Last night I was watching Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” and, for no apparent reason other than I was sitting at my laptop at the time, I Googled the host Curtis Stone.
That’s when I found out I’m older than him — by eight months!
I don’t know what it is about the Aussie chef that made me think I was much younger than him. It was a bit shocking — and somewhat depressing — to realize I wasn’t.
Turns out I’m older than Ryan Reynolds, Diane Kruger, Colin Farrel, Reese Witherspoon and the French actress who played “Amelie.” I’m the same age as Bradley Cooper, Charlize Theron, Russell Brand, Eva Longoria and — get this! — Chelsea Handler. Angelina Joie is three months younger than me and she’s got six kids.
But what really rocked my age boat was this: child stars like Soleil Moon Frye (“Punky Brewster”), Keri Russell (“Felicity”) and Mayim Bialik (“Blossom”) are around my age. I always thought they were kids.
The whole age thing really started to weird me out last night. It’s hard to believe, for example, that “Back to the Future” came out 28 years ago — or that “Shrek” was released 12 years ago or “Jurassic Park” two decades ago.
I lived most of my life without the Internet or cable TV. There were no online surf reports or TiVo or even cell phones. I used to do research at a thing called a library — complete with card catalogs — and used some contraption called pay phones. I got my first email account and a pager — yes, a pager — back in college. Before that, I don’t know how we ever got in touch with each other.
I realize age is relevant — you’re only as old as you feel (or act) — but it’s still shocking to take stock of your life and realize, “Man, I’m old.”
Anyone else feeling ancient?
14 Comments
No way, and frankly Cat when you get past this bit of shock you will no longer care how old people are, what nationality, or anything. It is the best part of being old. That realization that if you want to date a 22 year old dude, or a 65 year old dude, or have kids when you are 45… had mine at 43, you can do anything you want because all this stuff you think about is only a state of mind.
Ever ask yourself who made the rules you live by? When the answer is the one and only Catherine Toth by God you will have passed this funk phase you’ve been in for the past three years or so. And yes, we ALL either went through it or are going to so be easy on yourself.
F%&*ing up is part of living, enjoying it is yet another 🙂
Hello Cat!
I know I’m old, my kids are adults and they tell me, “Dad you’re old”. But It doesn’t matter because I feel younger and I look young for my age. People can’t believe my age when they find out. Also being old brings me that much closer to retirement.
Good Morning!
I’m older than all of the above people & the same age as Madonna, Alec Baldwin, Michael Jackson, et al., but the sign for me is Pres. Obama is the first president that’s younger than me! We all look around us for relativity, but whether your “classmates” look like death warmed over or like kids–well doesn’t that depend on the path they take?
Yes, I am old but as they say, “It’s just a number”.
Here’s a quote for you from John Lennon:
“Count your age by friends, not years. Count you life by smiles, not years.”
i only feel old when i’m shocked into it. like the other day when i discovered a coworker was born when i was in high school. serious ouch. the rest of the time i still think i’m in my 20s, or even teens!
CAT: As you know I am old, and fat, and poor!
I turned 50 this year and I noticed my hair thinning considerably.
But I can’t remember the other thing that goes with age……..
I moved away for college when I was 25. When I turned 30 I found myself walking the streets of Seattle on my birthday and wondering what I was doing with my life. Being 30 wasn’t what I expected at all. My mood was as grey as the Seattle sky.
When I turned 40 last year, It was no big deal. I enjoyed the night with friends and family and it was like any other day. I think that the fact that I look younger than I am and am very immature have a lot to do with it. Whenever I see my classmates have kids that graduated from high school or some significant milestone, I think to myself “wow! they sure got old” (while I didn’t). HA!
I grew up in Wahiawa so here are some old memories:
Food: Bigway burger hamburgers were 5 for $1.00, you could buy crack seed, football seed, red cuttle fish straight out of the jar for a little as 5 cents in a small brown paper bag from B Sweet store, ICEE from Tai Sing store and when you were done you can turn the straw inside out (only old people know what I’m talking about), Maroni’s Pizza had the best pizza ever, butter top bread from Shan’s bakery, pastries from Kilani Bakery, pies from the bus stop coffee shop now called Sunnyside Bakery, okay enough food.
Clothing: Beetle boots with horseshoe taps, trench coat with orange fur lining vest, Kona jackets (the aloha print material with the see through nylon covering it), Hang Ten or Golden Breed shirts and shorts from Da Surf Hut, corduroy bell bottoms, leather belt from Seafarer’s Leather in Ala Moana, buffalo sandals from India Imports, chuka boots, suede converse allstars.
Stuffs: a phone that has a dial, Pan Am bag, schwinn stingray (that did not cost $800.00 on ebay), baseball cards that cost 5 cents a pack with a stick of nasty chewing gum, frisbee, turbo tube, wheelo, slinky, G.I. Joe that you could blow up during New Years, comic books, gumbee, silly putty, homemade toys like exploding boomarang from popsicle sticks, carrot gun that used a pen catridge and clothes hanger, spear gun with wooden thread spool, rubber bands and clothes hanger. I think I better stop before I take up too much space.
the only age related milestone that shook me up was in college, over twenty years ago. it was spring and the new baseball cards had just been released. i bought a pack and opened them, looking at them, one by one. got to a guy named Steve Avery. new name, so i flipped the card over to see his vitals-maybe he’d be a future star and this card would be worth hundreds!! dude was younger than me!! by two months, but he was younger than me. yes, i had hurt my arm and hung it up a year or so before that. yes, i didn’t have much talent to begin with. but stil…that’s when i knew the dream was dead. i’d never be a major league baseball player (well…I knew it well before that, but that’s the moment that stands out) some kid (by two months) had his picture on a baseball card.
haven’t really given age a thought since then. only time i think about it is when i calculate my 401k contribution or some other tasky thing that us old folks do.
I’ll be 60 in a couple of months.
I like being the age that I am now and the ages I will be in the future. I’m “old,” “getting old,” whatever, and I’m fine with it. I don’t mind sleeping earlier and staying home instead of going out an partying, not that I ever did. Except . . . I’m not liking the fact that the body aches more than usual . . . I don’t mind getting reading glasses, but I’m starting to feel some aches and pains where there were none before.
Hi Cat! You know that you’re old when thr IRS requires you to start minimum withdrawal of your sheltered retirement accounts at 70-1/2. I’m starting to count my black hairs on my head instead of the white ones. Stay young and beautiful as you are and cherish your youth! Before you know it you’ll be 70!!!!
I hear ya! The “old” feeling just snuck up on me, too. I wouldn’t want to go backward, but it’s a new feeling to be watching the clock.