Sheridan’s Blog

A recent spate of people in my general circle turning 30 has prompted me to think about the changing times associated with ageing. And we’re all susceptible to it.

It’s odd – you spend all of your 20′s with people telling you how these years are the best of your life and that you must ‘cherish’ them. In hindsight, I can safely say this is a load of pure codswollop (which, incidentally, is a word no-one in their 20′s even knows).

I spent a good deal of my teens and early 20′s enduring a supreme amount of insecurity and the accompanying stress. The added benefit of the years has enabled me to strap on a pair (so to speak) and be more like the person I want to be. This weekend past illustrated the gap between ‘Now’ and ‘Then’ to me. We went out on Friday night to see some live music. For one thing, live musicians don’t start playing until 11.30pm, which is not new. I had no problems staying awake. How could I? Does it have to be so loud? I could almost feel things shuddering in my bowels (and not in a natural way). I held grave fears that the natural rhythm of my heart might be interrupted. I doubt they have a defibrillator in there, and, in any case, that it would be hygenic enough to use. Or that anyone would know what it was or how to use it (much like my current relationship with vacuum cleaners). Nonetheless, you go along to these things knowing that it will be: a/ loud and b/ crowded. You expect to get stepped on, just a bit. Like the guy in front of me who was clearly having an A1 time dancing and elbowing me in the breasts every 45 seconds. I wanted to lash out in physical violence and hit him (with my walking stick perhaps), but I decided to drink more beer instead in a juvenile attempt to dull the annoyance. This method used to work really well back in the day, but now I don’t care so much for it. Why? Because it just removes annoyance temporarily. And then replaces it with a ghastly headache and wasted day. Which I wouldn’t care about as much if someone else cleaned up after me and got me all of my meals, etc. But anyway…this guy was really pissing me off until boyfriend whacked him (gently but deliberately) in the back. Woo hoo – this is what men are for! Best part of the night. Apart from going to bed and falling asleep.

The next night brought more of the same. Younger types like to go out late, don’t they? So around 1.30am, everyone started getting ready to get dressed to go out. Now – I have never had a shower at 1am (not on purpose, anyway). But it does happen, apparently. And so began another few hours of standing in a crowded place and saying ‘Excuse me’ in a trance-like mantra as I tried to get to the bathroom and back. Which is only about 5 metres away, but took at least 2 minutes. Each way. Oddly, there was no queue. Or I could have accidentally been in the mens, and it wouldn’t be the first time. And then we all stood around being assaulted by the loud music of poor quality, occasionally yelling to/at each other while we all sort of ‘zoned out’. I enjoy zoning out as much as the next person, but I have all day at work to do that, why would I want to spend my free time doing it? I glanced around at the other people, and it’s safe to say some of them, mainly the girls, seemed to be having a good time. Dancing would have made it better as I like to cut up a rug, but I’m shy. Other people were displaying looks of barely veiled torture. Mainly the guys.
Sunday brought a few different things – going to the gym and just sitting around. I love both of these things. Where else do you get to take a shower where the music is playing? Naked dancing? What is better? Maybe they should put some shower cubicles up in the pub, then I’d be more inclined to stick around until 4am. The gym’s an ace place where people seem to care more about their fitness.

So what has changed in me over the space of 5 years? I guess now I have a job which I take more seriously, given that I’m no longer at uni and have bills to pay, responsibilities to attend to and other priorities to deal with, such as my health and fitness and the cleanliness of my home. I spend my days chatting with patients and listening to them and their issues, so when I’m not there, I like to think about and act upon my own needs. In essence, my own time has become more valuable to me, and I’m much less willing to do things just for the sake of appearances. And I guess the opinions of other random people and their particular judgements of me mean less than they used to. I have a set of people whose thoughts I value, and then there’s a whole other set who I don’t care so much about. I do see the point of going through your 20′s (not that you can opt out), and I think it’s a valuable time. It’s lots of fun and excitement. Some people crave that forever, and keep on trying to re-create that throughout their lives. That’s not me – I’m moving with the times. But I did have a good time back then.

Sometimes I even stay up late, but that’s because the Amazing Race is on tv, or if I’m walking from the couch to the bedroom (after falling asleep in front of the tv). And I’m not saying I’m above what other people do, it’s just that I’ve changed, and I keep trying to tell myself that this is ok. I don’t have any friends around my own age, so I’m having to make it up as I go along. So at the moment, I think a compromise of the occasional late night along with a laying-down-watching-tv-day is the best way to go. But not too much laying down – I expect I’ll have a bit of that to do in later life. I’m not dead yet.

Having been an avid follower of the news surrounding the release of a certain to-remain-unnamed gadget, I was overwhelmed by the volume of people whining about the pricing, the coverage, the this and that. You know what? As consumers, it is our job to ‘purchase’ (ie – consume). Here’s a new concept – product not exactly what you want? Then don’t buy it.
Having said that, the product isn’t exactly what I want, but I’m still trying to get it. Then I can join in the iM not satisfied charade.

And it continues. Apparently, to purchase said gadget, there was a requirement to pre-register and perhaps even pay a deposit. Many of the people in the iQueue didn’t do this, and as such arrived at the head of the queue to be rewarded with iNothing. These folks weren’t so happy. And of course, the demand for said object of desire is currently so great that supply nowhere meets it. It’s a fickle world the retail one.

In another buying world, I have been researching the various forms of health insurance available. With a few minor health problems dropping in unannounced, I feel now might be the time to perhaps take out some protection so I can actually afford my hearing aid when I need it. Trouble is, there is so much information and so little time to sort through it. And websites which claim to do all of this for you end up being even more confusing. I’d almost go as far as saying there is a hole in the job market for a specialised consultant to act as a ‘comparison librarian’ and source the best deals. I’d pay for that. And I guess that’s what the mega-wealthy people do. Not that they need insurance.

I love it when the washing machine goes into a spin and makes a sound which could wake the dead. In Italy. And it’s even better when you get the clothes out (finally) after the drying session has finished, and they are somehow wetter than when the wash ended. How is that?

But you know what’s great? Giant ceiling fans.

Sleep, gym, work, gym, sleep, work, dance, sleep, gym, dance, work, sleep.