So last night we attended our office yearend D&D (dinner & dance) which was a masquerade ball (blog post to follow!). My friends and I left before midnight, not because our ball gowns would turn into rags, Cinderella-style, but because we all didn’t feel like heading to the after-party at Hard Rock Cafe anymore. We had always gone before, so this was new. “We’ve become tandercats!” I wailed.
Tandercats, by the way, is a Philippine slang word which means “old.” It’s derived from the tagalog word “tanda” which means old, and from the TV show Thundercats. Sometimes it is shortened to “tanders.”
In one episode of How I Met Your Mother, Ted says that once you hit 30, there are some things that you get too old to do, and these items go to what he calls his “Murtaugh List,” named after the character Murtaugh from the Lethal Weapon movies, who always says the line: “I’m too old for this stuff.” Actually the real line doesn’t say “stuff” but Ted keeps it PG for his kids, haha. Ted’s list includes, among others: pulling an all-nighter, beer bong, and going to a rave. Hence Barney below, who accepted the challenge of doing them all despite being too old for that stuff.
Anyway, here is my sort of Murtaugh List, or 7 signs that you have become tanders:
(1) You don’t like staying up too late and would rather head home to get some sleep rather than party all night long. (Like what happened last night.)
(2) You refer to your younger colleagues in their early twenties as “kids.”
(3) When one of those “kids” say: “It’s Friday night! Let’s go dancing in a club!” you reply with either: “Can we go to a coffee shop instead?” or “Oh sorry, I have something else to do!” and that something else is sitting in bed with your laptop watching TV shows.
(4) When you watch movies or read books about “kids,” you think their ideas are too romanticised, grandiose, and impractical, and you find yourself rolling your eyes at a lot of parts.
(5) You never leave the house without slapping on sunscreen, moisturizer, or some kind of anti-aging product. And are those freckles or age spots on your face??? Noooo!!!!!!!!!
(6) Your metabolism is just not the same and you cast an evil eye on “kids” who can eat the world and still stay skinny.
(7) You dread your birthdays instead of looking forward to them like you used to. (See exhibit A: my blog post on turning thiry.)
Do you agree with anything on my list? What’s on yours?
Life definitely changed when I hit 30, although there were a few hints in the years running up to that milestone. I quite like it though – there is certainly less pressure to be seen to be having fun. I find no shame in lying in bed watching rubbish TV on a Saturday night!
Oh dear, I'm only 22, so could probably be considered one of those "kids", yet at least 5, possibly 6, definitely apply to me!
Your work puts on a masquerade ball? That is so fun- I'd love to be able to dress up in a ball gown!
I definitely feel yea on rather be home watching Netflix in bed or sleeping then going out! x
I'm only 24 and I'm already seeing signs of aging. Three glasses of wine and I am definitely waking up feeling hungover. I'm sure it will only continue to get worse…<br /><br /><br />I'm a bit of an old soul anyways. I've always been a coffee shop/home girl and I've never been into clubbing. Super drunk people groping each other? No thanks.
You're so right . I refer juniors from high school as "kids" . Just because I just have turned a senior!
hahaha i LOVE this post! would TOTALLY take a pizza, red wine and movies on the couch than a big ass clubbing night ANY day!!!
hahahahahahaha I'm dying right now because I'm all of these. Every last one.
I can definitely relate to 6 of them, although 2 of those are perhaps just because I've never really been into partying. 🙂
I so totally relate to number 4!!! Then I sit back and go, "Was I that stupid?" Yes, yes, I probably was darn it all . . . Holy crap, that's embarrassing! <br />And the metabolism thing. . . grrrrr . . . drives me nuts. <br />On my aging list? Probably living off $5 Little Caesar's Pizzas for a weekend. Yeah, that just doesn't happen any more.
Seriously I think with some YA books my eyes are going to fall out of my head with all the head rolling!
Haha maybe this isn't really an aging thing but a preference?
Ah, maybe in your case it's not yet aging but a preference thing!
Oh yes, I agree, there is less pressure indeed! I even use "signs of aging" as an excuse not to go out when people ask me.
You're way too young to be aging! Maybe it's not aging in your case but a preference.
Yeah it is so fun! I enjoyed dressing up for a night!
Thanks! And it's more fun to stay in because you can just stay in yoga pants. 😛
I guess it happens no matter what stage of life you're in!
*high five!*
Yeah, perhaps it's a preference thing! In my case though, it's not.
Yes, I cringe a lot when I realize that I used to be that stupid!
Ha, glad I'm not alone in this! And I cringe when I realize that those books used to be my favorite kinds!
Life definitely changed when I hit 30, although there were a few hints in the years running up to that milestone. I quite like it though – there is certainly less pressure to be seen to be having fun. I find no shame in lying in bed watching rubbish TV on a Saturday night!
You're way too young to be aging! Maybe it's not aging in your case but a preference.
*high five!*
Ah, maybe in your case it's not yet aging but a preference thing!
I guess it happens no matter what stage of life you're in!
Thanks! And it's more fun to stay in because you can just stay in yoga pants. 😛
Oh yes, I agree, there is less pressure indeed! I even use "signs of aging" as an excuse not to go out when people ask me.
Yeah it is so fun! I enjoyed dressing up for a night!
I so totally relate to number 4!!! Then I sit back and go, "Was I that stupid?" Yes, yes, I probably was darn it all . . . Holy crap, that's embarrassing! <br />And the metabolism thing. . . grrrrr . . . drives me nuts. <br />On my aging list? Probably living off $5 Little Caesar's Pizzas for a weekend. Yeah, that just doesn't happen any more.
Seriously I think with some YA books my eyes are going to fall out of my head with all the head rolling!
I can definitely relate to 6 of them, although 2 of those are perhaps just because I've never really been into partying. 🙂
Yes, I cringe a lot when I realize that I used to be that stupid!
I'm only 24 and I'm already seeing signs of aging. Three glasses of wine and I am definitely waking up feeling hungover. I'm sure it will only continue to get worse…<br /><br /><br />I'm a bit of an old soul anyways. I've always been a coffee shop/home girl and I've never been into clubbing. Super drunk people groping each other? No thanks.
Your work puts on a masquerade ball? That is so fun- I'd love to be able to dress up in a ball gown!
Haha maybe this isn't really an aging thing but a preference?
hahaha i LOVE this post! would TOTALLY take a pizza, red wine and movies on the couch than a big ass clubbing night ANY day!!!
Yeah, perhaps it's a preference thing! In my case though, it's not.
You're so right . I refer juniors from high school as "kids" . Just because I just have turned a senior!
hahahahahahaha I'm dying right now because I'm all of these. Every last one.
Oh dear, I'm only 22, so could probably be considered one of those "kids", yet at least 5, possibly 6, definitely apply to me!
I definitely feel yea on rather be home watching Netflix in bed or sleeping then going out! x
Ha, glad I'm not alone in this! And I cringe when I realize that those books used to be my favorite kinds!