You Know You're Getting Old When...

[Kaiser Hasan I]

ten pm is a late night and the highlight of the work day is coming home and having a half hour kip on the chesterfield.

[hypatias mom]

How can you call yourself old? You can't be much more than half my age!

[Aurangzeb Khan]

You're only as old as you feel?

Or

You're only as old as the person you feel....

[Kaiser Hasan I]

Hypatias Mom, I've been around since Jesus was a micronationalist.

To be fair, Im not THAT old.

[hypatias mom]

I was a little girl during the 50's. I'm sure no one else is anywhere near that old. That said, though, I'm only 3 years old in micronations. Many Shirerithians have been in this hobby (obsession) much longer.

[Kaiser Hasan I]

Yeah you're older. But thats good, experience makes this hobby more interesting, especially when there are members who can remember "the before times" ie pre-internet, etc...

[hypatias mom]

Yeah, TV was only black and white, and there were only three part-time channels. We read a lot. There were no computers (except room-sized ones in laboratories). We used manual typewriters with no word processers. Telephones were usually black and were wired into the wall, and you paid rent for a second one. Gasoline was 18 cents per gallon, bread was about a quarter. But salaries were correspondingly small as well. We wamdered about on bicycles or on foot for hours, without our parents worrying about our being in danger, just that we might be late for dinner. There were no cell phones, internet, or personal computers. Mail was through the post office. We went to double-feature drive-in movies on "Dollar a Carload" nights, bringing our own popcorn and lemonade, and playing on the playground before the first cartoons and movie. We went camping, went to the first McDonald's in town and bought a family's food for about 2 dollars. Childhood seemed a lot safer and simpler then and their every minute wasn't allocated to some activity. That said, I wouldn't want to go back. Today is an exciting time to be growing up. Enjoy the ride.

[Kaiser Hasan I]

Today is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here. 1950's America sounds far more preferable than anywhere contemporary. As a person who has an appreciation for Curta calculators, Bake-lite Rotary phones, straight razors and manual typewriters, I can say I'd prefer the brave new world of the 1950's over the contemporary Neon digital mess we have now.

[Krasniy Yastreb]

Personally I'd like to have lived during the Paleolithic era but that's a whole different story.

[Aurangzeb Khan]

I think I would have rather enjoyed being a spiv in the 1940's. Perhaps somewhere in Mitteleuropa where Chocolate was worth its weight in gold.

[Harald of Froyalan]

Nothing beats the first Viking Age, however.

[Kaiser Hasan I]

I dunno about the "viking age". I enjoy modern medicine and bathing.

1940's? I'd rather not, As much as the second great war is fascinating, something about total war makes it unpalatable.

[Liam conToketi]

I've been around since Jesus was a micronationalist.

Actually, there was a time when Jesus was a member of Toketi...I could open up the invisionfree boards and you can see for yourself...

[hypatias mom]

He visited this forum for awhile last year as well.

[Jess]

I was his bestist friend!

[Jacobus Loki]

Jess, everybody is Jesus' best friend. That doesn't make the friendship any less special.

Oh, THAT Jesus. Never mind.

The fifties weren't bad if you were white, esp. WASP, and didn't mind the constant fear of nuclear war. Of course I have only the vaguest memories of the last of the fifties.

The sixties stunk, IMHO, except for a little of the music and the space program. (At least they stunk for me.)

My first MN was founded on February 2nd, 1970. We topped out at about 100, really only about 15 really active. We didn't even know it was an MN. We were started trying to be "real", and then the surrealism kicked in. Kept it fun, kept the FBI away. (My mom got a visit from somebody-or-other after I tried to "buy" Bouvet Island from Norway.)

Yes a lot of things suck today, but a lot of things suck at any time for the people living in the time.

As the song says "These are the Good Old Days". There the only ones you've got (unless Ari & Scott build a time machine), so, WTPRH, we may as well enjoy them!

[Jess]

I got a letter from talossa saying that they were going to sue me for every nickel that I had...

[Kaiser Hasan I]

Why are they threatening to sue you?

[Aurangzeb Khan]

Oh we'll just set anonymous on them - after Sea-Org, Talossa should be childs play to demolish.

[Kaiser Hasan I]

Yes because nothing is more frightening than 15 university students standing out front of your organization chanting slogans and wearing Guy Fawkes masks.

[Ari Rahikkala]

Hey, last time I was in Lahti we sang happy birthday to L. Ron. That scared 'em straight!

[Kaiser Hasan I]

Do Scientologists count their previous lives for their age?

[Jacobus Loki]

That would make them over a trillion, wouldn't it?

[Krasniy Yastreb]

I think they pay to increase their age. $1 adds 1 year.

[Jacobus Loki]

Like they used to sell indulgences in the old days? Some good marketing never goes out of style!

[hypatias mom]

Jacobus--

I must say, I agree with your caveats. I was one of the fortunate but unaware WASPS, and didn't even know about discrimination until I saw the integration riots on the TV news. I kinew nothing of red-lining until I was married, and assumed people lived where they did by choice, not law.

Now that I live in a multi-ethnic area, my children had the opportunity to grow up with people from many countries, and all races, and interact with them as I never had the opportunity to do as a child. The good thing about my upbringing, though, was that I was never taught discrimination, so even though I didn't interact with many people of other races, I didn't seem to have built-in prejudices against them. I hope that will become the norm as people progress in understanding.

[Jess]

Thats nice...

...my grandpa who grew up in Iowa said that it was their

[Jacobus Loki]

Viva California.

Viva Iowa.

Viva Shireroth.

Viva Viva !?!

[Jess]

Viva Jacobus!

[Braden Indianensis]

I would love to have grown up in the nineteenth century--scarlet fever and all.