RV’er

I married my husband for two reasons 1) He seemed like he was going to do the income taxes and 2) He hated camping.  Well 20+ years later I don’t think he has ever done the taxes and we are the proud owners of an RV.  We got the bug while hiking at various national parks out west.  Now don’t go thinking we are outdoorsy types.  I use the word hike euphemistically – it is more like a vigorous walk.  When there is an elevation change I call it a hike.  But after sleeping in our hotel outside Zion National Park we were envious of the campers inside the park – they could wake up right here!  So now we make monthly payments on a beautiful Class B or maybe it’s a C motor home – it is the size of a full size van.  I don’t know that I recommend it, we could have committed to spending $6000-8000 a year on a vacation, but where is the adventure in that?

Oh My Aching….

My back is the worst, but don’t tell anyone, this just starts a competition of whose pain is worse.  My knees often ache at night.  I can’t really turn my neck that well anymore (please don’t mention this to DMV).  I am getting the 360’ rear view camera on my next car as seeing my blind spot is near to impossible.  I thought I would be 60 or 70 years old before these ailments befell me.  Am I defective?  Did I physically abuse my body with various physical pursuits in my younger years?  All I know is I can’t sneeze without first carefully bending at the waist to keep my lower spine from jostling painfully during the sneeze.  Once in a blue moon I take a Tylenol PM if my knees are really acting up – that stuff is like gold.  In the mean time I am still waiting on being able to predict the weather.

I don’t need Depends YET…

The most educational thing about watching television is to contemplate your demographic from the commercials you suffer.  I am forced to watch untold numbers of commercials about bladder leakage products.  Is this really my future?  If any of my current friends are using these products – I can’t tell. This seems to be a major pitch of the commercials – that the product is discrete.  Are all men my age using ED drugs?  Or like many things; is there a small portion of the population ads are directed towards and this makes most of us feel like everyone is using them?  I hope this is the truth about anti-depressants, arthritis, and hepatitis drugs. In the mean time I am adding all these maladies to the list of things I worry about and just know if I need depends, I am getting toddler pull-ups with Wonder Woman on them!

Skunk Stripe

I started to gray early, like when I was in college.  I have never really associated gray hair with age.  See picture of me about 40 with natural hair color.  My husband hates it (I think he feels it ages him).  So I have dyed my hair for about 10 years.  I have decided when my brows get gray I will stop – I have one white eye brow hair – I can’t wait for more!  I am pretty sure it will be stark white when I let it go.  In the mean time I am lightening my hair so the roots are not such a white stripe in contrast to my un-natural brown hair.  But even with lighter hair I need to go to the salon every 3 weeks.  My scalp, nor my wallet can afford that so I spend about 1-2 weeks covering the skunk stripe with L’Oréal Root Magic – which is sort of like spray paint! Then I do my own roots, usually with Clairol root touch up, but I just tried New & Improved Root Touch UP – which was kind of awesome – no mixing and you can put lid back on and use again!!!  About every 8 weeks I go back to the salon.

Grateful to the Greatest Generation

75 years ago ½ the world battled the other ½ and won, today marked the beginning of the end.  Thank God and thank you to the greatest generation. If you want a heartfelt story try this one: https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/561371/all-american/

Why GenEx and Not GenX?

It was purely a typo to write out GenEx for the blog name.  It is not like I don’t know that’s not how to spell it.  But the blunder got me thinking, what is my subconscious trying to say?  It took all of 3 seconds to tap into it.  EXHAUSTED – my generation has been working and saving feverishly in our 401K’s for 25+ years.  We have been on the hamster wheel trying to approach the wealth of our parents, the baby boomers, with no hope in sight.  Oh, how nice it would be to be a millennial and throw up our hands and say we can’t pay off student loan debt, buy a house, have kids, OR save for retirement.  What we can do is pay $6 for a coffee.  EXUBERANT – Are we the last generation to feel joy and gratitude?  It feels that way sometimes.  Everyone is so angry at everything today.  There are other EX’s I could add to the list EXTROADINARY, some EXPATs, EXPERIENCED, possibly in the midst of an EXISTENTIAL crisis, in the mean time I need to go out and see if I can buy the name GenXGetsOld.com too.

My Body, My Rectangle

I used to have an impossibly small waist when I was 17.  I even got my figure back after two kids. But middle age, menopause, and middle management have all conspired to turn my body into that lovable geometric shape, the rectangle.  To combat this I have watched every rerun of TLC’s What Not To Wear; where Stacy & Clinton help lots of women like me look presentable.  I have learned 3 things that I try to do 1) Cinch something to give you a waist – usually slightly below the rib cage, when I have to cinch around my neck I will break down and join a gym or hang myself.  2) V-necks elongate your figure – this one I am not too sure about but I’m trying it anyway (note: age spots rapidly appearing on my neck and chest – this may be short-lived). 3) Wear straight-leg pants, I really think this works but these are virtually impossible to find –if only these tapered, aka pegged leg, pants were available when I was in junior high and used to peg them myself! I honestly would not be seen in public in the outfit with the belt.  TLC please put Stacy and Clinton back on and PICK ME!

Bell Sleeves & Socioeconomic Commentary

There is a long history of societies using fashion to make a statement about the wearer.  One example: In medieval times European men wore shoes with fantastically long toes to tell the world they didn’t have to work.  So what you say does this have to do with fashion today?  I propose that the bell sleeve is the modern day equivalent.  If you can wear these you can’t possibly do dishes (therefore you must have a maid), perform young child care (you must have a nanny) or work at a job (I sit at a desk most of the day and these are impractical).  I keep thinking they are finally out of style, but as I can’t really afford high end ready to wear it has moved down the fashion ladder to the likes of JC Penney and Walmart where I do regularly shop.  Hopefully it is just about gone!

https://www.fashionologiahistoriana.com/costume-history-legends-essays-in-english/legends-of-the-medieval-shoes-with-long-toes