The Silver Screen Oasis

Alison,

Glad to have you back!

I'm way past 42 but I can truthfully say that I still feel like I am in my late 30s or 40. There is no way I can be mid-century modern, have the aches and pains that come with being that age, because my mind and heart are still convinced that for me time stopped back in the 1990s!

Luckily, that's not true (I would miss all the friends I've made since then) but I still feel like that 40 year old.

Now, if I just had the figure I had back then!

Alison! Welcome back! I am so happy you are here, though I know it must have been hard for you to come back from Italy.

I still feel like I'm doing over my twenties, since I was such a naive crazy thing back then. Like Moira said, I was so concerned with what others thought of me, not so much now. But inside my head, I am still a young person, that's for sure.

I've missed chatting so much, can't wait to hear about vacation and what movies you are going to sit down to now.

charliechaplinfan wrote: Rita Hayworth that's you Erik isn't it?

Yes (formerly Kingme), and I sent you a PM explaining you why I changed it ... Sue Sue Applegate spearheaded that and I was happy that she's able to change it for me.

Your trip sounds so fascinating ... I would like to hear more of it.

moirafinnie wrote:

charliechaplinfan wrote:

charliechaplinfan wrote:And now I have a question. Does everyone still feel like they are in their 20s and are just amazed at how the years have racked up? I can't be 42, I'm not grown enough I'm sure.

No, thank goodness, I do not feel as though I am in my 20s and glad of it. I am not sure if it is just me, but when I look back on that overly serious doofus I was then, gratitude for the more relaxed, less anxious and worried me who exists now floods through me. Sure, there are trade-offs, and getting older can be annoying as hell. Yet, it's easier to express so many things without worrying too much what others think constantly as I once did.

I'm sort of 50/50 here, because on one hand I can't believe I'll be turning 46 soon and I haven't realized -truly- that a lot of time has passed since I was in my twenties (I also feel quite fit), but I agree with Moira in what she wrote about being younger (I was a worrier over many things; more impetuous and aggressive; more insecure, etc..) and I do not miss that at all. I like who I am now much more. I am more mature and much more "in control".

Welcome back Alison!!

I'm 55. In my case the older I've become the worse things are going. I'm more stressed. I've always worried but I've still plenty about which to worry. If I didn't have a loving wife and kids, I don't know......

Too much time has passed and too little done. It's no fun being me.

What I like about getting older is feeling more certain in my bones, it seems like most of us worried or fretted in our twenties or plunged into things, I'm guilty of both of those. I liked my thirties better and my forties are just an extension of them, I can't believe the number, it just doesn't coincide with what I feel. It's just a number, it's what's inside that counts. I don't miss following fashion, not that I ever really did but it's great to buy an item of clothing because it suits me and know that it suits me rather than following trends, when you're young you tend to go to the main high street shops and I'm guilty of dressing terribly in 80s fashions that didn't suit.

Italy was really lovely, we saw some truly lovely places, the magnificence of Milan cathedral took breathe away and Venice, even though I've seen it before I spent more time there and I was transported, it invoked so many films, as did La Scala in Milan, I got to peak in the audiotorium. Joe's a car freak so a trip to Maranello was in order which blew him away, Ferrari galore, they even impressed me but the older cars for me were far more handsome. One of the best trips was to Otzi the iceman, he's 5500 years old and found in the alps 20 years ago, almost perfectly preserved and the things science has uncovered about him, his very human story completely captured the kids imaginations. Not to mention the shopping, it's great to have a birthday when you're on holiday, a pair of boots, some perfume and some clothes later and I'm a happy bunny, not to mentioned a fatter and more contented one.

That's wonderful Alison! Your descriptions are mouth watering! ( I'd settle for some new clothes even if they were from around here)

I am more sure of myself as a person now, less shy, but I find the worries about money and heath and kids to be sometimes overwhelming, which they never were in my twenties. My worries are far more serious now. Luckily, I can handle them better.

My friend says "When you get older, you gain weight, lose your hair, and go to the bathroom more. But you get a lot smarter. It's not a bad trade!"

I better be a LOT smarter!

RedRiver wrote:My friend says "When you get older, you gain weight, lose your hair, and go to the bathroom more. But you get a lot smarter. It's not a bad trade!"

Well, PHOOEY!. I must have been absent on trade-off day....I got the weight, and the bathroom parts, but still dumb as a stump.........dern.........

Allison, your trip sounds lovely! The descriptions make it sound so divine!

I guess age only matters for cheese and certificates of deposit.

I think I am like a cheese or a good wine which hopefully will only get better with age.

I'm not sure I'm smarter but I'm more patient, more liberal in my outlook and an more able to bite my tongue. My worries don't concern myself but the kids, Chris and our parents, which I guess is the same for all of us. If I can make my families life more pleasant by being around then that's a good trade off. I do worry about what the future will hold for the kids in terms of career paths. I watch some of the movies of the past when town/village life was confined to the town, everyone worked in the town and kmew one another, it appeals because of it's simplicity yet I'd still need internet access and the ability to travel. I guess the kids will be far more adaptable because it's what they know. I jus don't want them to feel daunted by life and I guess that's what I remember from my teens and early 20s. If I could go back to my younger self I'd tell myself not to fret so much, nobody else around me seemed to.

The trip was lovely, we always think it's an extravagance and it probably is our only extravagance in terms of lifestyle but we remember our holidays so vividly and I want these memories for us all to remember, something we have for all time.

I watch some of the movies of the past when town/village life was confined to the town, everyone worked in the town and kmew one another, it appeals because of it's simplicity

That's why I returned to my hometown after many years in Chicago. I love the city, but I don't want the rest of my life to be like that.

I'm not a city person, I like visiting the sites and being a tourist, I think you're either a city dweller or your not and I haven't got it in me to do it full time. However I love the transport systems, I love the idea of not waiting very long to get on a tube to where I'm going, I've not done it in rush hour though, that might change my perception.

I am not a country person, but also not a big city person. I like it just in the middle... public transit yes! I like being close to the action, to shops and markets, but also being able to get away to natural settings. I don't like being off in the wilderness... I don't feel safe there. I like neighbors close by. We have it all here in Mystic which is so very nice.