Reflecting on 47: An SMBC Comic

[hutchphd]

Now or later...but it is the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire told me so. How wonderful is that?

 

[gleem]

Or was it Pangloss?

 

[sbrothy]

Or was it Pangloss?

hutcphd meeting either seems equally (un)likely. :)

 

[sbrothy]

I am not into marketing but I would not have used a double cheeseburger with mayo, lettuce and ketchup as motivation to avoid certain foods. Like a bacon double cheeseburger.
There are words in the cartoon that are in the actual burger representation.
I see those words as bacon or something similarly beautiful.

Is that what they call "an aquired taste"?
With the cigs certainly anyway.

 

[pinball1970]

Easier if you see it. @sbrothy

 

[pinball1970]

Now just to be clear I started this "midlife crisis" thread with a twinkle in my eye bordering on annoyed sarcasm. I really never expected (or indeed wanted) to be taken too seriously.

But perhaps it's healthy for me to face some unwelcome facts....

Getting old is not that bad until you notice something, like dropping a coin on the floor then contemplating how you are going to get it. (I messed my knees up playing football - certain movements)

That is the rubbish part of getting old.

 

[berkeman]

Getting old is not that bad until you notice something, like dropping a coin on the floor then contemplating how you are going to get it. (I messed my knees up playing football - certain movements)

Reminds me of a middle-aged mom of small kids that told us recently that she noticed that her 3-year-old was grunting and groaning when she got up off the floor. The mom asked her what was wrong, and why she was groaning when she got up. Was she hurt? The kid replied, "No mom, I hear you make that sound so I thought we were supposed to make it."

 

[pinball1970]

Reminds me of a middle-aged mom of small kids that told us recently that she noticed that her 3-year-old was grunting and groaning when she got up off the floor. The mom asked here what was wrong, and why she was groaning when she got up. Was she hurt? The kid replied, "No mom, I hear you make that sound so I thought we were supposed to make it."

Bending, crouching down difficult. Yes

One last one I woke up looked at my phone, 6.15am ish got up to get ready for work.
Got to the bus stop and there was no one there. Strange. The stop services 5 different buses, always at least two or three waiting. Something not right, a bit dark too?
Looked at my phone. 5.50am NOT 6.50am! The 5 looked like a six when I was checking to get up.

A few days later I did exactly the same thing, this time it hit me when I was locking the door. A bird chirped, quite dark. No point going back in again, already up and ready. It looked like a damn six I swear it!
So age? Body clock shot? Or just an eye test required!
I check VERY carefully now.

 

[sbrothy]

[...] like dropping a coin on the floor then contemplating how you are going to get it. [...]

Picking up lost coins is probably a very human trait, but really: the slightly frugal (read: the obsessive compulsive miser), who drops a coin, ought to wonder whether the coin is worth the amount of calories burnt in the very process of picking it back up.

Or indeed the pain involved in the old bones. :)

 

[pinball1970]

Picking up lost coins is probably a very human trait, but really: the slightly frugal (read: the obsessive compulsive miser), who drops a coin, ought to wonder whether the coin is worth the amount of calories burnt in the very process of picking it back up.

Or indeed the pain involved in the old bones. :)

Bones are not too bad it's all that complicated stuff that joins them together that I have trouble with!
If it's silver and higher value than a 5p I make an effort.

 

[sbrothy]

Bones are not too bad it's all that complicated stuff that joins them together that I have trouble with!
If it's silver and higher value than a 5p I make an effort.

It's an almost idiomatic expression, no? "Them old bones and scattergun weddings"?

But yes, it's always "the stuff inbetween" isn't it? Like between my ears. ;)

 

[pinball1970]

Picking up lost coins is probably a very human trait, but really: the slightly frugal (read: the obsessive compulsive miser), who drops a coin, ought to wonder whether the coin is worth the amount of calories burnt in the very process of picking it back up.

Or indeed the pain involved in the old bones. :)

One thing I do like about getting older. Realising you are trying to emulate the person in the family you admired, respected and loved when it really matters.
I cannot emulate the female members, they were something else but I am trying with the men, all dead now.
Pep talk to my niece before she went to University was a big one. A privilege for me.
Taking my son to a science theme center in Wales was one of the best moments in my life.
Me and his mum split but ok and I was walking round this centre thinking it was naff to be honest he would have been 8.
There was a piano with kids banging on it. Sacrilege (a sign of age) anyway I sat down and played Lady Madonna because his mum had told me he was getting into the Beatles.
The bass, left hand makes it for me and the kids went nuts.
We moved on and he looked at me and asked.
"Can you do anything dad?"
It does not get any better than that. Not for me anyway.
Twenty years ago now. Wow.

 

[sbrothy]

One thing I do like about getting older. Realising you are trying to emulate the person in the family you admired, respected and loved when it really matters.
I cannot emulate the female members, they were something else but I am trying with the men, all dead now.
Pep talk to my niece before she went to University was a big one. A privilege for me.
Taking my son to a science theme center in Wales was one of the best moments in my life.
Me and his mum split but ok and I was walking round this centre thinking it was naff to be honest he would have been 8.
There was a piano with kids banging on it. Sacrilege (a sign of age) anyway I sat down and played Lady Madonna because his mum had told me he was getting into the Beatles.
The bass, left hand makes it for me and the kids went nuts.
We moved on and he looked at me and asked.
"Can you do anything dad?"
It does not get any better than that. Not for me anyway.
Twenty years ago now. Wow.

So cool. I envy you of that.

Well that took care of my selfpity. Someone should call (theoretical) Godwins Law now. I don't expect the thread to get any better.

 

[WWGD]

Wow, I thought this was about the upcoming election in the US.( Edit: Meaning Biden was No 46, and the upcoming president would be No 47.) No wonder comments seemed frankly bizarre.

 

[gmax137]

Getting old is not that bad until you notice something, like dropping a coin on the floor then contemplating how you are going to get it. (I messed my knees up playing football - certain movements)

That is the rubbish part of getting old.

How about when you bend over for the coin, and then think, "what else can I do down here now, before I get back up again?"

Sorry for the necro-quote, @pinball1970

 

[sbrothy]

So cool. I envy you of that.

Well that took care of my selfpity. Someone should call (theoretical) Godwins Law now. I don't expect the thread to get any better.

Wow! That took you some time to come around to :)

I mean of course you, @pinball1970.

 

[sbrothy]

Seriously, how come you're resurrecting this year old thread all of a sudden? Not that it bothers me. I'm just puzzled.

 

[gmax137]

Ask @WWGD

 

[WWGD]

I just kind of randomly ran into it.

 

[sbrothy]

I just kind of randomly ran into it.

At least it ignites a little hope of a second chance here. :P

 

[sysprog1]

“The 40s are when you start trading your psychological problems for physical ones.”
Marilyn vos Savant, in Parade (1992)

 

[DaveC426913]

I am very circumspect but did do an ass-over-handlebar about a decade ago.

Moved to new town last year. Bought a bike to explore all the great trails here.

Set out in my maiden run. Never made it out of the driveway. Went ass-over-handlebar onto my head/shoulder.

Luckily, I had also bought a helmet, or I'd be typing this with a mouth stick. Also lucky I didn't break any of my 60-year-old bones.

 

[DaveC426913]

"Your fifties are when you find out how much of your body is bult on top of a swamp."
- my wife, 20 years ago

 

[DaveC426913]

Man, this thread short-circuits up my brain.

Every single time I see the subject line in New posts, I think it's
- a post about the 47th president, or
- a musical group - like a tribute band to Sum 41

I'm serious. It's like a back door into my brain's priority processing system. Every time I read it, my brain drops absolutely everything it's doing for several seconds to focus on understanding what this thread is about.

A la this:

 

[gmax137]

I had to go back to Post #1 to remember what this thread is about. It's a good SMBC comic!

I recently "celebrated" my 47th birthday and this comic resonates weirdly with how I feel:SMBC: Getting Old.

 

[sbrothy]

I had to go back to Post #1 to remember what this thread is about. It's a good SMBC comic.

Yeah, it's usually worth a read, sometimes there's a really good one. "Oglaf" is another favorite of mine (though that one is very NSFW, and may be somewhat of an acquired taste. You have been warned! ).

 

[sbrothy]

Man, this thread short-circuits up my brain.

Every single time I see the subject line in New posts, I think it's
- a post about the 47th president, or
- a musical group - like a tribute band to Sum 41

I'm serious. It's like a back door into my brain's priority processing system. Every time I read it, my brain drops absolutely everything it's doing for several seconds to focus on understanding what this thread is about.

A la this:
View attachment 356834

You're not the only one to connect it to the election (see above). Ironically, it's a pretty old thread.

In fact it's like if someone uses the abbreviation PD I cannot help but think Police Department.


EDIT: Don't know what happened there but the posts were merged somehow.

EDIT2: Ah, there.

 

[Klystron]

I want to, but I haven't found anyone selling bacon seeds yet .

Actually, I do grow hot peppers every year, mmm.

Since we do not have a firm rule on reviving old posts:
In the "You ain't seen nothin' yet" category:

Hot peppers were once among my favorite foods. After ~70 I had to stop eating all pepper including black, white, red (cayenne, paprika), jalapeños, Thai, pasillas and serranos. That is, if I want to be able to urinate post prandial. Say Sawadee (bye-bye) to Thai restaurants.

Also removing added salt to maintain healthy blood pressure and added sugar including maple syrup to stave off type 2 diabetes means preparing my food at home. On the plus side I enjoy cooking, maintain reasonable body mass and appear younger than my calendar age.

Paraphrasing William of Orange, "I maintain.". As we say in the USAF, "Maintain an even strain."