Does This Make Me Look Old?

In the belated spirit of St. Paddy’s Day, this week we’re talking about our drinking capacity, pattern, and preferences and how it diminishes and changes as we age (or as Shiv puts it, the trials and tribulations of an aging liver!). 

Shiv - a prairie girl who has been drinking since the ripe old age of 18 - has definitely seen her taste in alcohol change, moving from mixed drinks and scotch in her youth and med school days to wine in her adulthood. And Sim, a fan of fruity cocktails, Peach Schnapps, and Long Island Ice Teas in her youth, has definitely noticed a clear change in both her drinking capacity and tastes (beer in her 20s and wine in her 30s). 

We’ll also look at how drinking affects your sleep, regardless of age, and how as you age you aren’t able to metabolize your alcohol at the same rate as you could in your 20s (especially if you weren’t kind to your liver in your youth!). And how waking up with a hangover in your 40s is definitely not enjoyable anymore! 

We’d love to hear how you handle drinking as you age, both in terms of how much you can consume and what you want to consume. And how well you handle those pesky hangovers (so not fun in our 40s!). And a very depressing study from the UK that said that if average alcohol consumption increased daily by one pint of beer that was equivalent to two years of aging in the brain. And how quality of life is so important as we age, drinking or not drinking. And fountains of youth (and they are coming!). 

Shoot us a note at [email protected] anytime about this or anything else that’s on your mind. All input is welcome! 

Cheugy! Simp! Snack! TFW! Sheesh! IYKYK! Bet! GOAT!

This week it’s Gen Z slang all the way. 

We channel our inner ten to 25 year old and quiz ourselves game show/spelling bee style (“Can you use that in a sentence?”) to see how Gen Z proficient we are. We’ll touch on bro, brah, fam, glow up, cancel culture, CEO (Like “Sim and Shiv are the CEOs of podcasting!”), Stan (shout out to Eminem), e-boy and a-girl, W, dank (excellent) (“That ride is dank”), ghosting, salty (jealous), big yikes, and more unique and memorable Gen Z slang meanings.

How proficient are you in Gen Z slang? Have you heard and/or used any of these terms? Care to share? Shoot us a note at [email protected]. 

Also, are you Team Shiv or Team Sim when it comes to your slang use?

Dude! Like, that’s sooooooo awesome! Whatever! Talk to the hand! Lit! As if! Let’s bounce! Word! 

It’s all about the slang this week (the 90's and otherwise) and how it changes from cohort to cohort and generation to generation, much like in niche cultures but in a more relatable way. We also examine how not knowing what a certain slang word is can quickly date you or just really confuse you. Test your proficiency by clicking HERE.

We’ll reminisce on the slang of the GenX generation (word to our fellow 90s peeps!) and question some we’ve never heard of or didn’t use very often (like “dip”, “chillax”, “thingy”). We’ll also question the definition of “bogus” and whether or not we were using it properly or even in the right context. Shiv used it when someone was lame/not cool but apparently, it was supposed to be used to denote that someone was fake. Thoughts? 

We’ll also share our distaste of certain slang (case in point - psyche!), question if some slang is actually slang (Getting Jiggy With It, home slice for example), and attribute some slang to gaming and/or the Millennial culture (i.e. newb). 

What GenX slang are you familiar or not familiar with? Drop us a note at [email protected]. 

This week we’re taking inspiration from a medical magazine that Shiv received touching on disability bias in medicine and how it affects patient interaction. That got us thinking about the disability bias in society and whether there is a link between that bias and ageism. And whether or not we should accept that we're all “temporarily abled”? 

Being “temporarily abled” does make us aware that as we age, some things in the world might become more difficult to navigate, which can be a hard pill to swallow. But if we look at ourselves in this light, it could also make it easier for us to accept the changes in our abilities that come with aging. And then there’s Steve’s hearing loss in And Just Like That…yes, we went there! And admit we use closed captioning. We can’t be alone, right? 

It’s important to acknowledge that at some point we may become differently-abled and become part of a community that can, unfortunately, suffer from the effects of society's disability bias. We should also take into account that there is a lot in common between ageism and bias against those that are differently-abled. The silver lining is that by doing so and addressing disability bias, it can people who are older and vice versa. 

How do you feel about "normal" ranges, falling outside of them, and being "temporarily abled"? Let us know at [email protected].

This week we're stepping away from And Just Like That and talking about adult milestones, a topic near and dear to Sim's heart. We'll examine what adult milestones government documents from the UK say we should meet. On the list -  legally becoming an adult, starting full-time work, moving out of your parents' home, moving in with a partner,  having a baby, getting married, and owning your own home (average age is 34 if you're curious). 

We'll chat about how we tend to just arbitrarily absorb these ages that society says we should have met certain milestones, i.e., "You should be married by now!", "Tick tock, biological clock!". And how when we don't meet these milestones, there is an urgency to remedy it, or there's something wrong (you're a spinster, you won't be able to keep up with your kids). Societal pressure definitely comes into play here. 

We'll talk about how your perceptions of age change from when you are young. Hands up if you thought 40 was ancient! 

Sim questions how we land on these adult milestones numbers, Shiv talks about not feeling pressured to get married by a certain age, Canada's five adult milestone markers, the "tyranny of the should", and what the media is telling people about delayed adulthood if the economic situation isn't allowing them to do so. Also, do we even need to have these markers? Is it just to track the economic health of a country? And don't get us started on the people who feel compelled to point out that you aren't meeting said milestones! 

We'd love to hear your thoughts on adult milestones. Have you felt pressured to meet them? Are there even any true markers of adulthood? Please drop us a note anytime at [email protected].

Since it’s Valentine’s Day week, we have a special episode for you all about sex and love in….you’ve got it - And Just Like That! We’ll discuss our opinions on the portrayal of sex in many episodes, even going way back to the first episode of the season (did the teenage sex repulse anyone else?). 

We’ll question why it took the show 10 episodes (yes, 10) to show Seema, a woman in her 50s, having good sex and looking glamorous. Also, why was it such a big deal that Charlotte still gives blow jobs? Is her sex life supposed to be boring because she’s older? PSA: Sex shaming is not cool!  And then Carrie being a prude about masturbation…umm, what’s that about? 

And for a show with the word SEX in its title, there is surprisingly little sex happening. Is the show trying to say the characters are too old to have sex?

We’ll talk about awkward first kisses, asking for permission and consent, and the out of nowhere kiss in the elevator. And some serious Seema Patel love life envy, and a little book called “How to Be Single”. And Miranda blowing up some serious rules. 

Thoughts? Drop us a note anytime at [email protected]. We promise we’ll respond!

This week we again revisit And Just Like That, specifically how it’s addressing past comments about the lack of diversity in its cast. We’ll look at whether or not the reboot addresses diversity in a good way and ponder whether, in this day and age, if Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte would have issues with diversity as portrayed in the show. We’ll also discuss (with vigor) the over-the-top and in some instances, nonsensical, reactions of the main characters to the newly introduced ethnic characters in the show. For example, we find it hard to believe that Charlotte, over all the years of having kids in the public school system, in New York no less, is only now meeting her first friend of color. We also break down the scene with Miranda and the professor and a certain comment about not recognizing her because of her hair. 

Along the way, we find ourselves wondering if the women’s attitudes are because they are in their 50s and stuck in their ways or because of their social standing. And why is the issue of Asian hate never touched on (Miranda’s daughter Lily is Asian)? 

Things will take a positive turn as we embrace the character of Seema Patel. She’s vibrant in her 50s and enjoying sex in her 50s (more to come on that!). Can we also appreciate that there’s an actual sari shop in the show? 

Overall, we’re just puzzled by the show’s portrayal of, and approach to, topics of race. We found it cringy how instead of being truly done to address the show’s past lack of diversity it was more done for comedic effect, and poorly at that. We can’t be alone, right? 

Thoughts? Drop us a note anytime at [email protected].

Tonight we’re going to talk about health issues in our 50s as depicted in….you guessed it - the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That!

We’ll touch on (SPOILER ALERT) Big’s death from a heart attack after over-exerting himself on a Peloton and how we’re not a big fan of Carrie’s reaction. Instead of just cradling him and crying, why couldn’t Carrie have administered him his heart medication??? IT’S A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY, PEOPLE! After all, it wasn’t Big’s first heart attack, so you think they both would have known what to do. She didn’t even call 911 or perform CPR. WTF?  (On that note, learn how to do CPR. It’s important! “Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive….”).

Then, there’s Carrie’s hip surgery. On the one hand, the show shows the trials and tribulations people go through with hip surgery (it’s no walk in the park). On the other hand, we’re annoyed that her surgery is attributed solely to congenital hip disorder. Don’t get us wrong - there’s no shame in having the condition (Shiv has the same thing) but why could they just embrace that Carrie was having hip surgery due to regular aging? Why attribute it to something other than age? Is it because it’s considered an “old lady” surgery? Is it ageism?

There are moments where the producers did get it right, though, and addressed issues that come with aging and independence. We’ll touch on those as well. That and sore knees and frozen shoulders. And heels and menopause. And Carrie and Anthony’s trip to the plastic surgeon. There’s never a dull moment in our podcast!

What do you think about how Big’s heart attack and Carrie’s surgery were handled? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

And we’re back with a raspy-voiced take on a theme borrowed from the popular Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That, something we’ll be doing over the next few weeks. 

So first off, let’s get this out of the way: ranting was definitely involved (a common occurrence in many of our episodes!). We reflect on what bearing pop culture has on society - how it reflects the way society changes over time. We share which pop culture references really bug us (hint: Christian Grey and vampires - it’s a bit about the plot, a bit about the writing, and we equate a certain book with a really badly written English report. Trust us - we get passionate this week!)

And then we’ll get back on track….SQUIRREL!

But jokes aside, this week we delve into how media has portrayed Sex and the City’s leading ladies (Charlotte, Miranda, Carrie) aging twenty years, and what does this say about how media typically expects us to see aged women. And FULL DISCLAIMER - There are spoilers! We chat about hair color (or lack thereof), on-trend and age-appropriate fashion, the late great Betty White, menopause, naming jewelry and purses, Seinfeld, gender diversity, and more. So check out this week’s episode, and let us know what you think! 

It’s a new year, so that can only mean one thing - it’s resolution time, baby! 

In this episode, we get into the nitty-gritty of New Year’s resolutions - our attitudes around them, do we set them, do we not set them, and why. Spoiler alert: Shiv doesn’t! 

We chat about the magic and promise of the New Year - how it seems to fade/change as you age and why we’ve adjusted our approach to making resolutions over time. There’s talk about intentions versus resolutions and living our lives in a way that enriches – making meaningful changes rather than ones doomed for failures (Does anyone else need to lose 30 pounds EVERY SINGLE FREAKING YEAR? [insert virtual fist bump here!]). 

We also touch on the topics of living a balanced life and how the pandemic has changed our perspective of what downtime looks like. The older we get, the easier it is to let go of self-blame when we “fail” to meet our resolutions.  We’ve definitely become more forgiving and compassionate to ourselves over time. Which begs the two most important questions ever: Why were we so harsh towards ourselves when we were younger?  And why did we ever bash Brussels sprouts?