Tuesday 30 August 2011

50 is the new 70

Down the road from my house there's a billboard advertising sheltered housing. 'Independent Living For The Over 55s' it says, alongside a photo of a smiling, middle-class 55-year-old woman and an almost identical smiling, middle-class 85-year-old woman. It's not clear which one of them is plotting to put the other one away.

Saturday 20 August 2011

Don't call me a silver surfer

It's official. The golden generation previously known as 'digital natives' no longer exists.

Researchers at the Open University have decided that there is no generational difference between how people use the internet. It's more about learning styles or something. (I think this is just an academic take on 'you're as old as you feel'.)

Thank goodness for that.

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Why I'm scared to leave my job

When Tuesday feels like Friday, and Sunday night feels like it did when you were at school, you know you are in the wrong job.

I'd love to stop what I'm doing and go and do something else but I'm very afraid that I will be stuck in the same job for ever. It's a bit like being in an abusive relationship. You keep reminding yourself of all the good reasons for staying, and you almost believe it. You try to imagine a different life, and it becomes harder and harder as time goes by. You do nothing for years, and then one day something snaps...