Young people have no idea …

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Half the people in line were working for scalpers and if someone jumped the line you were going to get beat if you said anything.

 

I don't even try anymore, not the big shows. Costs too much, too much pain in the ass. Add that my wife is pretty much full time in a wheelchair if we're out of the house. Generally if I do try to do a show, it's small halls or clubs, not arenas or domes.

Of all the rock shows I've attended I'd guess that 50% or better were before 1983.

 

Small halls and clubs are better, anyway. You're right up against the music.
I have no desire to go to a stadium or arena show anymore. For all the reasons.

 

How to fix a water heater or furnace.

Nadafinga!

 

Back in the stone age when you bought tickets at the booth, I sat in floor seats often. I saw Yes, the Grateful Dead, Laurie Anderson, and more from inside the third row, and many times from inside the first fifteen rows. I guess those days are gone unless you have a nice fat wallet.

 

That was seriously a consideration for me when I last bought a car. Saw a nice one with a six-speed and thought "I haven't had a car with a clutch in about 20 years, not sure if I remember how to do it any more.

 

Balancing the checkbook monthly. With online banking, can check it any time I damn well please and adjust accordingly.

 

Getting back to grocery stores for a moment making change! Most of the registers at the store I work at have automatic change makers, but a few, like at the in-store Starbucks, do not. The other day, my bill came to $5.61. I handed the kid a 10 and a penny, and he tried to give me back the penny. Just looked at him and said "let's try that again." Finally the light bulb came on.

 

The people who actually count your change back to you are as rare as chicken lips.

 

How to work a set of clackers ...




Also, how not to work a set of clackers ...

 

This has been a pet peeve of mine for a very long time. Nowadays I just get it as close as I can and when I see a confused look on the cashier's face I just tell them to give me any bills and keep the rest.

 

How to cut the grass to make it look respectable, apparently.
Yesterday I cut our neighbor's front yard while doing our own, as I always do. We live on his left. This morning, I saw the teenage son of his neighbor to the right cutting his house's front lawn. The teenager cut the entire yard — except for a 2 1/2-foot wide strip that abutted our common neighbor's driveway.
The kid cut 7/8 of his front yard and left the rest, with ugly shin-high grass. He went halfway between their two houses, which is maybe 5 or 6 feet wide, and stopped.
I'm not sure where exactly the property line is, but who cares? Who would look at that and say, "Yeah, that looks good?" Why the hell wouldn't you just take another five minutes and finish the damn job so that your own yard doesn't look like shit!?

OK, maybe that was a general homeowner pet peeve and rant. But it was caused by a teenager, so I'll blame them.