h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Crankies?

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!! Run for the hills!!!!!

I presumed the Billy Conolly quote was referring to qualities of mind rather than the literalism of something like dress.

Things people often associate with youthfulness.

Playfulness, flexibility of mind, hunger to learn new things, idealism, optimism, liking to 'dance' rebellion against forces of conservatism....those are all very positive qualities I enjoy in people of any age...and some pretty talented people were noted for them eg Mozart and Einstein.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/86/Einstein_tongue.jpg/220px-Einstein_tongue.jpg

Famous photo when he got a bit fed up with being photographed...wasn't frightened to sully his image. Props.

It's the norm amongst people I call friends and get on well with, not to have prejudices against people of any age being youthful....

But some people are just born middle aged I suppose.

Still...any day now I'm going to pack it in and buy a pickup, take it down to LA.

Why is it hard to make arrangements with yourself when you're old enough to pay back and young enough to rent?

End with a song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXe-OD58o9o

And, of course:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=221mohEolWc

Two 'end with a songs' I actually looked at Yep, two of my favourite songs.

I think our society has a lot of prejudice against - and downright terror of - the thought of ageing. People get old, full stop. There's no shame in it, and there's no reason to pretend it isn't happening.

Yes KB you are talking about the literalism of the aging process.

Especially as a woman it is very hard as you are bombarded with the image of the perfect, youthful woman. Nearly every magazine shouts it at you from the front covers...and you read stuff about ugly old crones...and indeed in this culture that has been a motif for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Of course the 'wise woman' matriarchal figure is also a motif...but somewhat disappeared from present contemporary culture. I don't fancy being perceived that way...so its an early death or botox or mix mostly with people that don't think like that.

But those qualities I mentioned are timeless in my book...and can be mixed with ones like wisdom etc as well.

>>People get old, full stop. There's no shame in it, and there's no reason to pretend it isn't happening.

I have a friend, a couple of years older than me, who's one of the most attractive women I've ever seen. Maaaaaan she is gorgeous. But in an age appropriate way. 'Elegant' is the word. She believes strongly in keeping the company of younger people, just because they're interesting.

And she has to beat off younger guys with a stick.

As well as older ones.

"beat off younger guys with a stick"

She's doing it wrong...

I'll admit I'd spotted the double entendre.

Oh for god's sakes. Just having blokes of various ages drooling over you isn't the be all and end all for self confidence and self worth for lots of women...despite what most blokes seem to think.

It's about how you get treated in the street, in shops, at work...how seriously you are still taken a full person, not just a sex object.

Lets hope this woman isn't mostly into woman sexually though...or it'll be even more of a pain.

Actually scrub *most* blokes. I don't know the perecntage. The ones I get on with don't think that way.

I wasn't making a generalised comment about womanhood, Effers. This wasn't about you. It was about a friend of mine who you don't even know.

And I doubt there are many straight men alive, of any age (well over 13ish..) who's thoughts don't turn carnal at the sight of an attractive woman, *regardless* of any cool, detached image they may like to project. That includes all the (married, old, young, whatever) men who 'don't think that way' . The veneer of civilisation and all that...

(Sorry to break it to anyone who may be labouring under any other pretensions.. that's just how men are wired. End of. )

Hello, I'm one of those apparently few straight men who doesn't immediately turn the sight of an attractive woman to thoughts of sexytimes (and that's speaking as someone who is polyamorous and very sex-positive). I don't think I'm that much of a minority either because it turns out that a significant proportion of men, even the privileged ones like me, aren't horny cavemen.

Ug . Well maybe that's because you've got more options than those who aren't polyamorous