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It beats the alternative!

Aug 1st 2007Karen Rose
Karen RoseWhen Goddesses Fall To Earth

balloons.jpgI had a birthday this week.  I am now 43.  I don’t feel 43, although I’m not sure what that’s supposed to feel like.  They say getting old beats the alternative, and that’s very true.  They also say you’re only as old as you feel.  Sometimes that would make me 90.  Other times I feel like a little kid.  I was trying to think of the things that make me feel young and I made a list:

1.  Laughing.peeweeherman.jpg  One of the good things about being older is that you can expand the kind of things you find funny.  I find my sense of humor is a great deal bawdier now (i.e. I sometimes laugh at dirty jokes).  I laugh at stupid things, too.  I must confess PeeWee Herman and his Bike and Bill and Ted’s Excellent adventure still have me doubling over laughing.

2.  Exercise. treadmill.jpg I hate this one, but it does make me feel younger.  I keep hoping I’ll wake up some day and I’ll be transformed into an exercise-loving athlete who lives for that rush while working out.  It hasn’t happened yet.  But there’s still time - I’m only 43 after all.

3.  Learning something new.  This can be physical or mental.  Some of you might know I started studying karate a year ago.  So far I’ve earned two belts and am working on my third.die-for-me.jpg  It makes me feel successful and is good exercise, so it’s a two-fer.   Writing is a mental kick - I get to explore all kinds of cool things in the name of research.  When I was writing my 8/28 release (shameless self-plug ahead!) DIE FOR ME, I learned about ground penetrating radar, opera, prosthetic limbs with computer chips, medieval torture and weapons (cool!), and all kinds of other things.  Learning something new gives me a rush and it allows me to bring stimulating conversation to the supper table. 

4.  Cosmetics. lipstick.jpg A while back my daughter asked why I wear makeup for people I’ll never see again.  I thought this over and decided I wear it for me.  Because it makes me feel put-together and that makes me feel younger - or at least not old!

So how do you stay “young”?  Yoga?  Running marathons?  A six-pack of Bud a week?  A dang good plastic surgeon? (And a word of caution:  if you really are young, it would be best to keep that to yourself…)

52 Comments »

52 Responses to “It beats the alternative!”

  1. twolilhahas on 01 Aug 2007 at 12:57 am #

    I heard that kids’ll keep you young, so I had a couple. All I got was tired! So, I just joined the gym, hoping to speed up my metabolism…only I caught a cold the very day after I joined…so now I am sick and tired. Maybe next week.

  2. Judy F on 01 Aug 2007 at 4:50 am #

    Karen you are still a young thing.

    Not feeling so young this week, got bifocals this week and boy are they driving me nuts.

    What helps me feel young is being around my sisters girls. They are so much fun and still think I am cool. LOL Plus my niece just had her own little girl so its sweet to be around a baby again.

    Rejoy in 43..

    Judy (47)

  3. Stacy S on 01 Aug 2007 at 5:22 am #

    Happy Birthday Karen!! I wish I felt young.

  4. Stacy ~ on 01 Aug 2007 at 5:47 am #

    Happy birthday Karen! I think being around younger people helps. I work with a girl who’s 13 years younger than me, and I like her a lot, and we talk about music and movies and hotties (shout out to hottie goddess JudyF! Hey girl!) and it’s fun and silly sometimes. Plus, I actually think when you aren’t as worried about what other people think, it makes me feel younger - strange, isn’t it, because I had to be older to feel that way. And, AND, I think reading sexy romances makes me feel younger ;)

  5. pri.r. on 01 Aug 2007 at 6:08 am #

    to keep young?
    i run around singing,dancing and playing air guitar with my hockey stick on the field during an actual match…. sure it’s pathetic to watch but you just watch me play hockey and you’ll find that my playing air guitar is infinetly less degrading AND more fun.

  6. pri.r. on 01 Aug 2007 at 6:08 am #

    ^
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    pri (16)

  7. Ellen Henson on 01 Aug 2007 at 7:25 am #

    Well for starters, one can’t help but feel that lovely blush of youth when singing into anything non-microphone. You know, hairbrushes, fly swatters, spatulas or my favorite, curling irons. (I like working the cord.) I never know more than 60% of the words and I couldn’t find the right note with a GPS Navigational System, but who cares. Singing keeps me young.

    One more thing, to be a true closet singer, you must sing both lead and back-up. (i.e.: R-E-S-P-E-C-T and sock it to me, sock it to me are BOTH the closet singers responsibility.)

    More later, my young “Gees”
    Ellen

  8. Darla on 01 Aug 2007 at 7:35 am #

    Happy Birthday Karen! I turn 47 this year and I just count those as years of experience, because I certainly don’t feel it!

  9. Caren Crane on 01 Aug 2007 at 7:36 am #

    LOL, Ellen, on the lead and back-up vocals. I completely agree! What’s the point of singing into your hairbrush if you’re going to be a diva about it? Plus, sometimes those “sock it to mes” go on for a while. What do you do? Shimmy for yourself for 30 seconds? Not at all! You “sock it to me” and shimmy at the same time! *g*

    I think being flirted with is always good for making you feel younger. It doesn’t matter if the man/boy is old, young or *really* young, it’s all fun! It bothered me when I was in my 30s because I wasn’t sure if I should take it seriously. Ha! Now I know it’s all good fun and just roll with it. Believe me, if you’re over 40, it’s highly doubtful the 25-year-old waiter is seriously interested. *g*

    I think the ability to take ourselves less seriously is a reward for aging. There must be one!

  10. Karen Rose on 01 Aug 2007 at 7:48 am #

    Caren, no one ever flirts with me. Seriously. I think I have that “come no closer you filthy worm” look. Or maybe it’s that I was a teacher and can freeze people with a look, LOL. Came in handy with the middle school kids. Shudder…

    I have a very good friend I met at a local bookstore cafe. We’d never met before and were both working - me on writing, her on studying for her realtor exam. Men kept flirting with her and this went on for some time. Finally some real sleazebag sat at her table and began trying to pick her up - and she’s way too nice to say “get lost, you creep.” She kept looking at me like “helllllp meeee.” So I had great pity on this flirted-upon tall thin pretty blonde, gathered my things, plopped down at her table and said, “I’ve been looking for you everywhere! We have work to do. Could you please excuse us, sir?” And I gave Mr. Sleaze “the look” (see above). He scurried faster than a roach. And the blonde and I have been good friends ever since.

  11. Ellen Henson on 01 Aug 2007 at 7:49 am #

    Laughing is another big age defying act on my part. After reading Karen’s blog I had a wee bit of an epiphany. I laugh at just about anything. Dirty jokes, bathroom humor, bedroom humor, weight jokes, age jokes, you name it. My only criterion is that it CANNOT be a planned joke. Real life comments are so much funnier than “Did you hear the one about…”

    What’s worse, if it is really, really funny, there is a good chance I will laugh so hard I either cry or pish….or both. What could make you fell younger than doing that?

    To qualify for the teary-eyed-panty-soaker, something can not only be funny, it has to be peppered with just the right amount of inappropriate behavior/location. Who hasn’t had to bite a knuckle in church or bury their face in a book in the library because something seemed funny at the time? In my next life I will be a stand up comedian who only works the church circuit…word has it EVERYTHING is funnier in church.

    Get this…I actually relive laughs, too. That’s right; I finish laughing and move on with my life. Later on, sometimes years later, I think about the situation again and bust out laughing. What’s worse, this usually happens when I am in church or at a PTA meeting.

    “Sorry Father O’Malley…was just relieving the time when Sister Rose fell over Johnny’s book bag.”

    Do you think they laugh in hell? I may be headed there and just wanted to know.

    Happy Birthday, Karen.
    Ellen

  12. Maggie Robinson on 01 Aug 2007 at 7:58 am #

    Happy birthday! Karen, you’re just a puppy. I like to hang out with my three daughters, who are fresh in all senses of the word and funny. I work with high school kids and try to keep up. I color my hair and wear lipstick every. single. day. I am a baby boomer so feel entitled to be forever young (and in denial).

  13. Karen Rose on 01 Aug 2007 at 8:02 am #

    Ellen, you crack me up as always. I hereby promise to faithfully execute each and every sock-it-to-me when I hear that song. And I’ll work the cord. Hairbrushes were always my fave mike of choice, tho. I rarely know the words and insert my own or simply “something something something” which makes my kid roll her eyes. I consider that a job well done.

    Pri.r - I think you are young, dear. Enough said. (I’m giving you my “teacher look.”) Have fun with that field hockey!

    Stacy - oh, yes! Reading sexy romances does help me feel young. Somewhere at RWA in Dallas (one of the lunches, I think), the speaker said that a study had come out saying that reading a romance novel helped relieve menopause symptoms. Hurray!

    And Judy F, I don’t have bifocals yet, but my arms are becoming dangerously too short to read menus. This started a few years ago and my eye dr. said, “Well you are 40, you know.” I gave him my look.

  14. gannon on 01 Aug 2007 at 8:07 am #

    Happy Birthday, Karen! I turned 41 this year and I agree with so many of your list. Laughter is definitely at the top!! My sister (who’s 45) and I still roll on the floor laughing at Pee Wee. My dh is completely mystified by this! I laugh fairly easily and since they say laughter will help you live longer, I’m going to be around forevah, baby! :)

    So funny that you mentioned makeup, my kids and dh sometimes say the same thing. But you are too right in saying that I do it for me because it makes me feel better! I wear perfume every day, too, even if I’m not going anywhere!

    Ellen, why is it that everything is funnier in church or any other place that silence is most appropriate? I may be headed to hell, too, so we laughers should have a special corner to meet! ;)

  15. Karen Rose on 01 Aug 2007 at 8:08 am #

    Thanks for all the birthday wishes!!

    And Maggie - my motto is “Life Without Chemicals Would Be Impossible.” When I was a true pup, that was because I was a chemical engineer and chemicals were my bread and butter. Now, it’s because of hair color which is a lot more important!

  16. DebMarlowe on 01 Aug 2007 at 8:51 am #

    Happy Birthday Karen!

    You are as young as you feel, as my wise grandmother used to say, and she did indeed stay young at heart.

    I’m with all of you on the laughing–and with Ellen on reliving the laughter. I do that all the time! Now I’ve got my kids doing it. We’ll be driving in the car and they’ll say, “Do you remember . . .” and then we’re all laughing again!

    I’ve never sung to my hairbrush, but I think you guys have inspired me….

  17. Kay on 01 Aug 2007 at 8:53 am #

    Happy Birthday, Karen.

    I agree with the laughter part sooooo much. Silly movies are a must for me. DH and I are going to see Spamalot this month, and you acn’t get much sillier than that! I’m looking forward to the new Mr. Bean movie, too. He’s my alternative to Larry, Moe and Culrly.

  18. gannon on 01 Aug 2007 at 8:56 am #

    Kay,

    My kids and I love Mr. Bean! Once again, my dh is perplexed by this! In fact, we named our cat Mr. Bean because he is a goofball, albeit a loveable one!

  19. dbrown3400 on 01 Aug 2007 at 9:17 am #

    Happy Birthday, Karen the Rose, and many more.

    I asked my late aunt this very question when I was in my forties and she was somewhere in her seventies. I said I felt as though I were in my twenties to which she replied you’re only as young as you feel mentally. In my experience, she was right.

    Personally, I want to continue to learn. I consider myself a Google maven. I quit using Ask.com because I kept getting naked women. Now, naked men. . . . One question usually leads to another. I buy books and download music as if those were going to disappear.

    According to my orthopedic surgeon, walking and upper body free weights are all I can do any more as my knees are bad. I know those will make me feel better.

    I’m 61 and still get a roving eye or two though I’ve got a body built for two.
    Sometimes I laugh so hard at threads I get the tears mentioned above.

    Donna

  20. Karen Rose on 01 Aug 2007 at 9:23 am #

    I love Mr. Bean. He cracks me up! My favorite episode is when he paints his apartment.

    Rowan Atkinson is hilarious in almost everything he does. My DH and I loved his “BLACK ADDER” series that ran on PBS years ago. It’s a very weird twist on history. The did 4 seasons, Richard III, Queen E #1, George IV, and WWI (which wasn’t as funny as the others, IMO). I loved Queen E and Nursie and Baldrick. Hugh Laurie starred in BLACK ADDER as George IV long before he was HOUSE.

    Kay, you’ll love SPAMALOT. DH and I saw this in NYC last fall. We also saw Avenue Q. Definitely bawdy.

  21. Claudia Dain on 01 Aug 2007 at 9:25 am #

    Happy Birthday, KarenR!!! Whoo-hoo! You need to give yourself permission to party all day—that’s one of the tricks to feeling young, giving yourself permission to PLAY and knowing that you *deserve* every single treat that comes your way.

    Laughter? Check. Nothing makes you feel better, plus, there are muscles in your face that ONLY get used when you laugh. It’s like giving yourself a face lift! (Or that’s my theory.)

    Perfume and make-up? Check. I wear them every day because I enjoy it and I’m worth it.

    I’m not going to give my physical age because what does it mean? Nothing but pure experience, which is always good, but my real age is how I feel. Ignore the number!

  22. Karen Hawkins on 01 Aug 2007 at 9:36 am #

    Happy Birthday, my sistah Leo!

    Your list looks pretty complete to me so I’m going to do them ALL today … already been laughing at some of these posts, I’m signed up for a pilates class this evening at my gym, I’m reading a book right now on jewelry in Regency England and how it evolved from the delicate look to the intricate look more associate with the Victorian era (the neatest thing is the chapter on snuff boxes!), and I never leave the house without eye liner.

    You know, I feel younger ALREADY! :)

    Hope you have wonderful delights planned for your birthday, Karen R! And I can’t wait for DIE FOR ME to come out on the 28th!!!

  23. cail on 01 Aug 2007 at 9:50 am #

    Happy Birthday Karen!!

    My favorite ‘old’ story involves my 88 yr old grandmother. Someone mentioned to her that she was getting on in years and she shot back that she was still middle aged and has at least 20 years to go! That amused me (and she very well could be right! her mom lived to 99 and her father to 106!)

    Here’s to another year!

  24. Julia London on 01 Aug 2007 at 10:02 am #

    I stay young with exercise and by submerging myself in useless reality TV and trash rags so I can stay on top of pop culture. Anyone want to know the latest on Lindsey Lohan? I’m your go-to gal.

  25. anneriailin on 01 Aug 2007 at 10:27 am #

    Happy Birthday, Karen. My motto is….’Aging is inevitable, Growing up is Optional.’ And I opted not to grow up! I laugh alot and try not to take things too seriously anymore. I read and try to learn something from it. Thank goodness for hair color, because people say I don’t look the 52 I’m supposed to be. lol

    I hope you did something just for you on your special day.

  26. amy1242 on 01 Aug 2007 at 10:47 am #

    Karen, Happy Birthday! I’m 43 and knocking on 44’s door. Just to let you know…43 was a piece of cake (so far) so there is nothin’ to worry about. I’ll keep you informed on 44, so you’ll know what you’ll be dealing with next year at this time! Have great fun today and do something new, for yourself, for posterity, for the heck of it!

  27. Julia London on 01 Aug 2007 at 11:06 am #

    Oh yeah. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN…AND KAREN!!! xoxoxox SMOOCHES

  28. Kay on 01 Aug 2007 at 11:11 am #

    Anneriailin, That reminds me of the Jimmy Buffet song, “I’m growing older, but not up…”
    :-)

  29. Karen Rose on 01 Aug 2007 at 11:16 am #

    I was actually reminded of the Strawberry Wine song when she sings “I still remember…when 30 was old.” It’s a sexy song, but unfortunately it has no sock-it-to-me’s.

    On my birthday I slept in and played video games all day. I didn’t work and didn’t worry about it! My DH made me a sumptuous supper - steak and all my favorite high carb veggies. My uncle-in-law and aunt-in-law were here and we had a lovely time! That’s the best kind of day for me.

  30. Kay on 01 Aug 2007 at 11:17 am #

    Karen, Rowan Atkinson is great in everything. I loved Black Adder. You are so right about Nursie. I can just say “nursie” and my Dh cracks up.

    I loved Atkinson in his bit parts in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Love, Actually” and his part in the BBC show “A Thin Blue Line.” It wasn’t as funny as BA, but the ensemble was a hoot.

  31. colinfirthfan on 01 Aug 2007 at 11:43 am #

    Happy Birthday Karen!

    I too am easily amused and laugh loud and hard at all sorts of things. My DH says he can hear me laughing when I am watching T.V.

    Twolilhahas - I agree with you. Ever since I had kids I have been exhausted.
    Though last night I can blame Julia London and JKR. I finished reading Perils of Pursuing a Prince at 11:00 PM and then watched Jon Stewart and then read a few more chapter of BK 6 of Harry Potter. I am very close to the end!! I slept at 12:45 AM!!!
    I have now started Sins of a Duke!
    I get no rest around here *grumble* (I think I need a day of work to make a dent in my reading list)

  32. Julia London on 01 Aug 2007 at 11:53 am #

    colinfirthfan, we aim to keep you up at night :-)

  33. zambonigirl on 01 Aug 2007 at 12:00 pm #

    Happy Birthday, Karen! 43 is totally NOT old. My mom just turned 61 last year, and she’s still a total spring chicken, so 43 is still a little chick. People don’t flirt with you because they’re intimidated by your beauty, not that other thing. Or the glare. Well, maybe the glare. You can’t glare. Look, go to Nordstrom. Go to the shoe department. Find the hottest pair of bitch shoes in the joint. They will be either hot pink or red. Maybe black, but only if they’re particularly bitchy. Wait for the little hot thing to come by and ask for your size. Tell him any size you like, it won’t matter. He’ll flirt with you. Practice on him. Then, go out to lunch someplace decadent. Make sure you get a male waiter. If you don’t, walk around until you find a cute male waiter. Flirt with him. You’ll start getting used to it, and then people will flirt with you. It’s like anything-you have to practice.

  34. colinfirthfan on 01 Aug 2007 at 12:04 pm #

    Julia, I loved Perils. Can’t wait for Phoebe’s story!! I love that Rhodi wasn’t drop dead gorgeous - with or without a scar.

    I think you are only as old as you feel!! If you feel 25 then - that’s what you are…
    My Mum used to live by that philosophy and she was always full of energy!!

  35. Julia London on 01 Aug 2007 at 12:19 pm #

    thanks, CFF. :-). That really makes my day.

    My grandmother always said she was the same twelve year old girl looking out the same eyes. I know exactly what she means.

  36. elsiehogarth on 01 Aug 2007 at 12:55 pm #

    Happy Birthday Karen! All the best. Party, party, party!!!!

    I have to agree with some days you feel that you are 90 and the fact that “kids” keep you young. I have 7 godsons and there are a lot of children, in my family, so being with them keep me young and in the know with the current trends for each of their age groups.

  37. Lisa H on 01 Aug 2007 at 1:01 pm #

    Hi Karen,

    I am 41 and I agree with much of what you have written, but I must say there is one point I’d like to address and that is being over 40 certainly has its advantages.

    The main one being, you finally know who you are, and where you are going. You also feel more confident in expressing yourself, mindless to what others may think of your opinions.

    This is the greatest thing about being “older”.

    Yes, I’d love to have a wrinkleless complexion, and hair any shade but grey, but there certainly are some advantages to maturing gracefully!

  38. Sabrina Jeffries on 01 Aug 2007 at 1:18 pm #

    Happy birthday, my Twin Beneath the Skin! You’re not old, you’re experienced. Not the same thing at all!

    Party on down!

    What makes me feel young is my teenager, who still thinks Mom can do anything. I just love that!

  39. twolilhahas on 01 Aug 2007 at 2:25 pm #

    Oh, Ellen, I love singing into non-microphones! lol My favorite is my cell phone. Mainly because it is always handy. :) But I learned, the hard way, that you have to be careful when screeching lovely ballads into the cell phone that you don’t accidently push the Voice Operation button…because it will think you said CALL and insert a random name. haha

  40. catslady on 01 Aug 2007 at 2:48 pm #

    I think staying open minded has a lot to do with it. There’s nothing worse than hearing “older” people who dislike everything about the “younger” generation.

    I’ve always enjoyed being with my children and their friends no matter what their age (now 20 and 23). In fact we’re taking a trip to Cedar Point this month to try out some of those new rollercoasters lol. Oh, and I’m 56 so you’re still a baby roflmao.

  41. SuzyQ on 01 Aug 2007 at 2:55 pm #

    Happy Birthday Karen!!!!

    I love to laugh - especially at myself. Music and dancing keeps me feeling young too and I do it often enough around the living room with my kids. But I think my favorite thing is playing hide and seek with my kids.

  42. Judy F on 01 Aug 2007 at 3:27 pm #

    geeze I forgot. Happy Birthday Karen. It was a blonde moment.

    Two years ago at my last eye exam I mentioned to the doc that I was having some trouble with close up stuff. She said the same thing will you are over 40. I gave her the look too. LOL

    Hope you had/have a wonderful day. You deserve it

    Hey Stacy…

  43. Brandy on 01 Aug 2007 at 4:02 pm #

    Happy Birthday Karen!

    I don’t know how to stay young. I enjoy my books, yoga and my kids. I eat cookie dough and dance around the LR with the kids, and I flirt shamelessly with my hubs. Anything other than that, and I have no idea.

  44. Karen Rose on 01 Aug 2007 at 4:30 pm #

    Thanks to all for the lovely birthday wishes!

    Zambonigirl - you still get someone to bring you shoes in a store? I must be going to the outlet and cheap places because I get my shoes myself.

    Catslady - have fun on those rollercoasters! And those of you dancing with your kids, enjoy the moments. They truly grow up so fast. But mine are still young enough to want to cuddle with mom every so often and that’s so very nice.

  45. ladydawgfan on 01 Aug 2007 at 4:36 pm #

    Happy birthday to both Karens!!! I also turned 43 this past weekend (7/28). We Leo’s of a feather must stick together!!!

    As to staying young, weellllll, I choose to believe that it’s mostly a state of mind. But then again, I didn’t graduate college ’til I was 40 so I actually had the chance to hang around younger college students who didn’t treat me as the old fogey, but as a fellow student trying to get an education.

    Besides, you’re not really “old” until your boobs look like empty tube socks and you start painting your lipstick larger than your lips . . . or so said a smart-ass card that my sister gave me on Saturday!!

  46. zambonigirl on 01 Aug 2007 at 4:46 pm #

    Karen-I usually go to Off Broadway or DSW where I do have to pick out my own shoes. I go to Nordstrom when I have a little extra cash, or when I need to pamper myself. Or, you know, if I need shoes and just couldn’t find them at DSW or Off Broadway. The guys there are so helpful and adorable. They keep getting younger and younger, though…

    I haven’t bought new shoes since like February or March. Hm…I might need to make a trip to the Spectrum…

  47. Ellen Henson on 01 Aug 2007 at 4:59 pm #

    Well…my workday is over and I couldn’t stay away from you gals. Since laughter is the secret of my youthful glow, you Gees are my eternal spring.

    By the by – I work with a lot of elderly patients and one of my favorites told me I look like a lost a few pounds. (Since I am a Plus Sized Goddess, I don’t need to mention WHY he is one of my favorites.) He then proceeded to tell me that I look just like Linda Carter.

    I assumed he meant Nell Carter, my self image being what it is. Don’t get me wrong, I am very shapely, if any of you still believe that ROUND is a shape.

    “No, I mean Wonder Woman,” he corrected.

    Now, remember when I mentioned that I sometimes cry or pish when I laugh hard….I forgot to mention that I’m also extremely adept at shooting carbonated drinks out my nose. I had about 15 elderly folks laughing for a good three minutes.

    So of course I tied them up with my golden lasso and ran down the hall singing my theme song into a hairbrush.

    Later,
    Ellen
    PS Julie…I live for Top Chef, Project Runway, Work Out etc. Give me Reality!

  48. Nicole Jordan on 01 Aug 2007 at 5:44 pm #

    Yes, yes, Happy Birthday, Karen!! And to KarenH too.

    I’ll add reading to the list of what helps keep me young. I find out all kinds of youthful things from contemporay romances and magazines. But among our peers, I expect Julia has us all beat. Plus she is the Soap queen, so that alone puts her at the head of the culture pack. *G*

    NicoleJ

  49. J Perry Stone on 01 Aug 2007 at 8:00 pm #

    Happiest of birthdays, Karen. I’m enjoying this thread immensely.

    Tweezers (for whiskers and gray hairs in unwelcome places), my dh still wanting to have sex with me (notice I didn’t say the act itself–bad knees and a sore back lately), romance novels, and a good outfit with a cute pair of shoes make me feel young.

    But I still like getting older.

    On Sat., I’ll be 35. I know, I know, but 35 is old compared to 20’s. It’s still an adjustment. I’d be considered “high risk” if I suddenly went nuts and got pregnant again.

    In any case, I’d rather be in my 40’s. My attitude is this: thirties are weird because I’m not young enough to rely on youthful, dewy 20 yr old skin, but I’m not old enough to have clout! I’d trade dewy skin for clout any day. As it I, I have neither.

    And please don’t tell me you don’t get clout in your 40’s; look what you did to the sleazebag sitting with your blonde friend.

    CLOUT!

  50. doglady on 01 Aug 2007 at 9:04 pm #

    Happy Birthday Karen and Karen!! What? No mortuary gurney races in honor of the occasion? At almost 49 (gasp) I too have those days when I feel 90 or more!! My two nephews and my niece always make me feel young. I am the one who takes them to see the Harry Potter movies, the Lord of the Rings movies, the Shrek movies - any movies that their parents and Nana refuse to see. I am also the cool aunt who lets them sit up all night on Halloween and watch horror movies! The girls I work with at the bakery make me feel young too because they all lowball my age and say “You never stop moving. How do you do it?” They don’t see the cases of Ben Gay at the house! I do sing into my hairbrush, but only when I sing rock n roll or blues. Opera doesn’t work with a mike. I don’t exercise unless you call walking and playing with nine dogs exercise! They make me feel young AND exhausted! Monty Python, Black Adder, Kids in the Hall and going to Aerosmith concerts with my former students all keep me young!

  51. Karen Rose on 02 Aug 2007 at 1:41 am #

    Ellen - I had to chuckle. My DH loves me dearly, but Lynda Carter is the one woman he always loved to watch on TV. He’d turn the sound down and watch her spin, LOL. He always said he was attracted to me because I looked like her. Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder!

    Doglady, I didn’t think of gurney races! DOH! Smacking my head. That would make me feel young. Or very bruised, when I fell off.

    Ladydawgfan, good for you getting your degree at 40! My hat’s off to you :-)

    J Perry - glad you’re enjoying my birthday thread! And I did give that sleaze the boot. It’s my piercing glare - makes naughty middle schoolers and sleazy guys with too many gold chains shake in their shoes. CLOUT.

    Thanks to all! Smootches from me!

  52. Michele on 03 Aug 2007 at 8:49 pm #

    Well,…I would have to say what keep’s me young is laughing my head off! Great movies, playing games with friends, girl talk, my hubby tickling me, etc. Also, working out at the gym 3 times a week does wonders for my peace of mind. Oh and how can I forget, going to the beach and swimming! Exercise and laughter are the best to keep you young at heart!