If there’s one thing I hate more than the fact that even with all the scientists in the world we still can’t come up with a way to make fat-free chips and alcohol (probably because they’re all so busy trying to cure cancer as if THAT will ever help me eat and drink without consequences), it’s ballsy, buggery old people all up in my business.
Respect your elders? PLEASE. These elders aren’t the same as the ones back in the theoretical days of old that I have pieced together in my mind to look a little something like Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman meets The Karate Kid, where anyone over the age of 55 passes some Buddhist test of wisdom instead of just graduating to high-waisted pants. These magical old saints only spoke to drop philosophical bombs on misguided youth who need to overcome Whooping Cough or the big martial arts match or the post-shame of a first sexual experience.
But now? OH NO. BIG difference. Old people today are a brazen, unruly bunch who seem all too proud to be completely out of touch with social norms – essentially little, grey-haired, wrinkled Lindsay Lohans and Paris Hiltons, running around like they can do whatever they want and forgetting to put on their underwear.
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Case Number – Get-Your-Ass-Out-Of-My-Kitchen: It’s eightish and good friends are over at the house for a night of snacks, drinks, and the newf yelling because his ADHD doesn’t allow for a proper round of Scattergories when all of a sudden the next-door-neighbours, known as the people who sent a ‘Keep Christ In Christmas’ card over to the newf and only the newf, are at our front window insisting we leave the comfort of our living room and sit by a bonfire with them. Fine – sometimes you just have to just suck it up and do something for the same of keeping face on the ole cul de sac*. We could surely handle this…
(*Never again will I put the word ‘face’ that close to anything sounding like ‘sack’. My apologies.)
Flash-forward to an hour-and-a-half later when we’re STILL sitting outside of their house, listening to Christian rock music, and slurred stories about their three-legged dog getting hit by cars. At that point, I excuse us all under the impression that we need to go eat dinner only to hear our neighbour joke, “Great! We’ll see you in half an hour for snacks!”
HA. HA. HA HA HA. Foreshadowing.
Thirty minutes later, he’s fall-down drunk, stumbling into our house without knocking, and drooling food all over our kitchen until MIDNIGHT. Yes – I was staring my college years in the face of a fifty-year-old man and I didn’t like it one bit. Not to mention the fact that this pious drunk was resting his hand mere inches from where the very explicit Clone-a-Cock kit that I won from Toy With Me in Vegas was resting on the kitchen counter.
What? When you have one of those it tends to come out during parties. I mean, c’mon. You can make a vibrating dildo out of anyone’s junk!
The verdict: One charge of ruining my night, one charge of making me listen to music involving the lyrics: ‘Our God is an awesome God’, one charge of Clone-a-Cock-Blocking the flow that could have led to having a hysterically inappropriate centerpiece for the kitchen table, and eighteen charges of making me far too OCD about locking all doors and windows.
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Case Number – The-Gays-Need-24-hours-notice-prior-to-photo-taking: It’s a weeknight and I am in the middle of nowhere eating at a seafood specialty place whose vegetarian option is the no-name brand of whatever Chef Boyardee throws up after an all-night bender spent wooing hoes with Beeferoni money.
While trying to make the best of it by focusing on the $20 bottles of wine and the fact that my dad was footing the bill, I almost forgot that I was sitting in a room of old people who very well may be leeching my life force through the air whilst they suck back lobster carrion. This blissful ignorance almost got me through the whole experience until it was interrupted by the flash of a camera being held by some crazy old woman RANDOMLY TAKING A PICTURE OF OUR FAMILY FUCKING DINNER BEFORE SLINKING BACK TO HER OLD PERSON TABLE TO SHOW HER OLD PERSON FRIENDS.
And it wasn’t even taken while the newf was pretending to be an X-Man which I could at least have understood…
Really, old people? If you’re going to take pictures of strangers at least do it with a camera phone by awkwardly pretending to check a text message from your grandkid or funeral home director while holding it in mid-air, awkwardly tilted in someone’s direction as if people don’t notice when iPhones are pointing directly at their fashion don’ts and gunts. Honestly…have some class.
The Verdict: One charge of being superridiculouscreepy and giving me nightmares about how she uses that picture to pretend she has a family while her own family hides in the witness protection program from what can be assumed is a dangerous menace to society. That, or she’s some strange paparazzo for Lonely Women’s Weekly under the pen-name Blanche, Pearl, or Hyacinth.

{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
Right, well, I’m now officially frightened of old people.
And moreover, I’m officially on the hunt for a radioactive lobster to try to contract the superpower of lobster fingers. So awesome. Maybe not. No, yes.
You and the newf can go into some crustacean league of heroes together. I’ll write the theme song based on the tune of Rock Lobster.
Omg Ben, I absolutely love this post, not to mention your love for geezers.
Aw thanks!
“suck back lobster carrion” just makes my marine ecologist heart sing – and dance! Knowing that you are not referring to me (I trust) is worthy of another drink – martini, wine, scotch – life is so difficult after 50 when drinking alcohol takes on the semblance of good taste – as opposed to snorting back your first pint of crap on a winter golf course – oh but you have probably blogged about that already. Love ya! Oh and just so that this comment is not all about me – it is a great post! Fantastic writing! Thanks!
Nah this one isn’t about you…..yet.
I have also tried said Lobster hand at a seafood place.
The experiment ended with my hand bleeding from the palm after I said, “hey it’s not that sharp.”
The moral here? I should never be allowed out.
But but but…but…who else would try such things? How would we know what would happen if you shove lobster claws all over your fingers if you’re not there to do it?
Oh right. The newf. Nevermind – you can stay indoors now.
Maybe the newf should have reapplied the Xman sharps and told your little friend that she “clawn’t get away with this!” Oh, man. That was bad.
PUNS! I LOVE PUNS!!
Wait. So. You never found out why a creepy woman precariously close to the age of death photographed your family? There was no indignant outburst of, “YO. DO I KNOW YOU?” followed by snatching her camera and throwing it at the ground. Or maybe I’m just the only one who would respond this way to a sweet old lady with a camera…I don’t know.
My mom told me to calm down and stop making a scene. ME. And then I lost my dignity with a poorly executed, “SHE STARTED IT.”
I have to do an internship in a nursing home and I”m dreading it like the plague. :p Old people smell bad. Like moth balls and “accidents” if you know what I mean. *barf*
I couldn’t be you. But I’m glad people like you exist.
Well what would one expect living on a cul de sac in the suburb in Dartmouth!!!
Hey now – those neighbours are from Newfoundland. Watch out.
Wait.
Ben lives on Darkside?
Tsk.
We have hot yoga, Two If By Sea croissants, and power during hurricanes.
Dartmouth treats me right
Jeebus, when I am old and decrepid and gumming my self away, I am moving in next door to you since I know I will feel the love.
I’ll be old and decrepit then too. I won’t even notice.
Which is exactly why I’m all for a “Logan’s Run” world.
Seconded.
For some reason I love the idea of a guy being drunkass drunk while listening to Christian rock.
“Know who I love…? THIS God. This God right here. He’s the God. Water into wine, people. Water… into… wine… Uh oh… *schmorg* Gonna return God’s bounty…”
Pretty much what it was like. Realizing your host is rocking back and forth to the sounds of religious celebratory tunes? AMAZING.
“RANDOMLY TAKING A PICTURE OF OUR FAMILY FUCKING DINNER BEFORE SLINKING BACK TO HER OLD PERSON TABLE TO SHOW HER OLD PERSON FRIENDS.”
That sentence caused me to picture some sort of a familial orgy with food (see ‘family fucking dinner’). I was picturing drawn butter slathered over naked bodies, naked bodies on the table, and horrible things being done with and to mashed potatoes. Were there mashed potatoes?… wait, don’t answer that.
In her defense, I too would take a picture of family fucking their dinner.
Ew. EW. Ew.
You’re gross.
Your next door neighbor clearly wants in your pants.
Well now it all makes sense, doesn’t it? The booze, the Clone-a-Cock kit…
Jesus music makes me want to punch things. If God was so awesome you’d think he would want better music in his honor.
Right? Lady GaGa needs to get on it.
I can’t wait to be an old person so that I can walk around in my underwear, drool freely, and feel up random people on the street.
Oh please don’t. We need to break the cycle!
…. my “take over the world” plan is missing Lobster fingers..
I don’t know why I never thought of this before..
You make me want to become a better person.
Or smarter.
Or weirder..
Whatever. it’s all fucking awesome.
Be careful…apparently they are able to cut human flesh. So. You’ve been warned.
Ah old people. They like to say “you’re next” at weddings. I return the favor at funerals.
You’re my hero.
i never realized there was such a fine line between “wife-beater wearing superhero” and “acrylic-nailed drag queen.”
I have no idea what this comment means but I’m happy about it.
it’s just not as funny if i have to explain it.
I have some thoughts….One, I had The Whooping Cough in 2008 and sweet baby j, coughing until you throw up sucks balls. I believe the moral of the story is, I am old and that it would behoove us all to keep up with our shots (even as alleged adults). Second, you sir are a delight. “It’s a weeknight and I am in the middle of nowhere eating at a seafood specialty place whose vegetarian option is the no-name brand of whatever Chef Boyardee throws up after an all-night bender spent wooing hoes with Beeferoni money.” I just…I haven’t even read the rest of the post yet and…and….did Shakespeare ever write such poetry? hehehehehehehe….
I love that your 2008 was a lot like the 1800s. LOVE.
When I was pregnant I ate a lot and felt hunger pains like never before. Stick with me…I have a point. On one occasion I was angry hungry and happened to be behind the wheel of a car. Not a good combo. My husband was in the bitch seat. There was this car in front of me going 2 miles an hour. I don’t think i’m even exaggerating. I kept trying to pass the slow car to get to Noodles and co asap. Eventually I had to honk and flick the person off to get around him. Turned out to be a geriatric. My husband still makes fun of me for yelling out my window as I screeched by (while giving the finger)…”jesus fucking christ could you GET ANY OLDER???”. He thinks I overreacted a bit. I think japanese pan noodles are worth it.
I also get ragey when people get in between me in food. There is ABSOLUTELY no shame in that. Frankly, I plan on getting a BB gun.
Just as a side note: Scientists did create fat free chips, however during trial periods where they got people to try them they discovered that the chemical or whatever they were using as a substitue for fat wasn’t registered by the body. That sounds good but, people’s bodies didn’t even think it was anything at all and so the chip after being digested just sort of … oozed out of you. They termed it anal leakage ;D
Maybe worth it?
The Linguist Snob says you shouldn’t be worried about the face being so close to the word “sac” which does in fact mean “sack” in French; you should worried about it being so near the word “cul” which means “ass” or “butt” in French. “Cul de sac”, literally means “butt/end of the sack” (think about the sack shape of the street formation) but, “trou de cul” means A–hole. So there you go.
Thank you. Truly. That is some seriously fantastic trivia.