Things that annoy us as we get older

I turned 70 and now feel as if the medical community was just waiting to harvest me. Or maybe its just my insurance, but I grew up poor and I would spend my medical insurance dollars as if it were my own money,
and that's causing problems. If you want the money, work for it like I had to.

Losing 2 friends in little over 2 weeks, and another has cancer. All were under 60, Im 62.

I’ve found I’ve become more lenient as I age but I do prefer silence to what they call music now. I often watch my tv without sound.

As for shoes I’ve always preferred flats. Even tho I’m short.

I agree about driving. I find myself taking public transit more and more. And when I do drive, I avoid highways, even though it means taking longer to get from point A to point B.

I don't agree about any of it -- I never really liked any of it except for sweets, which I still like.

I would add my own: Paper. Anything related to it, such as newspaper, bills, books, money. The issue is that I can't handle it physically.

My hands are dry and numb. I can't feel a page and I can't grasp it. Try to take a dollar from my wallet -- nope, not gonna happen.

I remember those never-ending Sunday afternoons when I'd watch my father try to turn a page of a newspaper. It seemed to take forever! I'd wonder what his problem was.

My fingers back then were nimble and moist, I could flip pages with ease.

My patience is too thin. My road rage boils over. And have no patience for customer service. They're always busy thanking me for using them and I'm like Get to the point!

And now buttons annoy me. Buttoning a shirt used to be effortless. I could do it while walking from the bedroom to the kitchen.

But now, each button requires focus to:

• grip the button a certain way
• align it with the button hole (which isn't a hole but a slit)
• find a way to push it through without hurting my fingers too much

The first button usually requires two or more attempts.

My father had a problem with buttons, and he had ALS. What's my problem?

SPG,

What you wrote reminded me of my experience learning to button shirts as a young child. Indeed, button holes and are not holes but slits. And the whole operation is multi-step and not trivial.

TCJ

Honestly I can't take the phone anymore. I had a co worker recently demand that I call her.. even thought I tried not to. (why can't we just email?) And when she picked up she spent at least the first 2 minutes complaining. Now I know why we can't email.

At my workplace I get at least 5 calls a day from insane people. I refuse to call them back anymore. I don't care if I get fired.

At home, if I have to call you to make an appointment.. I probably won't use you. I just made an appointment with doctor and then they called me back to say they couldn't do that appointment and I just went to another doctor rather than call them back to reschedule.

A lot of people at my workplace like to do their work while driving in. So they will call you from the car. But most of the time that doesn't work because they are asking for assistance and if you try to walk them through it... they can't do anything. Just a total waste of time. Then, frankly I think a lot of them just want to be seen in the car talking to someone because it will make them look important.

@NatalieJastrow, I never liked using the phone. I couldn't dial numbers on a rotary phone -- the zeroes were the worst because you have to spin the thing more than 270 degrees, and those 1 800-xxx-x000 were awful -- easy to remember but a nightmare to dial. I was so relieved when my parents switched to a push button phone.

Also, it was just too scary to listen to a disembodied voice. My daughter is the same way, so we text most of the time, unless she needs money.

Now that "phishing" is common, I never answer the phone.

I insist on using email at work because I need everything in writing for documentation.

This is another reason I prefer email and others don't.

Yeah i got kicked off writing up meeting minutes because they were too, say, lifelike?

Some young people annoy me as I grow older. I'm thinking of people like Pete Hegseth, who seems young beyond his years. At some point during the Vietnam war, young soldiers began to resent being ordered to take unnecessary risks with their lives.
The classic situation is when the young lieutenant orders the grunt to follow a blood trail into the bush. The young grunt tells the LT it ain't happening. The LT tells the grunt he is in big trouble when he gets back for refusing the order, and then goes up the trail himself.
A few rifle shots are heard and the LT doesn't come back. That didn't happen often enough.

Rump. I didn’t like him back in the 80’s when he was in the newspaper, liked him even less when he had his lying tv show. Everyone around the water cooler was talking about that show but I couldn’t make it though a whole episode. I tried but he repulsed me. Then came 2016 I I learn to hate him. The older I get the more he repulses me.

I hate being old. I fumble and drop things, and it puts me in a rage sometimes. I just spilled a whole box of rolled oats, all over the kitchen floor. I screamed, and banged around the kitchen and accidetally cut a knuckle. I couldn't find the broom and duspan. I have a reall\y excellent metal dustpan, like all of them were in the olden days, which can never be replaced. I guess the broom got lost when I moved to a new apartment. I looked everywhere. Then I remembered where the dustpan is, and there is a whisk broom there, too, and I was able to sweep up the rolled oats. But it would have been much easier - and safer for me - if I'dve had a real broom.

I read somewhere a long time ago, "God doesn't make junk."

When I used to go to the grocery store the checkout girls would flirt. Now they ask me if I need help getting my things to the car

Hi ThatOtherMike! That is so funny! It makes me laugh out loud! Thank you!!! LOL

I agree with most and some made me laugh.

My list: People insisting on video calls and not an old school audio call that’s been around for centuries. My healthcare provider doesn’t even have a check box for a phone call. It’s either an in person or video call. I asked “So the doctor won’t talk to you unless you have video?” Silence.

Actors talk too fast in some shows. I have to either use captions or rewind. There’s one actress who WHISPERS in some scenes.

Headlines are too tiny or don’t stay up long enough for me to read them!!

And technology! It’s being forced on us more and more, and we’re expected to quickly adapt and embrace it all. 2 factor authentication, agree to terms and conditions, cookies, privacy policies etc. Bugger! It all moves too fast for me too.

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Sent from my iPhone 📱

And doing things at night. I’m no night owl, hence the member name. Holding a book club from 7-8pm for example. By 8, I’ll be thinking of getting ready for bed soon.

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Sent from my iPhone 📱

I'm glad it made you laugh I think keeping a sense of humor helps. Not much but some
Your first sentence pretty much sums it up for me:
I suppose we can also find the humor in that the respondents in that list mostly seemed to be in their early 40s. I'd like to see their answers when they're really old lol. I'd trade all of my potential remaining years for one year of being 40 again. And I'd be open to negotiation on the one year

Hi everybody, and owl in particular! I agree with this 2-step verification annoyance. And how about those complex captchas that make you click on certain pictures, and you go on and on and on, and finally give up trying to contact the person. And all the new technology! It's running roughshod over us all. My banker told me this, though: "Everybody I know has technostress. And it can't last...because NOBODY CAN STAND IT!" She's right -- some companies I deal with have greatly improved their telephone systems to it's much easier to get a live customer service person on the phone. What I do is this: when the robo voice asks a question, such as "can I tell the representative something about what you're calling about?" I say "Agent." I don't answer the question. I have to say Agent about 3 x in response to these robo questions, then I get an agent. Another thing that really bothers me is these sorta taxi companies. There are two of them in my city, besides the regular, old fashioned taxicabs. The regular taxicabs don't give me an estimated time of arrival and I can sometimes wait almost an hour. The two alternative cab companies arrive in 3-8 minutes, on the dot. But neither of these companies has ANY customer service at all. Not for the rider, not for the driver. One of the companies is in a way, a criminal company. It was banned in London, England. I don't know if it's still banned or not. That company goes into cities without a permit and runs their alternative cabs. In my city, they had special software to get around city ordinances. The other company has made it impossible to get a ride, 5 times for me. One time my partner and I were in pouring rain! And I tried to order a ride, and it said to scan my driver's license! Needless to say, we walked many blocks to catch a bus. So, that second company isn't getting my business anymore, after 5 mistakes.

I’ve been trying to get a new TV for the past two weeks or so, because my old one quit on me. Otherwise, it would’ve been good enough for me, even if it was 15 years old.

I was hoping just to get it from the store yesterday and take it home, but they were out of stock. So I had to wait for a next day delivery, which is supposed to be today. Of course I had to give them all my personal information like my address and phone number and email. It’s interesting how everyone expects you to use email. I do, but I’ve heard of people that don’t and how they expect you to have a smart phone. I didn’t even have one until a few years ago.

Anyway, when I asked about a timeframe for delivery, the salesman said that I’ll get an email with a link. I’m getting so many automated emails that I’m reeling. I got one that says thank you for your order, here is your receipt (I already have a paper copy) , track your order here, status update, etc.. Instead of having the delivery information in the body of the message, there’s a button or a link I have to click on. It opens up in yet another window. I have a tracking number and order number and a status number. That stupid QR code comes up for me to scan the delivery status in “real time”. FedEx also prompted me to install their app. I don’t want an app. I just want my TV.

At first, FedEx said there’s no such tracking number, which scared me to death. But it turned out that it was because the page was so slow to load. I don’t have a strong enough connection. So, it couldn’t find it right away.

I’ve always tried to trick those stupid AI robo voices when you call a business. Instead of saying what I’m calling about, I tried to say nonsense such as what color is a pumpkin. But I guess it’s smarter than I thought. You’re right, it is so hard to get a human now, and you know it’s about money because it’s cheaper to have machines than to hire humans and have to pay them.

And now we have AI which scares me. It’s already been used for nefarious purposes. A woman in my book club at the senior center is embracing this new technology. I was thinking to myself that sure you do. But just wait until somebody copies your face and voice and uses it to fool somebody that you know into giving them money. Then you won’t be so enamored of it.

I don’t have unlimited data since I can’t afford it. And all these emails and web links are using my data. In the old days, they would just call you when in stock and you go get it.

I swear I’m just banging my head so much, which is why this emoji is my favorite one these days.

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Sent from my iPhone 📱

That is a really, really, really funny emoji!!

As for AI, I'm with about that. Recently, I'm seeing some good things about it. My doctors use it to record or something, their conversation with me, so they can look at me, instead of filling out their forms on a computer screen.

But I'd gladly give up these benefits if we could demolish all AI data centers. They are terrible, terrible, terrible!!! Not only do they use up the local water supply in their area, they kill the birds and wildlife. It took decades of strong lobbying -- even illegal sit-ins -- to put an end to nuclear power. I believe this could also happen with AI data centers.

And speaking of the local water supply around these AI data centers, my brother is somewhat or a water expert. He has a creek on his property, and he told me that it can take years to get a permit to anything to environmental water. So, we think, how is it that these billionaires who are making money on their data centers, get around the water rights laws? My brother has written to one of our federal senators about that. I hope he gets and answer.

[my brother, etc]"of" a water expert...not "or" a water expert.