the aged

so i am turning 31 tomorrow. in just a few short hours, really. that officially puts me into the "thirty something" category. before, i was just 30. now i'm 30 and then some. while i really don't feel like i'm old enough to be considered "aging", i felt the need to compare what i remember as a kid to the way things are today to see how old i really am:
1. tight jeans, often ripped on purpose, with big shirts and leg warmers. these were really big in the 80's, i think. i remember feeling like i would kill for a pair of these jeans with paint splatters on them and the matching jean jacket. they would have gone really well with the neon colored socks and jelly bracelets we wore. now, of course, things have changed a bit. the fashion has come full circle, only the jeans are now called "skinny jeans" rather than tapered leg and the paint splatters are replaced with wiskering and fading on the thigh and butt. the bracelets are now in the shapes of animals or movie characters or something (my kids love these...but i'm not sure why) and the socks and warmers...well, the socks are now to be mismatched (something we did, but not necessarily on purpose) and the warmers are pretty much the same. i'm old because fashions don't generally repeat themselves in short time spans.

2. disney movies that i grew up with are being released from the disney vault. for some reason, it's a huge deal for beauty and the beast to be on disc again. didn't it already have it's release day? i'm just sayin'.... is it really fair to get the "new release" kind of treatment a decade later? kind of reminds me of that obnoxious show on mtv, "sweet sixteen". really, i think it would have been better to leave some, or most, of these in that vault so i could remember them fondly with the eyes of my childhood. instead, i'm forced to see them through the eyes of a parent and see how horrible these characters are as role models for young girls. like my young girls. my favorite as a kid was "the little mermaid". now i just wish she would have been turned into the sea kelp by ursella and the sea would have been under the witch's rule for a long horrible time. at least then the little brat may have learned a lesson.

3. my music. there is an oldies station programmed on my radio that has been playing songs i grew up to. journey, chicago, billy joel. oh, how i love the! but i'd rather not hear you there. what's really depressing is hearing kids not too much younger than me...ok, about half my age...saying that they don't know who these bands are. but they know a whole bunch of crap songs that litter my car should i dare to turn it on rather than listening to disney soundtracks! really, who comes up with this stuff?!

4. my need to make the bed before i can sleep in it. who does that as a kid? i remember saying "why bother, i'm just going to mess it up again when i sleep in it." now it really bugs me if it's not made and made correctly. bless my hubby, he occasionally tries to do it for me if i don't get to it during the day, but he can't seem to get it right. the sheet or blanket may be upside down. of sideways. it may be lopsided. the fitted sheet may not be tightened at the corners. etc. i try not to say anything or make it obvious that i have to fix it, but it does have to be fixed before a restful sleep can be achieved. however, when my kids ask me why the beds have to be made...i really have no answer for them.

5. bed time. i never really had one that i remember. i don't have one now. but the difference is, i want one! back in the day, i could stay up all night and feel no effects. now, i'm always so tired! i NEED a decent night's rest in order to function the next day. my kids seem to have acquired the energy i used to have and my own reserves have depleted. the two may be connected.

anyway, there's more, of course (ie, my reflection, language, rules, priorities, transportation etc.), but the really problem is not so much each point i listed. it's this:
I JUST DON"T GET IT!

i find myself shaking my head a lot these days with that phrase flashing through my mind. i don't get the styles, the music, or a large list of other things that are considered "cool" these days. i have become, quite possibly, a grown up. and that just makes me feel old.