line waiting for silly things like some new iPhone x etc and learn what is "really" more important like a nice cup of coffee as you watch the sun come up or set ( whilst then sending your younger half down to stand in the above queue as THEY foolishly think that those things are SO important

Meanwhile as for bus pass, as I think those aren't issued here until actual legal retirement age (67) I think I'll just go back to getting ready to cut my wrists again just ...well, I would if my memory wasn't also failing me so badly that I can't seem to remember where I left my damned stanley knife !

[frequent]

Meanwhile as for bus pass, as I think those aren't issued here until actual legal retirement age (67) ...

You can get a Senior MRT or Airport Link ticket once you're 60 in Bangkok - just produce your passport. Unfortunately the BTS won't do the same for foreigners, so it's going to be interesting to see what happens to those of us who have a Senior card on the MRT when we exchange it for a Spider Card which will be working on BTS, BRT and buses (eventually, in the fullness of time, ... ). Something for you to look forward to?

Other plus points are that as you realise how the world "really" works ...

The more sceptical of us haven't had to wait until we get older for that!

[Nirish guy]

Or just perhaps ....... if you think you’ve always known then maybe you’ve actually had no real idea in the first place ! How’s that for sceptical ! :-)

[frequent]

Or just perhaps ....... if you think you’ve always known then maybe you’ve actually had no real idea in the first place ! How’s that for sceptical ! :-)

As a total misunderstanding of scepticism it's a world-beater. Sceptics "know" that they know nothing and should doubt everything

[Nirish guy]

Actually I was referring more to my being highly sceptical of people who think they know it all......

[frequent]

Actually I was referring more to my being highly sceptical of people who think they know it all......

We're all sceptical of arsenal. However, can you be "highly" sceptical? I'd have thought being sceptical is a binary condition (like pregnancy) - either you're sceptical or you're not. Although my scepticism is lifelong as I grow older I find Stoicism more helpful. In that regard Marcus Aurelius is a great model - especially in his attraction to much younger men, sadly suppressed (I've failed in that respect)

[frequent]

We're all sceptical of arsenal. However, can you be "highly" sceptical? I'd have thought being sceptical is a binary condition (like pregnancy) - either you're sceptical or you're not. Although my scepticism is lifelong as I grow older I find Stoicism more helpful. In that regard Marcus Aurelius is a great model - especially in his attraction to much younger men, sadly suppressed (I've failed in that respect)

This IS disappointing. By now I'd expect Tenille to have chimed in advising that "Although my scepticism is lifelong as I grow older I find Stoicism more helpful" is better expressed as "Although my scepticism is lifelong, as I grow older I find Stoicism more helpful"

I speak perfect English ...