Now, this has nothing to do with grey hairs, receding hairlines, wrinkles or aging. Seriously, there was a time when I was considered cool (well, kinda cool… by a few people… really). I used to be the one to call when my friends needed a guaranteed no-hassle, good, clean, fun time! I was rarely home, always up for going out with friends (regardless of the hour) and on-top of the coolest clubs, bars and restaurants to go to.
Now, however, I fear I’m becoming certifiably “set in my ways” and booooo-ring. I am 30, after all. Kidding, but I honestly have done a complete 180 when it comes to my lifestyle and location — willingly and purposefully. I might have had a ton of fun back then, but I was miserable. Really unhappy personally and professionally. But just as the stock market corrects itself after a big up or downswing, my life is correcting itself now. Here are a few of the tell-tale signs that I’m acting well beyond my years:
1. New technology is completely lost on me. Why would anyone want to watch a video or movie on a miniature screen (aka the new iPod nano video)? My first generation 30gb iPod works perfectly fine!
2. Telling a hottie-blast-from-your-past that you have to go home because it’s past your bedtime – at 10 p.m. Too mortified to comment… I used to be a darn good flirt!
3. Must-see TV has become a reason for turning down invitations to go out. I never used to watch television because I always had plans and I have never, ever looked as forward to TV’s season premiere week as I am now.
4. I start pounding on the walls when the sound of my next-door neighbor’s children screaming/crying/talking/laughing/playing/etc. permeate my apartment. I love children, I do, and I want my own one day but, man, listening to my neighbor’s children during my “me time” (Saturday or Sunday morning) makes me think mean, mean thoughts. I fear becoming that old, cranky neighbor.
5. I know all of the shortcuts, sidestreets and secret passage ways in your city/country/region (mine’s Southern California). I used to think it was because I was “in the know” but I’m slowly realizing that it’s really because I’m OLD enough to have been every where in the city.
6. I have minimized my world to a five mile radius from my home to avoid traffic. Honestly, with traffic what it is, that’s just smart… despite the obvious limitations.
