The Geezer Paradox

[pwd72s]

"You don't become cooler with age, but you do care progressively less about being cool, which is the only true way of being cool. This is called the Geezer paradox."
-Widdershins Smith

[Noah930]

Yeah, I'm not convinced super white New Balance sneakers or hanging you cellphone on your belt are ever going to be cool.

[KFC911]

I hang my pager so it can be seen below my Member's Only jacket ....

I'm just as cool as I ever was

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Yeah, I'm not convinced super white New Balance sneakers ,snip. are ever going to be cool.

NB 624's or 508's?

The ladies love the 508's, trust me

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

NB 624's or 508's?

The ladies love the 508's, trust me .

Which ones have the velcro straps?

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by KC911

I hang my pager so it can be seen below my Member's Only jacket ....

I'm just as cool as I ever was

I read that part too fast, had to check up and give it another lap.

[flatbutt]

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Which ones have the velcro straps?

No velcro for this player - I need the shoe laces for "later".

Ok, I just creeped myself out.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

No velcro for this player - I need the shoe laces for "later".

Ok, I just creeped myself out.

I'm getting back into zippers on my lace boots.

[stevej37]

Skecher slip-ons....the only way to go.

[fintstone]

The older you get, the cooler that the things you did (and you) become. The exploits of your youth seem to get just a little better every day.

[LWJ]

^^^yes. My kids think I should write my boring life story. Getting drunk and doing stoopid stuff in the 1980’s has a nostalgic appeal it seems.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I think if you own the "not caring" part a bunch more than the actual chronological loss of coolness, you can regain some coolness in the process,

BUT- you can't act like you care that you've regained coolness, otherwise, it's a bust.

[KFC911]

They was no way to carry a Motorola Bag phone and look cool...

I'm MUCH cooler now than I was then !

[herr_oberst]

Another aspect of the geezer life is the age of your sports and hobby gear. It'll go through cycles - when it's brand new and everybody goes "ooh, ahh", then in a few years, it's obviously not the latest and greatest but nobody gives it a thought, until it's too old and all your peers are talking behind your back about what a cheap SOB you are and don't you think it's time to update, but eventually it's vintage, and because you owned it since new, you look like the guy that had it all figured out back-in-the-day.

I'm going through some of this right now.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

This phenomena is strong in cycling.
A geezer rides a perfectly good state of the art bike from 20+ yrs ago. Which is completely fine- cause it's not about the bike. The kicker is the geezer complains about the guys at the front pulling erratically and disavowing the geezer of the heart rate zone workout the ride should've been as from the POV 'ideal ride' of said geezer. There is one in every group.

[herr_oberst]

Yep. Livin' in the watt zone. Why? I'm 64! I'd just be charting my decline!
Not a concept I care to embrace.
I'll never hold a wattage bazooka, and I'll never hold a KOM; those are for the kids. I just want don't want to go into arrest on the way up.

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Another aspect of the geezer life is the age of your sports and hobby gear. It'll go through cycles - when it's brand new and everybody goes "ooh, ahh", then in a few years, it's obviously not the latest and greatest but nobody gives it a thought, until it's too old and all your peers are talking behind your back about what a cheap SOB you are and don't you think it's time to update, but eventually it's vintage, and because you owned it since new, you look like the guy that had it all figured out back-in-the-day.

I'm going through some of this right now.

Our ski area in Los Alamos is populated by not a few geezers - the spring "skiesta" last month had lots of 60-80yos rocking one piece suits and late 1980's straight skis. Not for irony or jokes, that's what they ski in every day that they can get out there. I have some respect for that, but not enough to do it for at least another 15y...

My Yeti MTB, ASR 5C from 2012 - almost 6" travel, carbon fiber, XTR, still plenty light, cost more than many cars I've purchased, got called "vintage" the other day. Darn whippersnapper, I would have hit him with my cane if I could have kept up.

[KFC911]

I fully intend to outgrow the geezer stage...

The "Ol' Coots" club awaits

[cantdrv55]

My 17 y/o niece says Birkenstock sandals are cool. I’ve been wearing those for 30 years. I should probably ditch the calf high white socks though.