Community Stories

Have You Passed Your « Best Before » Date?

Omegafanman
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What are you all trying to tell me? I’m 37 yrs old and probably still considered a pup as opposed to an old dog. I wear vintage pieces daily and my idea of a sports watch is a 1950 seamaster.
I use a straight razor to shave and enjoy restoring them. I write exclusively with a vintage fountain pen and still send letters. Yes you read that correctly.

I took my son last year to the library to check out a book and was waiting at the counter for about 10 mins before a staff member (the only staff member) approached me and asked why I was standing at the counter, when I explained that I wanted to check out a book he told me to use a machine off to the side that I need to check it out with. I replied, that once they have an automatic book return to shelf system he wouldn’t be needed.

the bank, god, I went in to deposit cash. Asked where they keep the deposit slips. The attendant replied “the what”. An older lady approached and explained that they stopped using them years ago. Apparently years before this young girl started as she has never seen one before.

well yes I guess I’m from an older era. I’m usually referred to as an old man in a young man’s body or I was born in the wrong era.

My bank branch of 30 years got closed (low footfall....during a pandemic ;0)
I went into a new bank to pay a cheque in and was looking for a teller /cashier. A customer experience officer directed me to a row of machines (insert here / press there / card read here) as they do not have cashiers or tellers now. Refreshingly the robot still needed a paying in slip written out. I have had less automation complexity getting radiation checks when leaving a reactor. Anyway I got in such a mess the customer experience officer decided she was still a teller and booked it in for me......result. Hopefully if I keep going in a getting in a mess I can save a few jobs for a little while longer......
 
TIMElyBehaviour
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Omegafanman Omegafanman
My bank branch of 30 years got closed (low footfall....during a pandemic ;0)
I went into a new bank to pay a cheque in and was looking for a teller /cashier. A customer experience officer directed me to a row of machines (insert here / press there / card read here) as they do not have cashiers or tellers now. Refreshingly the robot still needed a paying in slip written out. I have had less automation complexity getting radiation checks when leaving a reactor. Anyway I got in such a mess the customer experience officer decided she was still a teller and booked it in for me......result. Hopefully if I keep going in a getting in a mess I can save a few jobs for a little while longer......
Just like these checkouts at the supermarket that are “self serve”. So the other day I had no choice but to use one of those damn things as they took all staff off of the registers. There were two manning the self serve area. While I was doing their job (which we don’t get a discount for) they were openly talking about what they did on the weekend. Is it just me or should they be manning a register and we load said register up for them to do their job?
 
STANDY
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Just like these checkouts at the supermarket that are “self serve”. So the other day I had no choice but to use one of those damn things as they took all staff off of the registers. There were two manning the self serve area. While I was doing their job (which we don’t get a discount for) they were openly talking about what they did on the weekend. Is it just me or should they be manning a register and we load said register up for them to do their job?

Just weigh everything as brown Onions when it comes to fruit and veg. 😉 ($2.49 for everything)
 
TIMElyBehaviour
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STANDY STANDY
Just weigh everything as brown Onions when it comes to fruit and veg. 😉 ($2.49 for everything)
Well I usually get a free 10 pack of coke with every purchase.
 
mcemeren
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Try to take it as natural as it gets, all fine but white hair in eyebrows, come on... 😀
 
Widows Son
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This might be one of the best threads ever!!!! I'll be 63 this week, and other than the popcorn machine popping sounds when I get up, I'm not doing too bad. When I was sixty I decided to bet a primary physician because I wanted to get that dreaded lower hemisphere scope done and I needed a referral. Did some blood work and discovered my thyroid was all screwed up (hypo). Also had some acid reflux issues. Now I'm on medications for reflux, BP, cholesterol, and the thyroid. Upper and lower scopes went great and very recently discovered my thyroid numbers have greatly improved.

I still work part time to pay for health care for my wife and out 11 year old son. I help coach his baseball team in the summer. Most of the parents initially think I'm the grandfather. Covid taught me to keep my grey hair cut short with a clippers, I don't color it. I have no delusions or desires to try to look younger.

I like vintage watches, safety razors, fountain pens, old cars, antique firearms, and fedoras. Wear a suit and tie to Church and Lodge, and know which fork to use at dinner. I think alot of the customs are being lost on the younger generations. I don't see anything wrong with dressing properly when going out to dinner or Church. People dress for Church like they're going to a baseball game. If that's your " Sunday best,' I guess that's OK, but I suspect you just don't want to bother. Went to a decent steakhouse for dinner recently. Nothing crazy expensive but not fast food either. There were guys with baseball caps on backwards eating, sweat pants, flip flops, tee shirts.... A little bit of propriety isn't a bad thing. It's all about comfort I guess.

So, It's official. I am a dinosaur.
 
Larry S
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I knew at 63 that I had passed expiration in my high pressure global job, so I negotiated a reasonably profitable exit with the help of some higher level friends. My doctor had been howling at me for years to go. Besides managing my Type 2 and my weight, which I’m doing, I’d like to stop injuring myself every year. Last year it was a shoulder dislocation while hiking in Zion (old roller blade injury), this year it was breaking a couple of ribs on an icy sidewalk, cancelling our Belize snorkeling vacation. The wife was pissed. Back is still sore. Covid and Putin were certainly not part of my retirement plan either.
 
Canuck
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I just had a 15 minute phone conversation with a young fellow who is not yet 30 years old. His employed in the computer field, doing IT. But he is absolutely fascinated with antique and vintage mechanical watches. So much so, that several months ago, he bought a decent manual wind Lanco man’s watch with a Landeron movement in it, on eBay. He has acquired a simple kit of hand tools, a compartmentalized plastic box to keep parts organized, and proceeded to strip it. It had a broken balance staff, and he has no tools to do that job. He ordered a staff on eBay, and was canvassing local watchmakers, asking them to allow him to observe the staff being replaced. Anyone he spoke to insisted that he should leave the watch, and they would do it for him. He found his way to me, and I agreed to do it. He brought his project watch, and a totally incorrect replacement staff. I ordered the correct parts and called him.

I told him I would let him observe the staff job, not the way they are typically done nowadays. The bench block, hammer, and crazy glue way. But by the way the books show to do it. Cut the old staff out on the lathe, stake to new staff in, true the wheel and poise it, etc. etc. Many “watchmakers” today, aren’t equipped to do the job that way, and wouldn’t know how, anyway,

He has the watch back together and has been wearing it.

I bore you with the preamble, because there are advantages to having arrived at a stage in life when you are “well seasoned”, and have a foot in the past, back to a day when things were different. I am often asked if I am training anyone to replace me. This world is moving so fast, and things are changing at such a rate, that almost nobody can afford to take the time to learn an obsolete craft. He doesn’t want to be a “watchmaker”, but just somebody with an abiding interest in watches. I don’t think I have yet reached my “best before” date, as long as I can give someone a hand up.
 
B
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If I make it my next big birthday will start with an eight.Jobs around the house take me longer than they used to,but I’m still doing them so can’t complain .An afternoon nap is essential after a mornings work.
 
kkt
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TIMElyBehaviour TIMElyBehaviour
Well I usually get a free 10 pack of coke with every purchase.

Sadly, though, the store is still making money even with the occassional theft considering they don't have to pay a cashier $20 an hour.
 
Archer
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Omegafanman Omegafanman
In the UK in the seventies the sexier politicians actually had eyebrow extensions...if they were a silly billy ;0)
.

Well, I can relate a bit to the eyebrow thing. When they started coming in white, those are complete rogues, so they grow in wild directions. Every few weeks I have to trim one that has decided to grow downwards so it touches my eyelids...drives me crazy...
 
Archer
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Engee Engee
Have you finished any of those delayed jobs yet?

At least one of them...
 
TIMElyBehaviour
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kkt kkt
Sadly, though, the store is still making money even with the occassional theft considering they don't have to pay a cashier $20 an hour.
True however it makes me feel better for having to perform duties as if I am salaried there.
 
Walrus
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I’ll be an SOB my wife was talking to her family in another country last night her brother in law had a (fortunately) benign growth on his liver which required surgery to remedy but apparently the surgery had some complications including an infection that almost took his life. He was an excellent mechanic, still relatively young but can no longer do mechanical work. Now struggling finding work he can do in a country that doesn’t much care for those who can’t make it on their own.

Someone I was literally joking around with three weeks ago is now in the hospital awaiting surgery for two “brain masses”. I’ve heard it’s cancer and I’ve they are waiting biopsy results but it all started with her going to her primary doctor complaining of headaches apparently.

That is just way too intense. Health issues can just pop up like that and change your life so quickly. I’ve had broken bones, tendons and ligaments which were a pain in the ass but were “relatively” easy to find a work around in retrospect, sure wasn’t fun at the time but medically it’s kids stuff. And what can you do in reality. I mean I can send some money to my wife’s family and like try to be supportive and what not but those are heavy loads for an individual to carry and they gotta work that stuff out in their heads somehow. I’d like to send my wife’s brother in law a watch as he loves the old Swiss stuff but the last few I sent never made it.

I don’t know if there is a safe way to play this life thing as neither of these people were what I would describe as “unhealthy”. I’m not going to complain about painting and repairs anymore I should just be glad I can still do them.
image.jpg
 
Nobel Prize
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Went for a workout today....... ended up at Ride Aid getting some bengay and pain killers.

Yes, it's happening.
 
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