Yesterday was Australia Day when we (OK white Australians) celebrate the landing of the First Fleet in 1788 although some indigenous Australians see it as less than a day of celebration. It has morphed into a celebration of Australia culture and community with lots of people taking up Australian citizenship on the day etc.
Anyway, being a public holiday people often get out and about and celebrate Australian "culture" or just get very drunk and sunburnt. I went out with people to a bar down at the beach, had a couple of drinks, chatted, checked out men and later had dinner.
This was all good except for my advanced age. Most people there appeared to be in their 30s. I don't hold that against them but as I peered around for men to leer at, discreetly of course, I couldn't find any older ones. This was most disappointing. Maybe they were all at home having barbeques?
At one point I went to the Ladies. I managed to locate it by the long tell-tale queue of women lined up outside it. The men would approach us, pause, then walk past to the Mens. Then they would reappear and leave while we were still lined up!
I spent this time realizing that the dress code for the 30 somethings was mainly very short sundresses or shorts. I had not put on my very short shorts. Actually, I did have shorts on previously and then changed my mind thinking I'd be cold. See? Sometimes it doesn't pay to be too pragmatic. Also, I thought they might be a bit short. (Snort.) Sometimes a housemate would be very handy who could then reassure me that the shorts were fine.
As I queued I ended up feeling old(er) and not too glam, so used my time in the loos to apply more make-up. Not sure that it helped. Did not regret the lack of shorts, however, as I sat on the air conditioned train on the way home and shivered.
Oh the irony. I'm considering letting my normal hair color grow out and NOT look my age anymore, but look older. On purpose :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Australia Day!
NQ- really? Why? Trouble is I am hanging out with this younger crowd and they think I fit in. But if they start asking me my age I go all vague on purpose.
ReplyDeleteThere is another crowd that's slightly older, but they're not as much fun, so I hang out with the younger crowd doing Friday night drinks- much more chance of a dance that way!
I've been thinking about blogging about this, but it gets long and rambly.
DeleteShort version: I'm not looking for a guy and I don't have to look young for any kind of work right now. I do, however, have a lot on my plate at the moment that I'm trying to get through as best as I can, and I *think* (not certain about this) that I might have an easier time of it if I didn't look as young as I do. Looking as young as I do might be doing me a disservice in some ways. I could be wrong, and looking 15 to 20 years older (because seriously, that's how different I'll look!) might bring other problems I didn't anticipate. But if it can make a few things work a little more smoothly right now, I may be willing to give it a try.
When I can't decide what to wear I usually don't regret opting for more clothes, rather than less.
ReplyDeleteAmy- I'm with you on this. Last night I caught the train into town and should've remember the "More clothes rather than less" philosophy. . . I was freezing on the way home.
ReplyDeleteNQ- Really? I'm fascinated. I don't think I could voluntarily look older than I do. Vanity, I guess. Let me know if you do that, I'd love to hear how it goes.
I wish you would do some long and rambly blogs too, even if I have been very bad of late and haven't read anyone's blogs; will get to it next week. . .first week of the school year etc.
Oh the long rambly ranty posts.... of which many are saved to draft ;) I'm not sure what keeps me from posting them.
DeleteRe looking older, in this case it's not undo-able. I can always re-dye my hair. Sort of... I think once people have seen you a certain way, that image is burned into their brains, even if you change your look. So I have considered that even if I re-dye my hair one day, people will still have an older image of me in their minds. But there's always new people :)