Laments of a grumpy old man

 I know…I know. I’ve written about this many times, but it still bugs me.

When I sat in the mall this morning waiting for my wife to come out of a clothing store, I was watching the people walk by to pass the time.

What is wrong with people? I’m talking about the women (and the odd guy) who wear those ripped jeans. In fact, the other day when we went shopping, I saw ripped jeans for sale in a display window. There was nothing there but strings of fabric in the front of both legs. My wife saw me looking and said, “Don’t even comment.” I knew better than to make a comment, but I filed it away for another day.

I have one question: Who in their right mind pays good money (and they are not cheap) for something that can only be used to mop up a floor and then thrown into the garbage can? I don’t get it.

Actually, I saw a girl wearing a pair of shorts with a hole large enough so I could see her pussy. That’s not what bothered me, after all I’m a guy and not prudish at all. I wasn’t staring but I didn’t look away, either. What bothered me was the condition of her jean shorts that made me raise my eyebrows.

The clothes make the man (or woman). It is an old saying. What do ripped jeans say about a person?

I guess I’m just an old fart who believes in the old values. They seem to have gone out of the window. Gone the way of the Do-Do-Bird. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I grew up in Europe and people in those days were dressed in clean and nice clothing. We used to wear suits and ties when we went out, even to the movies. A tiny rip in a pair of pants or a shirt was fixed immediately. People took pride in dressing nicely. Same goes for haircuts or facial hair. We polished our shoes when we went out. We didn't wear work boots when we went dancing.

What else bothers me? Well, here is a short list:

*Men wearing jewelry in their ears, especially those large wooden plugs that stretch the earlobes.

*Men and women covered with tattoos (It seems to be an epidemic).

*Those stupid haircuts where they shave the side of one or both sides of their head and leave only a small carpet of hair on top of the head.

*Girls with a man’s haircut

*Guys wearing their baseball hats with the shield either in the back or to one side, which looks even stupider.

*Guys wearing a hoody inside a mall or restaurant

*Fat women or men in tights or wearing those sweatpants. I have no problem with the condition of their bodies; fat, skinny, it doesn’t matter, but, for heaven’s sake, wear appropriate clothing—anything but body-clinging.

*Old ladies rummaging in their huge handbags for the exact change when I am in a hurry and standing behind them in the line at the checkout counter.

*People having a stack of lottery tickets checked by the clerk to find out if they won something and then not being able to make up their mind which lottery tickets they should buy.
*Lazy shoppers who leave their shopping carts in the middle of the parking lot when the sign 'Return shopping carts here' is only 20 feet away.

*People waving their hands in the air above their heads when at a concert.

*People singing along at a concert. I paid money to listen to the performers not the audience.

*Women dressed from head to toe in robes and their heads and faces covered with only their eyes showing--here in Canada. There could even be a man hiding under those clothes.

*People holding their cell-phone in their hand when they are at a function, like a movie theatre, and constantly checking for messages. What are they waiting for? A message from the Prime Minister or the Pope? That light from their phone is annoying as Hell.

*People walking around with their cell-phone in their hand or laying it on the table while having dinner. Nobody and nothing is that important, unless they are on call, like a doctor or fireman.

*People yapping on their cell-phone at the table beside me in a restaurant.

I know that the cell-phone is another epidemic that has gripped the people everywhere. It is like a drug they are addicted to. I hate it when I’m having a private conversation with someone and they constantly keep checking their phone or even answering it while we are talking. I’ve had that happen to me many times, and most of the time the person doesn’t even say, “Excuse me, but I have to answer this.” They just turn away. To me that is rude. It tells me that talking with me is not as important as the person who may or may not call them.

One can only hope that all this is just a phase that will smooth itself out in time. Perhaps some day people will take pride again in what they wear, how they look and how they behave.

Yeah, I’m just a grumpy old man now, complaining about everything. I blame the old bugger in the mirror, unshaven and his hair not combed when I see him in the morning, still in his pajamas. It’s his fault. Who is he anyway? What happened to the handsome young man I used to see when I looked in the mirror. He was always smiling and always in a good mood.

Where is he?

I have a bad feeling he is gone—forever.