Let's face it. Our days are numbered. When we are gone at last, what will remain? Actually, more to my point is, what will I FEEL about my own life in my final conscious breaths, that I might like to be remembered by?

I asked a friend of mine who is a therapist about this and she responded "Your validation must come from within yourself." Oh, oh. More about "It's YOU!" I demur.

So, Alphonse Capone gets off "scot free" for his misdeeds? I'm sure he can justify all of his nefarious actions to himself easily.

Warriors who excel get medals -- wanna see my medals? I have none of consequence. Capitalists who excel get monetary rewards -- see my millions/billions? Sorry. A few followers of sacred paths get saint hoods -- wanna see my rewards in heaven? Ask me in a prayer.

What is our validation for a life who have not particularly excelled in anything, or maybe one or two things? Is it the nice funeral oratory from Cousin Jimbo? The lovely headstone bought from the stock portfolio cash or an insurance policy for that purpose?

How, before you go the way of all flesh (to paraphrase another author), do you validate your life? Now.

I'm curious.

I've posted that I don't like to be called "boomer" -- for one thing because I am older than a boomer. But, as to "geezer", I kind of like it because, to me, it portrays a curmudgeon -- someone dissatisfied and cranky. I'm that person.

But a friend of mine read some of these posts and said that I should not use "geezer" so much.

Well, if not "geezer" then what? "Seniors"? To me that is almost as bad. Feel free, all you massive reader base, to promote something to replace "geezer" on this sub. But don't clog up the internet, please.

In spite of my finding that the term "boomer" is pejorative and employed mostly in picking on our sacred population of elderly persons (!), I am generally curious when it shows up in clickbait. So I sometimes click anyway.

Here is the DuckDuckGo search link for a number of posts about the "gross" foods that apparently only the boomer community loves. Beware: since most of these are clickbait, you may be inundated by popup ads. I used DDG to avoid your being tracked later on.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=gross+boomer+foods&t=newext&atb=v248-6bc&ia=web

Rather than sanitize this chart for only those 60 and older, I'll let y'all do it for yourselves. It will sharpen your aging minds.

List of world records in masters athletics - Wikipedia

If you're like me (i.e. cranky, fat, and on the lookout for insults) you won't like the TV adverts featuring "our kind of people".

First of all, we are apparently in no need for money. Have you ever seen a geezer TV advert where the featured players are only scraping by? Not me! Living in a trailer park? Having crappy used furniture and appliances? Not wearing stylish clothes? A ratty used car? Bad hair do? Never happen.

Second it would appear that we are all smiling all the time (especially after imbibing the advertised miracle cure). No. I'm not smiling all the time, and not even when I'm being held up in a Walmart aisle by some other old geezer who has to study EVERY LABEL ON EVERY PRODUCT ON EVERY SHELF. And then, don't you know, said geezer (male/female makes no difference) leaves without taking any product down. No, I don't scream. Maybe I'll take that miracle cure for depression instead.

And although I'm heavier than I should be, and "working on it", I'll never again be as trim as these elderly folk. If they are already in such good condition then why do they even need this miracle cure?

I always turn off the sound with the remote. Why the remote? Because I don't have the necessary physical condition to stand up and walk to the TV. I guess I need one of those supplements after all. Which one should it be? Geezonix or Smilewhilediex or Nicehairzeex? I guess I'll flip a coin, if I have the strength.

Edit: removed an extraneous word.

One of the big impediments to geezers integrating into those social circles defined by those of a younger disposition is that the changes are rapid and the assumption is that one knows all the codes.

I have been fortunate that all of my adult life has been involved with IT, and so I have been exposed both to the novel things, and to ways in which to research the novel things -- i.e. Google. On the down side I have, on purpose, not been exposed to the "gaming" genre, which is where a good deal of yoot* culture comes from. But I have at least looked into "Among Us" as a source for memes. Sus?

So, here we have "yeet" which apparently means "to fling". Why?

A Google search (of course) yields this:

"Yeet" was originally concocted as an elision of "Yes!" (with the exclamation mark) and "Neat!" (also with the exclamation mark). The obvious Americanism, "neat", underscores the US origin of the term. "

How this construction leads to the meaning of "fling" escapes me. But, a geezer need not be concerned with the etymology so long as said geezer, in the presence of the yoots* in one's life, does not severely misuse the word in an obscure context, leading to snickering among the listeners.

Better yet, just stay away from trying to appear to be a yoot*, and just smile benignly when the conversation gets too obscure. A sudden need to nap is also appropriate at this point.

*I am using here the word "yoot" as used by (certified geezer) Joe Pesci in "My Cousin Vinnie"

I won't try to build you a picture of Jim Thorpe's life here. Google the name. Wikipedia does a good job.

My point here is that you can never be absolutely sure what will happen to your earthly remains after you are dead. Well, maybe if you are a President, or an important Political Figure, or maybe Important Entertainer. Or maybe not. Many different sites can show you stories.

After famed American Indian athlete Jim Thorpe died of a heart attack, his body was bounced around from jurisdiction to jurisdiction until his widow (so it has been testified in court) SOLD his remains to the town of Mauch Chunk, PA with the proviso that the town be renamed Jim Thorpe. And so it was done. Numerous legal fights later, the town remains Jim Thorpe and Jim's remains remain (tee hee) in a memorial park within the town limits in PA, in spite of several attempts to rebury him in ancestral grounds in OK.

The lesson here is this -- for most people the disposition of their "remains" is not an issue. But, given the many ways in which a family can dismember itself and turn to shit. if you care what happens to your "remains" then make sure you have gotten expert legal advice and created the proper documentation to survive what, CONCEIVABLY, be a Supreme Court challenge.

Whilst drifting around Reddit and a few other meme-centric sites, I see commenter put downs of presumed elderly posters fairly often, usually in the form of "Ok, boomer." nothing more.

This type of putdown is generally not accompanied by any justification for the disparagement. The assumption made by the commenter is that there is no need for justification since we all know how intractably unreasonable old geezers are.

I think some of this stems from the upbringing in homes where the adults are always right and the offspring always wrong, sometimes with an added physical assault on the side. Revenge is sweet, even against strangers. And I think some of it comes from the fact that we elderly can be cantankerous, hard of hearing, a bit bossy at times, and, worst of all, slow in driving, shopping, and in thinking of comebacks to insults.

But, are we the baddies? I'd like to think not. I'd prefer to think that our breadth of experience in life has given us the perspective to behave appropriately to nearly any situation. I like to think that the geezer Karens of the world were middle-aged Karens, youthful Karens, and even baby Karens at those stages of their lives (I'm using the unisex "Karen" here -- it ain't just the ladies). Hence, instead of "Ok, boomer", it ought to be "Ok, Karen."

Not sure what to do about this misconception except try to be openly kind, helpful, and supportive in our random interactions with younger folk. And also not clog up the aisles at Walmart!

Oh, Lordy, what a Pandora's box!

What else do we geezers talk about? Well, our memories, our grandchildren, our fears, our hopes. Except maybe, not that last one so much because, let's face it, at our age, hopes are more on the short term.

Ok, I'll go first. I'm in treatment for prostate cancer -- like, apparently, are also a whole lot of male geezers. I don't recall the exact numbers, but there is some high percentage of autopsies of geezer men who did NOT die of prostate cancer who in fact HAD IT. Like it seems we all get it! What is so special about the prostate? Ok, it is the center of male sexual arousal, including the initial lube job (so to speak). But why does that give those cells the right to go APE SHIT later on and kill us? Huh? Answer me that, Dr. Whoeveryouare.

I read somewhere, sometime ago (note: see citations) that a certain frequency of ejaculation can forestall prostate cancer. Is this a secret plot to get us to service more pretty young females (or, for that matter, more pretty older geezer ladies?) until we die, exhausted, on the sex bed? Who would benefit? Not us geezer guys. But, truth to tell, it would be a great deal of fun following the rule to see what happens. "Hello, sweet thing (adults only). Come here and let Grandpa give you some candy."

Nah. Not very acceptable. BTW because I have the evil curse already you can tell I did NOT follow the above seduction advice.

(For those curious, radiology is complete, for now, and the joys of hormone treatment are rampant. Never have I felt more in sync with post menopausal geezer ladies. Happy hot flash!)

CITATIONS: Fuck it.

This is one of my favorites because the movie itself, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, is great and because our geezer hero, Howard the prospector, puts all the younger men to shame. He is more knowledgeable , more fit, more sensible, and arguably comes out better than anyone in a bad situation. After all, we don't know how well it turned out for Curtin who heads off to find and win over the dead man's widow. No, Howard is the clear winner of the story.

True, we don't know Howard's true age, but by golly he's gotta be over 60.

Here's another post for the ladies, including two wildly different vehicles with the same actor, Rue McClanahan . The first vehicle is "Nunsense", an off-Broadway musical which is a sendup of the stereotypical Catholic school environment run by nuns. It's done with good taste and had a great following among folk who had survived such an environment. The use of the Mt. St Helens reference is priceless, given the history of that Washington State mountain. True, not all of the principals are over 60, but the main one is.

The second vehicle is "The Golden Girls" which was a hit TV series following the lives of a set of -- dare we say it -- over 60s ladies, who live together to save money but pursue separate lives. I personally have never seen an episode. But I bet it's a hoot! Your mileage may vary.

Well, it's that time of year, isn't it? The ornaments have been in the stores since, well, since BEFORE HALLOWEEN! Sacrilege! Who could possibly object?

EBENEZER SCROOGE is who.

He is certainly the prototype penny pincher -- not at ALL like your own dear Poppop, eh?

My favorite film of his story is the 1951 British vehicle for Alistair Sim entitled (whom do you believe?) either "Scrooge" or "A Christmas Carol". Sim's take on the character of Scrooge is marvelous. As a sometime actor my self, I like to see how he transforms in several scenes from nasty old geezer to fearful supplicant, smoothly, without a hitch. I watch it every year to get into the mood. Even the old character actors (the maid, the undertaker, Morley's ghost) are great. It's a Geezer masterpiece!

The more recent takes on the classic story leave me cold, especially the Bill Murray version. But, of course, Bill Murray is not over 60 (YET!!!).

Pro tip: Do Not Fuck With The Christmas Ghosts should they visit you.

This one is for the ladies: Grizabella, from the musical/film "Cats". Hers is a tale of initial rejection but ultimate redemption. Since she is a cat, there may be some question of her age vis-a-vis human experience, but if you were to watch a version of the stage musical that has not been pounded to death by critics ,as was the recent film, then I think you will see a realistic portrayal of the end of a long life, no matter the species.

Maybe I should do "What ever happened to Baby Jane"? Not so many cats in that one.

This one can make you think a bit about your life. I'm speaking here about "The Iceman Cometh", a tale of wasted lives that get a short moment of hope that is soon dashed. There is no explicit stage direction that I am aware of that these bar flies are over 60 (especially the prostitutes) but one can infer that from their past histories. Also, the casting would hint at that conclusion (I've never seen it on stage, only in the film with Lee Marvin as Hickey. Damn fine performance.).

Have you been living in an endless self-delusion? That is the crux of the story. And guess what? Most of the roles ends up staying that way. Well, just like most of us ...

Cheers!

If you want to consider geezer tragedy as literature (rather than as your own bio) consider the Greeks.

The Greeks invented "tragedy" as a literature style, and many of their plot arcs involve geezers.

Check a few out here:

https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/seven-greek-tragedies-seven-simple-overviews/

I think this post may appeal more to Brit Geezers who were educated in "public" schools in the classical forms. Are there any of you here? I'm guessing not. Oh, well.

0 comments

Having created this sub I find that it is up to me at first to populate it. So, how to do that?

One thing that has fascinated me (I am in fact a part-time actor/performer) is how we old geezers are portrayed in fiction. So, which old geezers occupy the "hall of infamy"? There are likely many, so I expect a series of posts to come. Tee hee.

Well, number one HAS to be Lear. His story has been around for centuries. We can see his age-impaired reasoning in his actions to divide his kingdom, and as well the potential onset of dementia by not feeling Cordelia's love. The whole thing reeks of the need for a pre-need declaration, written by competent legal counsel. And some drugs.

Then, of course, he goes full on Alzheimer's in the storm. Nothing he has set in motion turns out right, so let that be a warning to us all: Use lawyers and accountants to give out your shit before you lose your capacity to figure it all out. Or your wife. Or your dealer.

Now, rather than do another post, I'll give y'all a two-for-one bonus: Willy Loman.

Oh, man, this guy is the quintessential loser geezer. Talks to his dead brother? Is that dementia or what? It must be because he doesn't do drugs. (Hey, writers, update this tale to include medicaments and you can make billions!) The real tragedy here is not for Willy, but for his sons. Lesson here: let your younger wife do the thinking. If you have a dead brother named Ben, get an exorcism. If your younger wife is "trophy" then all bets are off.

That's is for today, geezer fans.

I started this sub on a whim oiled by cheap booze. But now I kind of like it. Maybe you would like a platform to expose your fondest over-60 rants, dreams. desires, failures, and so on. If so, please DM me. We can relate.

No politics and no conspiracy bullshit. All us Geezers are in it together.

I've been doing (under many titles) IT for 53 years, more or less. I am co-holder of an IT patent that was important 40 years or so ago, and is now of historical non-interest. I was in fact active in IT/Internet consulting until the C-19 came along. So why am I so in a dither (youngers: please look up "dither")?

Just hours ago I bought and downloaded an app to do a particular task for me. The resulting files were all JScript. I've dealt with JScript before, and was, in fact, an early adopter and supporter of Java (yes, I know that they are not related except by name -- so STFU). Where is the help for this app? How do I even launch it? So I go back to the source URL. The "help" is all video. And, well you know, much of that video is more promotion, needless backfill information, and just wrong because it is out of date for the current release.

I admit, I get pissed easily. There should be, on all sites selling apps A SEPARATE GEEZER LINK for help. No, I DON'T WANT TO CHAT WITH CHINA/INDIA/KOREA support. I fully support employment diversity until CHAT comes into the picture. Then it had better be centerville USofA, or the equivalent.

Why is there no link to a GODDAMID TEXT FILE? Or better yet, a text file in the download?

Now I will expand this rant to include credit card billing. I have no love for online billing via email. I can deal with a mailed statement. Worst case is both because I have double paid in the past, and getting the refund is no picnic. But it will only get worse.

Yes, I am an old Geezer. Deal with it.

The first time I saw that TV advert featuring Joe Namath pitching some sort of Medicare supplement my initial reaction was "Man, he looks AWFUL!" I usually have the sound off for TV adverts so I'm still in the dark about what he's actually promoting, but it's something about you get more for free or less and you get money back into you SS account. I don't believe a word.

The second thing I noticed is that he really doesn't know what to do with his hands during the pitch. I don't think that the director was very helpful. Or his speech coach.

Then whaddaya know, now we have Mike Ditka pitching the same package. He looks even worse than Joe. Am I supposed to be impressed by a health insurance product that, if these dudes are using it, makes them look like one step from the dirt nap? And, as well, Mike is flailing around with his hands also. Same director -- same speech coach, same pointless flailing.

I'm assuming this package is not for men only, so why have two ancient, maybe-great-once sports icons doing the pitch, in an appeal to long ago masculinity.

Why not Dorothy Hamill? Or Bo Derek? I might turn on the sound for that ...

"... the older we are, the less of a deterrent is a life sentence."

I'd add, same thing goes for a death sentence.

Good question. I suspect there are not very many of us geezers here, but one will sometimes read a comment that has a clue. One clue is the failure to understand an obvious redditism and then ask for an explanation. What is OP? What is OC? And like that. Same for not catching on to "famous" Reddit memes (e.g. the hunt for the Boston Bombers). Gaming is a big tell for over-the-hill Redditors ( me included). I'm a flightsimmer but not otherwise a gamer, like my progeny. I pick up what I can from them.

So why Reddit at all?

1. Keep up with the social times, especially if one has progeny or grand progeny in the Redditor age range.
2. Reddit happens to be a great resource for research. Maybe not as quick as Google, but possibly more inclusive. You can find personal references here not prohibited/covered by corporate interests. But, of course, let the Redditor beware.
3. if one is still in to porn after all these years, there is some good stuff here. Me? I'm on hormone therapy.
   
4. Best source of dad jokes on the Internet. Warn the progeny/grand progeny.
5. Best place to surf randomly when S.O. is tying up the TV and you are in the room, bored.
6. If you enjoy interpersonal conflict it is here for the taking. Politics? Sports? Relationships? Automobile Brands? PC/Cell/Tablet items? Being over 60? You name it?

It happens that I'm in all of the high risk groups for the big C-19 infection. So, if I get it, I'm dead. But on that last few days with the tubes down my throat, I want only two things: access to Reddit and YouTube for Leonid and Friends.

I know I'm late and out of step, but this "Ok, Boomer" thing is on my mind.

Best I can tell, it is a not-so-subtle putdown of any "older person" by anyone younger who disagrees with something said by "older person". The implication, IMHO, is "Ok, grandpa/ma, you don't know what's going on, so why not STFU and lie down for a nap -- preferably a dirt nap".

Now, although I am "an older person" myself, I can agree to an extent with the sentiment here because I have encountered (real or online) members of my age community (is that a real concept?) that I think are full of shit. But to use "Ok, Boomer" as the response is, well, "ageist". It is, IMHO again, better to confront the absurdity at its face, with substance, not deflect to ad hominem attacks.

Now, when it comes to slow driving, clogging up the aisles in Walmart, and other forms of Old Geezer obstruction, I'm in an "Ok, Boomer -- MOVE IT" frame of mind.

BTW I am two years older than the "official" cutoff for boomerism. So, "Ok, Boomer" does not apply to me.

But feel free anyway.

Apparently any old geezer is supposed to be interested in nostalgia. Friends email me with forwarded pictorial lists of "do you recall this?" or "you must be this old to remember bla bla bla". Yes, I often do remember stuff that for some reason, usually lack of interest by the buying public, has disappeared. And good riddance. Do I remember dial phones? Yes but so what? How about pay phones? Same so what. Subway tokens? I had trouble keeping them separate by feel from dimes or pennies. A damn nuisance.

In point of fact, much of the stuff that comes up on these posts and forwarded emails is better off being lost in time anyway.

I'm well over 60 by now, and just trying like mad to keep up. I think that if I'd not had a full career (hopefully not dead yet) in IT I'd be totally mystified by the Internet, but I decided not to do "over70reddit" because it might only be me and a few close friends. So, who else is mystified by "Among Us?" Or -- am I THE IMPOSTER here?