Someone called me old the other day, just as a joke, but it seems to be the theme of the week. I hadn’t thought of it much, but after it was said aloud, I reflected.

Maybe it was the reflection, but nostalgia has jumped my bones. There’s that B-movie thing I posted about. I’m listening to Paul Simon (not that I ever stopped), downloading episodes of Kojak (tho mostly missed it the first time around), and wishing Paul Williams was still writing songs for the Muppets. I’m excited about Monkey Island getting a remake and new episodes. I’m remaking a level from Alien Breed 3D myself.

Even though I don’t feel it overall, there are moments when age comes to the forefront:

• Some rich guy put a golf course on the exact spot of one of my most cherished childhood locations, a place I loved for how it felt utterly remote and secluded. Near Whistler, when there was no such thing as Whistler Village, just a quiet lodge and a gas station. It still feels like yesterday, even though I visited during the bulldozing over 12 years ago. Donna found a relic from that: this rusted tool of my misery just screams old, but to me it hasn’t been there that long at all, at least not before a quarter of the area was demolished developed.

  It’s still beautiful up there, but not in the same untouched way. When you remember fishing from a boat where they’ve filled in parts of the lake for property, there’s a disconnect between then and now.

• On Brad McQuaid’s blog, Ixobelle lol’d at “Progressive Metal” like it was a funny phrase and not a predominant style of music. This made me feel ancient.
• A portion of Valve’s fans freaked out about Left 4 Dead 2 while they’re supposedly still waiting for content for Left 4 Dead. I thought these irate fans must have short memories, since most of Valve’s games have been updated with mods via SDKs or they’ve been mods to begin with. I wondered if these guys were getting senile as they claimed Team Fortress 2 (a long awaited sequel to a mod) as an example of how professionally created games topped mods. Then I realized some of these fans were probably still kids when Valve came onto the PC game scene as the mod kings.
• Today I overheard someone say “before the Internet” and they were referring to the 90’s. I’ve been online in one form or another since the 80’s, which used to grant me an unspoken title of “early adopter” but now it’s more like someone who remembers black & white television (do you dream in black & white?).
• I find myself at odds with a generation that aggressively competes even during group tasks and cooperative games. Plus they seem so unconcerned about privacy issues or consumer advocacy. It’s the first time ever I’ve made serious distinctions between a younger generation, or more to the point: Distinctions that I cannot relate to and find alien. This is what makes me feel the oldest.

I dinged 40 and I don’t feel much different. It hasn’t felt very long getting here and I’m hardly done walking that road. I’m hardly ageist and I’m not a senile crank yet, just thought I’d let you know. =P

One important note: If I had the ability to roll back the clock, I wouldn’t. Even when knee-deep in nostalgia, I’m happier with right now.