Old? Young? Which Am I?

Now I know you were all eagerly anticipating the unveiling of my hottest law men list, but alas for you, you are just going to have to wait a couple more days. The list is formulated, but I was struck by something today which I must share.
So I went grocery shopping today and came to a realization that apparently Thursday afternoon is Senior Citizen's time at the grocery store. I felt so young walking through the aisles, which is the opposite of normal. Normally, since I ride the Iowa City bus...a topic I could blog about for days...I find myself on the other side of the river rubbing elbows with the undergrads. And while I realize that I'm not really that much older than them, I still always feel old. Especially as I sit at Old Capital Mall waiting for the bus and listening to their conversations. But today was different. I wandered into my local Hy Vee and found myself to be the youngest customer in the building. And so I ask myself...am I young or old? It seems to depend doesn't it? Now of course while grocery shopping I immediately felt rather fashionable what with my Banana Republic sweater and Oakley sunglasses on my head, until I realized...I didnt really have much competition in the fashion department. You gotta admit, the elderly (my grandparents and father included) are not really known for their great fashion sense.
Before I go any further, I must say that age is not something that normally has an impact on me. I consider age to just be a way to measure how long you've been alive and feel that it has little correlation to athletic ability, cognizate abilities, or wisdom past say the age of 7 or so. I've met very mature 20 year olds and some pretty immature 60 year olds. I'm all about you are how old you feel and look. So I of course have no problem dating people more than a decade older than me (you should try it, its a refreshing change). Now don't worry, I shant bore you with my academic arguments why our society puts too much emphasis on age...just take away that its not something that is normally important to me.
But as I wandered the aisles of Hy Vee taking advantage of all the things on sale (Ive turned into the sterotypical soccer mom, trying to squeeze every penny for what its worth), I realized why I don't like hanging out with the elderly. Now I know what you're thinking, and no. It has nothing to do with a mortality complex. I have no fear of aging...well not really anyways. I'm more afraid of never finding a good job or falling in love. And its not the lack of fashion or even the lack of perfume (recall from Mrs. Doubtfire that grandma smells like fermaldahyde) that drives me away. It's their irritating manner of being so damn social.
Imagine my surprise after I pick out my cereal that this woman informs me that the nutrition label on the side of one of those General Mills cereals that says Whole Grain, doesn't contain any information about fiber. Well I was taken aback that some voice from nowhere would speak to me about the cereal I had just picked out. But then I turned around and realized it was a very nice elderly lady who had chosen the same cereal. There she was being all social, just like my grandfather always is. And so you see why I avoid the elderly. They talk too much...and to anyone who happens to be around. I swear my grandfather would strike up a conversation at a sexual wellness clinic while waiting in line to get a Chlamydia test. Not that he would ever be in such a situation, but you get my point.
But you might be asking...isnt their socialness what makes the elderly so charming? Well yes, I guess if you like such things in people. But not for everyone, and not for me. You see I'm what you would call...well shy I guess is the best word. Maybe slightly xenophobic even. I'm not really a people person when it comes to strangers. They speak to me, and it makes me very uncomfortable. So when I sit in a waiting room at the doctor's office or the dentist, I'm content to sit in the corner and read a magazine. Im also very entertained by sitting on a bench and just watching the people walk by. So when strangers talk to me, I get squirmy and wish they would stop.
Now I know what you're thinking, I'm either OCD or just plain crazy. But I would like to assert that there is nothing wrong with being shy. I can live a wonderful life without conversing with perfect strangers, despite what tv shows tell me. And I can even make friends in the right situation...like if you're going to see the same strangers over and over you might as well talk to them. But the random occurences at the grocery store...well let me buy my frozen California Pizza Kitchen pizzas in peace.
And let me tell you how excited I was to find those. I love the California Pizza Kitchen! I got stood up for a date their once and I so didn't care. I just sat and ate the wonderful food all by myself. If you've never been to one you must go. But anyways, so the moral of this whole story is...California Pizza Kitchen is good, and if someone doesnt want to talk to you it doesnt necessarily mean they dont like you or they are arrogant. It could be that they just arent talkers and would rather just observe.