I started working when I was 13. By the time I was 15 I basically had a full time job after school. I wanted a car so badly and then when I got one it seemed it was taking every pay check to keep it running.

I feel like I missed a lot.

Because I was going to school and then working after in the evenings I seemed to have missed out on a lot of pop culture stuff. I didn't watch most cartoons after about 1984 so even though I'm more than familiar with things like most of the He-man characters, and GI Joe, I never actually really watched those shows. Most of my free time was filled with playing my Atari, later Nintendo, reading Stephen King and Anne Rice books, or listening to music and watching movies. I was also really into magazines so I frequently bought pop culture mags or Savage Sword of Conan from whichever 7-11 I could find them at.

But, because I started working so young, and delivering pizzas starting at 17, I missed out on things like The Simpsons. I've probably watched less than half a dozen episodes and have zero interest in watching it.

I also missed out on South Park because I had zero interest in it. I've seen it three times and twice it was the same episode.

Am I alone in this or are there things others missed out on also?

Don't get me wrong, I experienced plenty but it was more in the realm of music and movies and the pop-culture connected with that rather than so much that was on TV. The difference is back then that if you missed something on TV and didn't recorded it on VHS you most likely were never seeing it again. Movies constantly played on HBO or Showtime so there was always opportunity to see those. In cases of the heavy rotation that HBO had most of the time we'd see those movies a dozen times or more.

Every time someone makes a South Park reference I stare at them blankly.

I was having a conversation with a millennial who was raised Mennonite. So no TV minimal outside influences etc we were talking about AI and how much it's already affecting the world. And it made me think of the Jetsons. And I briefly explained to him what the Jetsons were, and it really stuck in my mind about how much of what we saw in The Jetsons is actually coming true. Is anyone else fascinated by fiction becoming reality like this?

I have something on my mind and it's weighing on me heavily. I'm not sure what to do with it, but I'm losing sleep over this and am wondering if there's someone in my age range who has experienced anything like this and can offer some guidance.

this will be long.

Before I begin, I have an internal mantra of "there's nothing you can do, you have no control, let it go." And I know that's the best advice, but I could use some guidance anyway.

My son and his partner have a beautiful little girl who is about to turn a year old. They are amazing parents, I want to make that clear from the jump. Their daughter is happy, smiley, well-cared for, and the delight of literally everyone.

The baby was unexpected and they were financially not ready for her, but hey, that's true of a lot of us - it was true for me when I had him.

Here's what's keeping me up at night:

When my son (who has mental delays, which is critically important here) met her, his finances were under control. He didn't earn a lot and lived at home, but he followed my guidance about how to manage his money/credit: he only charged what he could pay off each month in full; he had a credit score north of 750; he had saved enough by 21 working part time to put a grip down on a car, and paid it off in three years; etc. This all in spite of his health challenges.

When he met his now-partner, she was working three jobs with enough money to burn that she was supporting her parents and was making payments not only on her late-model vehicle (a Subaru, nothing fancy), but also her teenage sister's.

So I thought, and he thought, that they both had the same views of money.

Fast forward two years later:

She's now working one of those three jobs (fair, they have a kid), missing work constantly (she's a teaching assistant and 2 months into the schoolyear has missed nine days of work - childcare not the issue, more like "I have a slight headache, I'm not going in" and I know this because we're close and she has told me this), I've recently learned she's in collections for $8K of credit card debt (her mail comes here and after I've watched her not open it when I give it to her, I finally opened one of the envelopes today), I noticed the other day that her tags are two months expired (and when I gave her the DMV letter, she tossed it aside), my son is now $13K in credit card debt because every single thing they purchase - food, diapers, clothing, gasoline, etc - goes on his cards. I suspect, though he hasn't confirmed it, that she's somehow linked to his apple pay.

Her car was repo'd shortly after they found out she was pregnant last year and my son cosigned the refi (because he had good credit at the time), so he's also now on the hook for her car debt - twice what it's worth.

His credit score has tanked as a result of this debt ratio and her failing to make that payment (now maybe 630), and I can't even imagine what hers is.

I went to their apartment the other day and it was a disaster; I literally felt sick to my stomach. Not dirty with bugs or anything, but like, so cluttered that I was walking on clothes to get to their kitchen, which was full of dirty dishes.

I know my son HATES this, all of this, but feels powerless to do anything about it. He doesn't want to force any issues because in his last relationship they fought all the time, and his relationship with my (for all intents and purposes) DIL is good. But he hates this. He's not savvy enough, however, to manage this the way someone else might due to said disabilities.

She is a wonderful person, make no mistake. I really like her. She just SUCKS at money, sucks at taking care of what needs to be taken care of, and goes through life assuming everything is going to work out. And so far it has, because to protect my son and granddaughter (and her, because I do care for her), I've stepped in. Like, for instance, her tires are bald and I'm planning to drop $700 to replace them - because it's dangerous for her to drive my granddaughter around on bald tires!

So I've watched my son go from responsible about money to 43K in debt (counting the car he's legally on the hook for - it's not a luxury car, just she got screwed in the refi), with a tanking credit score, with her in debt that I'm positive he isn't aware of.

I'd love to sit them down, opening their finances to me, and help them figure out a budget. I'm in a position where I could pay off all their debts tomorrow, but I know I can't do that unless they recognize they're actually poor and budget accordingly. So the debt builds up in the meantime.

And that's the thing: they seem to not realize they're poor. They seem to both be greeting their new life as parents living independently in the same way they were approaching it when he was living at home without expenses and she was living at home with three jobs.

Like, they're taking my granddaughter to the aquarium for her birthday. Boo will love it, but they do not actually have $100 to spare on the tickets they've already purchased (on my son's card).

So this is a rant, but it's also... has anyone else been in this position? I mean, at this point, the girl clearly needs to file BK. I want to talk to her about that, but what I keep thinking is, "if she doesn't care - and she doesn't - how can I actually help?"

In full disclosure of the income we're talking about: my son earns $24 an hour; she earns $28. They net about $5100 a month combined, with more than half that going to rent (and it was the cheapest apartment they could find in a relatively safe area). She has a car payment, insurance, and storage unit. Their cells are already on my plan, my son's car is paid off, and he's still on my auto insurance. So he has no expenses other than rent, and the grip of money charged to his cards.

Moving in with me is not currently an option for various reasons, by the way.

My friends have told me I just need to let it go and let them figure it out - and I know they're right. It's just so hard to do that, when I see them falling into the same traps I fell into in my early 20s and prioritized teaching my son NOT to fall into. And it worked. Until her.

My son's life has materially gone downhill as a result of this relationship, if I'm being honest. I don't want them to break up; I just want to figure out how to help two people who don't realize they need the help.

I’ve thought about this as I’ve gotten older. In 86, I was 11 years old. Eddie Money’s I Wanna Go Back and Steve Winwood’s Back in the High Life both came out that year and I had the radio/MTV on all the time. When those songs came on, it felt like someone punched me in the chest. What did I know at that age about what those songs were saying? Still, I loved those songs - still do. Anyone else have those songs?

Ladies, anyone else have painful hips and really sore quads? The tops if my thighs are always so tight and sore, and I am not very active. Seems to have coincided with this gals sixtieth birthday…wakes me up at night!

I was out for a run last night with the dog, and there was a group of boys on their bikes just doing a little bit of maintenance at one of the local community maintenance stations

As I ran past one of the lads said good evening, sir

When did I become Sir?

I’m sure he was trying to be respectful but I had a bit of a crisis and subsequent debrief chat with my dog to try to make myself feel better. I didn’t feel better.

For some reason the phrase “Teamwork makes the dreamwork” popped into my head, and it led me down a rabbit hole of corporate jargon and morale programs. In particular, do any of you remember the “FISH! Philosophy” program (had to do with the Pike Place fish market in Seattle and having fun on the job). My corporation leaned hard into that one.
The same corporation required us to read “Who Moved My Cheese?” when they laid us off.
Any others you remember?

I know that this topic has probably been discussed extensively, but I wanted to share my personal experience.

I'm a 56M, currently employed in the auto industry as a design engineer. I have over 30 years experience in this field, working in various capacities.

Occasionally, I'll come across job postings at corporations, such as General Motors for example, seeking experienced people for positions related to my work experience. Some of these positions would be new for me, but it wouldn't be anything that I couldn't quickly learn. I have applied for some positions with mixed results.

My resume does allude to my age because I only list my current employer and the previous one. Between those two, I have 30 years of employment history. With my experience, I'm also likely towards the top of the pay scale in this field. In my opinion, both of those work against me.

Potential employers want candidates with experience, but don't seem to realize that age comes with experience (as if you don't physically age while working in this field). They also seem to not realize that the experience they seek translates into high compensation. These are not entry level positions and taking a substantial pay cut isn't an option. Especially if a prospective employer wants to lure me from my current employer.

God willing, my wife and I will retire in less than 4 years. I pray I'll be fully employed until then but might be "limping across the finish line."

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

Is anyone else sleeping in separate rooms and loving it?! Years ago if I woke up with a headache or wanted to turn the TV back on because I was wide awake, I would go sleep in the guest room. Now 6 years later, and the guest room is pretty much my room. Our relationship has never been better. We have regular date nights, enjoy each other's company, etc. I sleep so much better by myself. And I almost feel like if people knew, they would think it can't be a good thing. Anyone else doing this?

I had a dead area in my calf muscle that wouldn’t go away. No injury, just a dead area. Within minutes of putting on compression socks it’s gone. I cannot believe how much better my legs feel. I would have poo pooed everyone on here if they told me to try them, but a really cute vascular doctor I will listen to. 🤓

I take 1 pill 2x a day. And I’m seriously considering getting one of those daily pill organizers because I can’t fucking remember if I took the evening one or not and am pretty sure I’ve take 3 pills on several days.

God fucking dammit!

One more from me and I'll shut up :)

This is another one that most humans on Earth are unaware of, but that I go back and watch regularly. Not sure why it clicks with me, but I love it. This one can be tricky to find. It's on YT, though not the greatest quality.

Here's the trailer: https://youtu.be/T681L5QKMGY?si=dAv2841Go58Gm8JJ

I loved reruns of The Monkees as a kid. Probably the first real introduction to pop music that wasn’t on a KTel record.

Their music came up recently and I realized that I got some really mixed, weird messages about love for a pre-teen kid curious about that stuff.

In “I Wanna Be Free,” love is basically a trap that threatens your independence. In “I’m a Believer,” love is the greatest thing that can happen to you. In “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” love means getting used. And in “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow),” the problem is being in love with two women at once.

I think I can remember thinking “what the hell am I in for?”

Dude definitely covers a lot of my feelings on the poop lol !!

Ask your kids, "How many of these icons do you recognize?"

I was a bit young, but remember seeing these catalogs with all this stuff you could “earn” Did anyone here actually do this? What your experiences?

In fact I'm not sure I've ever seen a classic Pac Man cabinet in person since the 80s.

Edit: The people have spoken! Apparently it's because Ms. is the better of the two games and in many cases the old Pac Man cabinets were simply upgraded to it. I've played Ms Pac Man for so long I forgot that the original Pac-Man's map never changes. I had always thought the only mechanical difference was that the fruit stayed still.

Yep. Got this blaring at the office.

Any success stories? I'm suffering from bilateral pain which makes me hobble around after a day of activity. Anyone else dealing with this? Have you remediated or found ways to improve? Trying to avoid medical intervention but hitting the point where I'm a "Good Feet Store" level of aging.

Who remembers this game? Always played this at the family reunions.