Coworker A, who is (I am guessing) in her mid-50s, recently asked Coworker B if she was a member of AARP. Coworker B is, at most, 35. I know this because I’m usually a pretty good judge of age, and I pay attention. Coworker A has mentioned that she was in college in the early 1970s, while Coworker B and I have discussed the music we both listened to when we were in high school. Some of the bands were the same, but some were popular when I was in college, so I know she’s a little bit younger than I am.
And then, a few days ago, Coworker A told me about looking for local assisted living communities for her mother. She asked me which one(s) I’d recommend, and how much they cost. WTF?! How the hell should I know? A) My mom is her age, so not old enough to retire yet, nor anywhere near old enough to need any sort of assisted living arrangement (just how old does Coworker A think I am, anyway?), and B) I’m not from around here, so even if my mom were old enough for assisted living, I’d hardly be familiar with local communities.
So here’s the funny part: Coworker B was home sick the other day. She called work to ask me to do her a favor. Coworker A answered the phone. She didn’t recognize Coworker B’s voice, so when I got off the phone, she asked me who it was (nosy!). I told her, and her response was, “Wow, she sounded so young!” Um, yeah, that’s because she is young. Sheesh!
red paper boat 