Thursday Thirteen: How I Know I'm Getting Old(ish)

1. I’m more Soul than hip hop these days. Except when I’m rocking out to my music from my teens and twenties (see #3) I never would have thought that I would actually be listening to singing more than rap, but sometimes I just need to chill out.

2. Get cold sometimes – This started a few years ago. I was the type who never wore a jacket, or a coat. I was mad warm blooded. Now, when it hits 50, I looking for something to cover me like a normal person.

3. Stuck in my decades of music – I will listen to some hip hop from 86-96 like its brand new. That’s my golden era. So many dope songs, dope artists, dope albums. When I hear today’s music, I don’t necessarily think it’s any worse than the worst of my era, but there’s much less diversity than I’m used to. I could listen to PE for conscious rap, then listen to NWA for that gangsta ish. Then Tribe to cool out, then Kane for the battle rap. Yeah, although I know there was plenty of crap *cough*Hammer, Vanilla Ice *cough* back then, it just seems like there is more of it now. I’m sure my kids will go through the same thing.

4. I say "back in the day" – yeah, I got a lot of back in the day stories. It just seems like so long since some of the stories took place. I’ve been out of high school for 17 years. That qualifies as back in the day, right?

5. Don’t mind being called sir – The first time some young kid called me sir, I was mortified. I’m like, I’m only a few years older than you, son! Now, I’m okay with it. Young whippersnapper better show me some respect!!!
6. I’m older than almost all athletes – With the exception of maybe Brett Favre and a few other hanger ons, there aren’t too many 35 year old pro athletes. It gets even worse when you watch college sports. Yo, them kids look mad young, yo!

7. Don’t have any idea who a lot of pop culture people are – Yeah, who is Taylor Swift? I didn’t know before the Kanye thing. I don’t know any of them Gossip Girl people are or Twilight. Lest you think it’s a black thing, another one I heard the other day, Nikki Minaj. I was like whodatis???

8. Have to sleep right or risk a messed up back – I can sleep on a bed, or I can sleep on a couch, but don’t let me be all twisted up, or I’m gonna have a pain in my lower back for 3 days. I used to be able to sleep anywhere. I didn’t even have a bed from age 11-19, so I used to pride myself on my narcoleptic tendencies. Not anymore. I gotta be careful.

9. I be wanting babies! – Okay, I was like this when I was fairly young too, but now I’m really ready. Bring on my little daddy’s girl Aaliyah. I’m ready to meet her.

10. I try to stay out of the hood clubs – I used to go everywhere whenever the mood struck. Now, I’m like I’m not going there, somebody got shot there last week. I’ll pass.

11. Feel really weird when noticing attractive young women – I’m not a dirty old man, but sometimes I feel like one. It’s like, okay, she’s attractive, then it’s like okay she was born in 1990. That just feels wrong.

12. Have classmates that have kids going to college. And I’m not talking about the fast ones that had kids in high school. People that actually graduated with me or a year before got college students. That’s crazy to me.

13. Jameil seldom if ever knows what I’m talking about. When I make old school references, that is. Stuff that I think is universal, apparently isn’t. Who knew that my B.A. Baraca’s reference or yelling out “By the power of Greyskull” would solicit such a blank look. LOL I think that’s why “Family Guy” is hilarious to me. They have so many 80’s references that I just get.