Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:03 Hi, and welcome to does this make me look old, a podcast about aging as gracefully as possible when you're just not ready for two 40 something year old friends will find themselves kind of straddling that really odd period of time when aging and everything that is associated with is starting to become a much bigger part of our lives. We're definitely curious, but at the same time, rather terrified about aging. I'm Schiff. I'm a health science nerd and pop culture themes, and I'm SIM and adult and weighting obsessed with finance and self-help books. We're going to be talking about the stereotypes of aging and how they affect us. And we'll also be doing some deeper dives into some interesting topics, such as what it's like to get old in the society dating when you're older and scientific advancements in anti-aging products and even evolution and scientific thinking around aging and throughout it all we chat rant laugh about or adulting mishaps of which there are so, so, so many. So join us as we navigate our second quarter-life crisis.
Speaker 0 00:01:08 All right. Hi. Welcome to this week's episode of does this make me look old and, uh, we're just going to be chatting with SIM today because she just had a birthday. I'm sure she doesn't want to talk about this at all. I didn't really tell him to COVID Berkeley's count. I feel like it doesn't feel like I'm stuck. You know, if your birthday happened during COVID, then you're at the age you were before pre pandemic, obviously, because technically this is my second non birthday. Okay. So basically like if a birthday passes and it wasn't celebrated, did it make us sound celebrated? Well, yeah, but I mean, we were in lockdown, so technically it wasn't like you couldn't hang out with anyone and he couldn't do anything. And zoom calls don't count.
Speaker 0 00:02:08 Cause that's what you're saying. I just want to know what the parameters are. I don't know. All I know is, um, logic doesn't work on me very well, but, um, yeah, I know. All I know is that, you know, what if it happened during lockdown, technically that birthday does not count. Okay. So basically you had two birthdays in lockdown, so you're technically two years younger than you like are by what do you mean young? I just didn't. I was 20, 20. Let's just say I was 30 hypothetical. Let's say I was pre pandemic last year in April. That would have turned 31.
Speaker 1 00:03:00 But because you were in lockdown, you stayed 30, correct.
Speaker 0 00:03:03 Okay. Because it wasn't a real birthday. And then I thought that this year I would celebrate and become 31, but apparently we're still in lockdown, so yeah. So no.
Speaker 1 00:03:19 Okay. Okay. All right. I'm starting to understand the logistics of this. So then like when I had my birthday, we magically came out of lockdown. I could actually like
Speaker 0 00:03:28 Go out cause we did go out and have meals on a patio, lovely meal and a lovely package
Speaker 1 00:03:39 While being socially distanced from everyone that counted. So I did, so I magically aged a year <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:03:59 I have to have some things to hold on to during this crazy period. Okay. No, I'm just joking obviously.
Speaker 1 00:04:09 No. Yeah. I gave her a card and she was like, irate. That makes me sound very ungracious.
Speaker 0 00:04:19 I would love like to say I'm very grateful. It was a sweet car, funniest as hell. But then can I just say what
Speaker 1 00:04:33 You wrote? So basically
Speaker 0 00:04:36 She wrote that this is my third 40th birthday, which is a lie until I realized it isn't
Speaker 1 00:04:46 So upset at me. It's my second birthday after 40 I'm like <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:04:55 The first time I, the real time I count, I turned 40. So that would have counted as the first one. Um, so it's like the Korean aging system, you know how, when they're born, that's their Europe one. Um, I was just treating it like the Western way. How, when we were like, that's your zero? So when you turn 40, that's your zero.
Speaker 1 00:05:14 Okay. Okay. It doesn't count a lot of things aren't counting.
Speaker 0 00:05:21 Gosh, I don't know. It's, it's funny because a part of me actually doesn't mind it. Like, you know, like, I mean, I don't know about you, but don't you feel like, I mean, we've talked about this before, but like, I don't actually mind, you know, being older in a way. I actually don't like, you know, it's, it's, it's fine. It is what it is. I mean, I see people who are, you know, young and, and naive in a way, which is sometimes sweet, sometimes annoying, whatever. But it's the number it's when I hear the number that I freak and I don't know.
Speaker 1 00:06:00 But did you feel like that when you would turn like, like, okay, like, let's say you were in your thirties and you're turning bike 38, like did that for you?
Speaker 0 00:06:08 Yeah, it was like, like even when I was turning 30, I was like, Oh my God, I'm turning 30. And I don't know. I don't know what it is about hearing these numbers that make me, I think just scares me because I feel like there are certain milestones I should have hit or I should have achieved. And then, you know, I get very reflective. I love birthdays, by the way, everyone knows this. If you don't, you know, now
Speaker 1 00:06:36 Get her a present card and something.
Speaker 0 00:06:38 Yes. Correct. And by the way, it doesn't actually have to be a real present. You can just call me and wish me and that's lovely as well. And, and uh, you know, let's go for a walk kind of with the gift, you know, like I, I enjoy those as well, but I just love my birthday in the sense that to me, it's my personal new year. I get a brand new start and I love new years, day of the week, new day of the month. Like all of that crap. Yeah. I love like new year's Eve and new year's day is like one of my favorite holidays. Wow. Although I don't like to go out that night, but like, I think I just reflect, like, you know, it's like a way to start a new and fresh and clean a fresh start. You know,
Speaker 1 00:07:26 I don't mind them.
Speaker 0 00:07:27 Oh my God. I hate Sundays, but I don't mind Mondays. And I love like the first of every month I love the first of school year. Um, so, you know, like I think I'm just, I just like new beginnings, you know, the startup and you notebook. Um, it's just makes me happy. And so birthdays are always that like, Oh, this year is, it's like, it's my personal new, you're going to start a fresh. So I forgot what I was going to say, Oh my God. Tangent of yourself out of your conversation. I did. Oh my God.
Speaker 1 00:08:07 Uh, you're talking about the number and how the number fighters.
Speaker 0 00:08:11 Yeah. So the number of friends me, because like, I think I take that. Thank you. Oh my God. This is really bad. Oh, okay. Um, yeah. So the number frightens me because I think every time like I would take stock and then I'm like, Oh my God, like, I haven't done X or I haven't done Y and you know, and I think it kind of, yeah,
Speaker 1 00:08:34 Like you're brings it home for me
Speaker 0 00:08:37 Because all of a sudden it's like, Oh, you haven't achieved it. And time's running out tick tock, tick tock. Oh, I see. I see
Speaker 1 00:08:45 Like personal goals for yourself. You have to reach a certain times,
Speaker 0 00:08:50 Right? Yeah. But, but, but then when I stepped back and I'm like, just going about my day, clearly it doesn't bother me enough to actually do something about it.
Speaker 1 00:09:02 So I think
Speaker 0 00:09:02 It's just, you know, if I don't acknowledge the number, I can be an ostrich and just bury my head in the sand and not worry about it.
Speaker 1 00:09:11 Okay. That makes sense.
Speaker 0 00:09:14 But the fact that you set that scares me
Speaker 1 00:09:18 That because, you know, it's, uh, it's the passing of the year that makes you reflect. Right. And then makes you like, reflect about what you've accomplished over time. People could relate to that.
Speaker 0 00:09:33 You know, I like to be relatable that way.
Speaker 1 00:09:40 I'm not drunk. I promise. So you are putting this pressure on yourself. Did you, do, did you think you were putting this pressure on yourself in your twenties? Oh, 100%. Oh, okay.
Speaker 0 00:09:52 I always had this. Like I remember when I was 18, I think I thought by 25, certain things, you know, and then you kind of readjust. And then after 25, my next big milestone was 30, obviously. Um, 35. Wasn't a big deal, but 36 was in my head. Huh? Strange way. I don't know. Oh, 36 just sounds like a solid number. It's a very heavy number, but isn't 35 equally heavy wasn't Oh, it's weird. I also hate the number 47.
Speaker 1 00:10:30 Okay. Next year is going to be it. I know,
Speaker 0 00:10:34 Because I actually hate physically looking at the number because it feels very asymmetrical to me. Like it doesn't seem like what is the three going into like visually it's just an ugly number.
Speaker 1 00:10:53 Oh my gosh. I could never, I never knew this about <inaudible>.
Speaker 0 00:10:58 No, I know it is odd, but I've always hated it. Number 43, because I feel like the four is a, almost like a square ish number. However you write it. Yeah. And there's like a, and like it's a natural segregating 0.3. Isn't like three is kind of like, um, I kind of forgot to close my mouth,
Speaker 1 00:11:23 You know? And,
Speaker 0 00:11:25 Um,
Speaker 1 00:11:27 Did you hate like all of the thirties because of that
Speaker 0 00:11:31 33 looks, um, Oh, like, you know, symmetrical 23 to three 23, has it, it's almost like, um, a graceful exit into, and like a three, but it's the fourth.
Speaker 1 00:11:47 They fit together kind of understanding. I mean, I don't find numbers. I, I can try to understand you. Okay. Go on. Yeah, I do. I get it. So the three kind of like melds into the two. Correct.
Speaker 0 00:12:01 And it's like, it's, it's actually not, it's kind of soothing in a way, right? Um, 13 is, it seems clean. Like it's just a line and it's almost like it's closing the three off and why isn't four, like four has that stupid thing that's shutting in front just feels off. And it, it, it messes with my head and I sound crazy
Speaker 0 00:12:32 And next year is going to be a tough one. Just warning you it's almost like a mirror.
Speaker 1 00:12:40 Oh, okay. Okay. So with the 60, because of the six goes into, okay. So it's only after four. So after 43 year. Okay. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:12:50 Maybe, I don't know, but for now 43 is the number that I was dreading. So next year it's going to be really tough.
Speaker 1 00:12:58 I just find random numbers that you're going to find ugly
Speaker 0 00:13:01 Pretty much right now. The only number that I think looks ugly, but nothing, none of the other numbers. What about the seventies? I like sevens.
Speaker 1 00:13:12 Okay.
Speaker 0 00:13:17 Kind of like a chill. Like, do you remember? Um, when, I don't know if this was a thing, but this was like when I was, um, growing up as a kid in middle East and, uh, seven up the drink had, um, like an hour.
Speaker 0 00:13:37 Like this laid back. Cool. Chill weirdo. Seven reminds me of that probably because it's seven up
Speaker 1 00:13:47 Angular number
Speaker 0 00:13:50 Overall. Just not for Oh, okay. In front of a three.
Speaker 1 00:13:57 Okay. Okay. Just 43, 44,
Speaker 0 00:14:03 47 is nice.
Speaker 1 00:14:06 Okay. What about 40?
Speaker 0 00:14:11 Oh,
Speaker 1 00:14:12 You don't like 48. Oh, look, we found a number. She might not like,
Speaker 0 00:14:16 Yeah. 48 is not.
Speaker 1 00:14:21 Oh, okay. We're going to have a problem in this decade. Apparently.
Speaker 0 00:14:28 Yeah. 48 is not going to be pretty, but you're okay. With 42 for now. Yeah. 40 twos. All right. Okay. It's kind of like, you know, two is a nice number to start with or end with, so I'm okay with that. Okay. But anyway, sorry. That was me digressing. A completely irrelevant point. That is not going to anyone. Any purpose?
Speaker 1 00:14:53 Just fascinating. I'm wondering if other people have issues with numbers. I've never heard of, I'd never heard of this like ugly look to numbers. I've always just thought of numbers. It's just like numbers,
Speaker 0 00:15:04 But you don't think of them as like a visually, like you don't look at it aesthetically, like, you know, I that's how I feel about fonts too, right? Like, Oh
Speaker 1 00:15:12 Yeah, no, but fonts are there to be visually pleasing numbers are just there to like, you know, help you do your taxes and do your math and whatnot, like tools. So I don't really think of them as like anything really, because we were a scientist. I've always had a thing against the number 43 and now potentially 48.
Speaker 0 00:15:40 And it's funny because the number 34 never bothered me as much. I don't like it, but I don't, I didn't hate it as much because it feels like there's a little bit,
Speaker 1 00:15:49 A bit more closed. You know what I mean? Like it's a little bit more contained, even though it looks like it's open.
Speaker 0 00:15:58 It's kind of like it's facing outward
Speaker 1 00:16:01 As opposed to facing into something. Yeah. It was just weird. Okay. I can't explain the visual image of 43, but suffice it to say just looks up. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:16:14 That's all I can say.
Speaker 1 00:16:15 And there's no defense or a logical explanation for it.
Speaker 0 00:16:20 I don't even know why we're talking about it or how we landed on this topic.
Speaker 1 00:16:23 Actually. I've lost the thread of that too. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, listeners for going through this diatribe or like, why, why numbers are ugly, but I'm fascinated. I'm fascinated by the fact that you find 43,
Speaker 0 00:16:36 Isn't there something, anything odd like that about you? Like where
Speaker 1 00:16:40 I have many weird quirks that I have that I'm not willing to share. I've just never come across this like number thing. I just, it's just like an interesting, interesting, cause I've never really thought of numbers as like a vicious. I've never known that have been number 43. Well, you will know next year. Oh yeah. I'm sure. I'm sure we'll all hear about it next year.
Speaker 0 00:17:11 But anyway. Oh, it brings me back to the point that you called it my third 40th birthday and for a split second, I may have had a mini heart attack. And I'm like, why are you making me older than I am? And then I realized it is the third time I'm turning 40. So that is true. But you know, just if it makes you feel better, you're not the only person. So we have this other friend, um, Taz and we were talking on a social forum and she, we were, she was talking to another person and you know, we were kind going back and forth and she's like, Oh, don't listen to Sam. Um, you know, she's a year younger than me. So I'm the wiser one. That was what she said. Yeah. And the only point that I picked up from that comment was why did you have to tell everyone that I was a year younger? Why couldn't you just say I was young?
Speaker 1 00:18:06 <inaudible> no, it's all good.
Speaker 0 00:18:18 I I'm, I'm lucky. I think to have turned 42. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:18:22 Um, 42 is like the answer to everything you will find like your answer to everything. That's true. 42 is no,
Speaker 0 00:18:37 It's a nice number. I don't mind it
Speaker 1 00:18:39 As much as I'm making it out to be. I know these are just like generally, I don't know, to some people I know slightly difficult cause you're kind of like staunchly in middle age. Yeah, yeah. That is staunchly middle-aged. Yeah. It's kind of like a fat sandwich, a fat sandwich. What do you mean?
Speaker 0 00:19:09 I don't know. Can we ask them to edit that? That is also the image that came into my head
Speaker 1 00:19:15 When you said staunchly middle-age and I was like, Oh my God. Oh my God. Could you imagine if you were <inaudible> it's true. I think I find it. I find the forties kind of difficult to deal with because of that is because like, you're, you're definitively in middle age now. Like you can't clean youth, but you're not like wise enough, you know, you haven't reached that kind of like wise Sage area of your life. You know, you're just kind of like in this weird limbo. Yeah. You
Speaker 0 00:19:57 Know what I think I'm going to go watch that movie.
Speaker 1 00:19:59 This is 40. Oh, what's that about? Um, I don't know.
Speaker 0 00:20:07 It has Paul Rudd in it and they're both, uh, I think it's like a comedy where I think he turns 40 and he and his wife are turning 40 or something like that. But I don't actually know because I've never watched the movie. I think at the time it came out, I was like, huh,
Speaker 1 00:20:23 40 so far away. I know. That's how I felt too. I feel that it was kind of geared towards parents, other things. So like as someone who is childless, um, just kind of like, Oh, okay. Like it's relatable, but only slightly relieved.
Speaker 0 00:20:43 Yeah. Like not the children part. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I think I just didn't like, it just, it was one of those things. Like I think I thought I would get around to watching it, but I never did. Um, even though I love Paul Rudd. Um, but, but then maybe I should actually watch it and see how much of it is relatable.
Speaker 1 00:21:03 We should do that.
Speaker 0 00:21:06 Cause I mean, you know, now we've spent a couple of years in forties.
Speaker 1 00:21:13 Well,
Speaker 0 00:21:17 You know, I'm admitting to it
Speaker 1 00:21:23 Big step for Sam all celebrate the fact that she's actually accepting of this. I'm just being shamed.
Speaker 0 00:21:37 Um, no, but I think it might be a good, good watch because I'm wondering how much of it would be relatable. Um, cause I think the movie came out what, 10 years ago.
Speaker 1 00:21:48 Yeah. Yeah. I feel like I was in my thirties when it came out. So yeah.
Speaker 0 00:21:51 I feel like I was like, I don't remember when it came out, but it was awhile ago. I mean, it's hard to tell cause Paul right. Never ages. So he looks exactly the same. So I don't know what year the movie was, but yeah. I feel like this would be a good way to sort of see how much of it is actually universal.
Speaker 1 00:22:15 Yeah. Actually, sorry. Going back to Paul Rudd, Paul Rudd looks like the same kind of look the same age for like 30 years because he looked older. He was young. He did look older, clueless. I remember thinking, Holy crap.
Speaker 0 00:22:33 You know, like, I mean he was cute, but
Speaker 1 00:22:37 Yeah, he looked much older grown into his looks like he looked awesome. I mean, yeah. Pell is a great guy, but like, I mean,
Speaker 0 00:22:49 Or was it something like that, remember in friends when a Phoebe wants to change her name and banana hammock or something? Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:22:59 She did. She married Paul.
Speaker 0 00:23:02 Yeah. Yeah. I know. He's just so funny, but yeah. Um, actually we should do that. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:23:12 Yeah. Let's watch this as 40. Actually. The other thing I want to watch is, um, that show younger. I feel like that might be interesting to watch like a woman in her forties. Who's trying to like navigate a world of like a new job with like it's filled with people in her, in their twenties. Right.
Speaker 0 00:23:31 She pretend to be a 20 something. I think they assume she's something and she needs the job. And so yeah.
Speaker 1 00:23:39 Yes. And so she pretends she's in her twenties. Yeah. That's what it is. Yeah. She goes undercover actually. Yeah. Um, I feel like that might be a little bit more relatable. I think that would be very relatable people in their forties trying to navigate life as a 25 year old or like navigate culture. But yeah, actually it's funny. It's funny that I was talking about navigating culture because sometimes I read articles nowadays and it'll be like about, it'll be about like social media, um, like either YouTube stars or it'll be about like social media. Yeah, exactly. And I am lost. Like, I'm just like, I don't know who these people are. Like at what point did I actually stop caring, come with it? You know, I was just like, these people like me clearly matter because they have so many followers and like they're clearly having some sort of impact on like pop culture.
Speaker 0 00:24:51 It's actually funny. You should mention this because, um, I just saw a tick-tock um, and are real like whatever, one of the two. And it was really funny because it turns out like, I guess the next generation of Wars have started. So you have millennials versus gen Z cause some gen Z, um, person, um, apparently made a comment that, you know, making fun of the millennial site part. And I saw, did you see that?
Speaker 1 00:25:24 And if people were so offended, I didn't even realize it.
Speaker 0 00:25:27 It was a thing to have a middle part now and that it's old fashioned to have a site park.
Speaker 1 00:25:33 Okay. So my, I have, I have strange hair that kind of like does its own thing. So like sometimes, usually just parts down the side. But occasionally if like, it'll just like randomly parked down the middle and I kind of just don't change things because I'm lazy and that's just how I am. So like I never realized that it's like a fashion statement to have one or the other,
Speaker 0 00:26:01 Because that's the same thing with me. My net hair naturally has a middle part. So for the most part it's like falls. And then once in a while I'll be like, yeah, let's just downsides because there's no earthly reason. I just want it to look different. I guess sometimes I do a right side part. Sometimes I do a left side part and sometimes I just don't bother. And I look like a wild, I don't know. I'm like
Speaker 1 00:26:28 <inaudible> who knew that I'm on trend now people can choose parts really. Like I just assumed you were here, kind of did its thing. And just however it parted. Anyway, we get to the millennials and gen Z to have like a culture war,
Speaker 0 00:26:55 Elder millennial from you remember we were watching that comedy show.
Speaker 1 00:27:02 Yeah. Yeah. I know we're were having some issue of over was um, what was it like jeans,
Speaker 0 00:27:12 The mom, Jesus skinny versus versus mom. And I just wanted to laugh because I was like, Jen, see, you did not invent this. We were wearing these in the nineties.
Speaker 1 00:27:24 Please don't bring them back. And I'm like,
Speaker 0 00:27:27 You're so going to regret. Yes, exactly.
Speaker 1 00:27:30 We all are. We've all lived through both. We've all lived through both phases, regret. Every moment of it. I resent, I resent gene companies switching, what is like trendy because I just want to wear a goddamn pair of jeans and I don't need to be changing them every like two years just to be like on trend. It's very irritating. Sorry. That's my rant.
Speaker 0 00:27:54 Okay. I'm a little bit shook though, because you were always the fashionista,
Speaker 1 00:28:04 The
Speaker 0 00:28:04 One who was like always telling us what we had
Speaker 1 00:28:06 To do or what we should always follow the trends. It was just like, if you want to wear skinny jeans, that's what's trending now. Anyway. So I think that, so how are you feeling about your birthday overall?
Speaker 0 00:28:30 No, I think it's like pandemics. So like I said this year, it doesn't feel like it was a birthday, but overall though it was nice. I, um, um, you know, spend some time with my family cause you know, bubbling up with them. Um, I made bread, which I'm really proud of. I'm a year behind on that tread full year behind because last April is when every cool person was baking bread, but I just discovered it.
Speaker 1 00:28:59 No, no, no. I was going to say one thing. Bread was always cool. Making bread was always cool. So just because people decided to do in the pandemic does not make it like suddenly some cool thing.
Speaker 0 00:29:10 But um, what I meant was though like last year was when it was on trend, this is the year that I didn't, you know, I was like, well, my God who knew baking bread was so easy and so much fun. I think I'm having a blast. So, you know, so I, I made, um, three different types of bread and um, you know, got my presence.
Speaker 1 00:29:32 <inaudible> I know
Speaker 0 00:29:42 Overall I think, you know what, I'm grateful to be safe and stuff and, and I'm actually, you know, I have my new notebook for tomorrow near beginning, so yeah, I'm excited. And like you said, 42 answer to everything in the universe. So I'm looking forward to uncovering that secret. Well, you better share with the rest of us anyway. So I guess, well, I guess we'll wrap it up for the week. Um, so just, uh, just for my, just a reminder to everyone, if you could, uh, rate and review us, cause that helps other people find our podcast. Um, if you want to share that and then, uh, yeah, we're on social. Yeah. So follow us on Instagram. Um, uh, does this make me look old? Um, we're on Facebook as well. Does this make me look old to there and Twitter, does this make me look too? Um, and yeah. Or email us with your ideas, comments and, um, we'd love to hear from you for sure. So does this make me look old.com or if you're amazing, <inaudible> gmail.com. So yeah. So, uh, see you next week.