Please do not comment directly to this post unless you are Gen X or older (born 1980 or before). See this post, the rules, and the sidebar for details. Thank you for your submission, ComprehensiveMap6653.
Get up, shower and get ready for the day, go to work, work, go home, cook and eat dinner, watch a little TV, go to bed.
There are movies made in the 70s about life in the 70s. Do you think everyone over 40 lived in the 15th century? Seriously, what do you think our lives were like? Fighting off Visigoths?
Woke up. Jumped outta bed. Ran a comb across my head. Dressed out. Jogged 3 miles. Shat, Showered, Shaved, dressed, light breakfast, then off to the University to teach AstroPhysics and run the Science Center. Came home. Greeted my son (age 25), sons (at age 26), ate dinner, read stories to the boys, spent quality time with the wife (married at 21), and so forth.
Only difference with today was we didn’t have 100 channels of TV, radio was still decent for music, there was no such thing as being online. Computer was at the office. No cell phone, only a landline. I wrote more letters then to friends, especially when I lived overseas. Paid bills the old fashioned way, by writing checks and sending them in the mail. Pretty much used cash for everything.
There wasn’t much typical. I worked 40 hours a week for most of it, but I moved eight times, had seven different jobs throughout the decade, enrolled and dropped out of community college twice. I had a car for a few years, but I wrecked it and was too broke to get another, so I walked everywhere or bummed rides. The wreck left me in debt so I was perpetually broke. My entertainment was my radio, the seven channels on my TV, and my library card. Somehow I also occasionally dated. I spent my 20s broke and struggling and fearful.
Sleep until noon. Hang around the duplex apartment with my bros pulling tubes and looking through the stack of magazines. Go find a good sandwich somewhere, maybe a mountain bike ride. Pre party before heading out to the bars at about 10-11 pm, at the earliest. After party til way late. Repeat.
I (68) shared an apartment and then a rental house with my BFF. I worked from 8:30 to 5:30 at a health agency and my friend worked for an insurance agent. After work we would make ourselves something to eat – sometimes together, but usually separately because we had different things going on in the evening. Almost every Thursday night I went out to a night club for “Ladies night” with friends from work. My roommate dated a guy in a band and when he was in town we would go to the club where he was playing on either Friday or Saturday. We cleaned house on Saturday -and did grocery shopping. We took our laundry to either the laundry mat or to our mothers’ house on either Saturday or a week night. Our boyfriends would come over most of the weekend and several evenings during the week (or we’d go to their place). My roommate had 2 slightly younger brothers and about once a month we’d end up with about 20 people drinking beer at our place on a Friday night. We watched a little tv, but mostly had music playing all the time (vinyl). Every Sunday was dinner at my parents.
Of course, over a 10 year period we went through several realtionships and my BFF got married for the first time in our 20s. She and I are still close as sisters and have helped and supported each other over many bumps in life.
Early 20s, college student with crummy job; late twenties, worked full time at a university library. Pretty much partied the whole decade, had a wonderful lover and friend group. It was a fun, carefree time. No one had a pot to pee in, but definitely knew how to have a good time on a shoestring budget.
The big downside was AIDS, friends started getting sick and dying.
Those ten years lasted a long time and each year was different from the rest, so you’d have to be more specific: A day in college working as a lifeguard and swim instructor; a day running the family shoe store; post marriage; a day in my new teaching career which lasted 34 years? So I was able to describe my decade, but not a typical day in my 20s.
Got up, drove my Datsun 310GX five on the floor to work, got my cardboard time card out of the wall pocket and clocked in – checked the time stamp to make sure I was on time, took the dust cover off my typewriter, untangled the phone cord on my desk, hit #5 to start receiving calls worked 8 hours, hit *5 to stop receiving calls, covered my typewriter, punched out at the time clock, drove my Datsun 310GX home, ate, turned on the TV and waited for the tubes to warm up to get a picture, looked in the TV guide (booklet), picked a show, watched some of them, went to bed.
Sometimes went out with friends to a movie, bar or disco. Went to the mall and shopped. Looked at Sears Catalog.
Woke up went to work on my motorcycle going way too fast. Thought about girls that I might have unprotected sex with. Drank two beers after work and went to my buddies house that he just bought for $20k. Checked out his pirated cable. Smoked some weed and ate a box of Mac & Cheese. Went and played pool and had some beers. Road my motorcycle home, really buzzed and watched a rerun of Star Trek Next Gen. Slept on the sheets that hadn’t been washed in 4 months. Wondered if I’d meet someone this weekend to have sex with. Wondered about what size main jets I’d need if I removed the baffle from my exhaust. Fell asleep.
I’m a quiet, father, neighbor, husband now. Total opposite but didn’t have much self control in my 20’s. Everyone drank and drove, smoked weed and had unprotected sex. If you wanted to settle down, you bought a house. No big deal. Oh, and I got a degree, cuz I was bored and paid for it working part time.
I had no typical days. Dropped out of college, hitchhiked around the country, eventually went back to college, lived in England for awhile, lived in France for a while. Played music for a living. Was a sprout farmer for a living, washed dishes for a living, worked in a lot of record stores for a living, worked as a grave digger in a pet cemetery, hitch hiked to Austin and played music with Townes van Zandt and Lucinda Williams, worked in a plant store. It was a wild and crazy time.
Leisure, indulged, worshipped and reviled , endlessly lusted after, parties, sun and water, convertibles and smoking weed. Feeling like I had all the time in the world.
Spent a good part of my 20’s working on or about the Trans Alaska pipeline, 7 days a week, 12 to 16 hours a day, 9 weeks on, two weeks off. There were times, however, when I skipped the two weeks off and worked continuously for many months at a time.
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Way to busy with work and being gay
Get up, shower and get ready for the day, go to work, work, go home, cook and eat dinner, watch a little TV, go to bed.
There are movies made in the 70s about life in the 70s. Do you think everyone over 40 lived in the 15th century? Seriously, what do you think our lives were like? Fighting off Visigoths?
I was at an all-women’s college. I took classes, ate in the cafeteria, and went to frat parties on the weekends.
Art. Nothing but art and music. I never saw daylight. The most profound period of my life. It ruined me — it’s all downhill from here, lol 🎃🕳️
Woke up. Jumped outta bed. Ran a comb across my head. Dressed out. Jogged 3 miles. Shat, Showered, Shaved, dressed, light breakfast, then off to the University to teach AstroPhysics and run the Science Center. Came home. Greeted my son (age 25), sons (at age 26), ate dinner, read stories to the boys, spent quality time with the wife (married at 21), and so forth.
Only difference with today was we didn’t have 100 channels of TV, radio was still decent for music, there was no such thing as being online. Computer was at the office. No cell phone, only a landline. I wrote more letters then to friends, especially when I lived overseas. Paid bills the old fashioned way, by writing checks and sending them in the mail. Pretty much used cash for everything.
There wasn’t much typical. I worked 40 hours a week for most of it, but I moved eight times, had seven different jobs throughout the decade, enrolled and dropped out of community college twice. I had a car for a few years, but I wrecked it and was too broke to get another, so I walked everywhere or bummed rides. The wreck left me in debt so I was perpetually broke. My entertainment was my radio, the seven channels on my TV, and my library card. Somehow I also occasionally dated. I spent my 20s broke and struggling and fearful.
I worked overseas in a refugee camp. It was a surreal time, very intense.
Nothing typical throughout my 20’s
Finished my enlistment
Started college
Started career
Got married
Bought 1st house
Had first child
Life was good overall with occasional bumps along the way, but nothing typical throughout that decade.
Work -followed by party with friends- a lot
It was chaotic until about 23, then it was sleep, work, drink, eat, repeat for the next 34 years. But hey, I retired at 56 so that was good.
Sleep until noon. Hang around the duplex apartment with my bros pulling tubes and looking through the stack of magazines. Go find a good sandwich somewhere, maybe a mountain bike ride. Pre party before heading out to the bars at about 10-11 pm, at the earliest. After party til way late. Repeat.
I was a mother early in life so I was working.
I (68) shared an apartment and then a rental house with my BFF. I worked from 8:30 to 5:30 at a health agency and my friend worked for an insurance agent. After work we would make ourselves something to eat – sometimes together, but usually separately because we had different things going on in the evening. Almost every Thursday night I went out to a night club for “Ladies night” with friends from work. My roommate dated a guy in a band and when he was in town we would go to the club where he was playing on either Friday or Saturday. We cleaned house on Saturday -and did grocery shopping. We took our laundry to either the laundry mat or to our mothers’ house on either Saturday or a week night. Our boyfriends would come over most of the weekend and several evenings during the week (or we’d go to their place). My roommate had 2 slightly younger brothers and about once a month we’d end up with about 20 people drinking beer at our place on a Friday night. We watched a little tv, but mostly had music playing all the time (vinyl). Every Sunday was dinner at my parents.
Of course, over a 10 year period we went through several realtionships and my BFF got married for the first time in our 20s. She and I are still close as sisters and have helped and supported each other over many bumps in life.
Working my ass off
Early 20s, college student with crummy job; late twenties, worked full time at a university library. Pretty much partied the whole decade, had a wonderful lover and friend group. It was a fun, carefree time. No one had a pot to pee in, but definitely knew how to have a good time on a shoestring budget.
The big downside was AIDS, friends started getting sick and dying.
Married, two kids, worked on my dad’s farm, was in the Navy Reserve.
Those ten years lasted a long time and each year was different from the rest, so you’d have to be more specific: A day in college working as a lifeguard and swim instructor; a day running the family shoe store; post marriage; a day in my new teaching career which lasted 34 years? So I was able to describe my decade, but not a typical day in my 20s.
Work. Putting my wife through college (great decision). Raising a son. It was good times. They still are 40+ years later.
Got up, drove my Datsun 310GX five on the floor to work, got my cardboard time card out of the wall pocket and clocked in – checked the time stamp to make sure I was on time, took the dust cover off my typewriter, untangled the phone cord on my desk, hit #5 to start receiving calls worked 8 hours, hit *5 to stop receiving calls, covered my typewriter, punched out at the time clock, drove my Datsun 310GX home, ate, turned on the TV and waited for the tubes to warm up to get a picture, looked in the TV guide (booklet), picked a show, watched some of them, went to bed.
Sometimes went out with friends to a movie, bar or disco. Went to the mall and shopped. Looked at Sears Catalog.
It was the late 70s/early 80s.
Woke up went to work on my motorcycle going way too fast. Thought about girls that I might have unprotected sex with. Drank two beers after work and went to my buddies house that he just bought for $20k. Checked out his pirated cable. Smoked some weed and ate a box of Mac & Cheese. Went and played pool and had some beers. Road my motorcycle home, really buzzed and watched a rerun of Star Trek Next Gen. Slept on the sheets that hadn’t been washed in 4 months. Wondered if I’d meet someone this weekend to have sex with. Wondered about what size main jets I’d need if I removed the baffle from my exhaust. Fell asleep.
I’m a quiet, father, neighbor, husband now. Total opposite but didn’t have much self control in my 20’s. Everyone drank and drove, smoked weed and had unprotected sex. If you wanted to settle down, you bought a house. No big deal. Oh, and I got a degree, cuz I was bored and paid for it working part time.
Smoke weed and play video games and eat fast food
I had no typical days. Dropped out of college, hitchhiked around the country, eventually went back to college, lived in England for awhile, lived in France for a while. Played music for a living. Was a sprout farmer for a living, washed dishes for a living, worked in a lot of record stores for a living, worked as a grave digger in a pet cemetery, hitch hiked to Austin and played music with Townes van Zandt and Lucinda Williams, worked in a plant store. It was a wild and crazy time.
Leisure, indulged, worshipped and reviled , endlessly lusted after, parties, sun and water, convertibles and smoking weed. Feeling like I had all the time in the world.
Spent a good part of my 20’s working on or about the Trans Alaska pipeline, 7 days a week, 12 to 16 hours a day, 9 weeks on, two weeks off. There were times, however, when I skipped the two weeks off and worked continuously for many months at a time.
Some of these answers don’t sound like old people
What are we calling old?