OT the Senior Citizens Playgroup

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote:

So I thought I should get out more so I went along to it. We play
scrabble
and dominoes and can do jigsaws if we want to, some are doing a 1000
piece
which will take them weeks as we only have two hours.
They are all nice. I was demolished at dominoes last week by a 90 yo.
I am by far the youngest there We pay ?1 a week and get a meal out in
the
summer and at Christmas.
I did a jigsaw last time and completed it, next week it will be playing
scrabble with them.

I never thought I would be reduced to this.

Maybe you also need something a little more meaningful to do? I'm not
judging the activity itself, but if it feels like you're being "reduced"
to something, maybe you don't feel that whiling away your time playing
games is enough for you.

Maybe you could look into some volunteer work? Didn't you mention the
volunteers who check out the homes of people who've adopted cats from
shelters? That would still put you in contact with other people. I
don't have a personal agenda about how you spend your time, I'm just
responding to what sounded like a bit of disappointment or
dissatisfaction with the activities in the dominos-and-jigsaw group.
You wouldn't have to quit going there, just do something else as well.

Do you like reading books? Maybe there's a book group in your area?

Just some thoughts.

I looked at the Cats Protection group in my area, and there are no cats
available for rehoming so my idea of checking homes out is redundant.
I'm a bit concerned that they ask for a fifty pound donation if you adopt a
cat as you can easily get a kitten from the newspaper adverts for 20-30.
They are pricing themselves out of the market.

Tweed

Cheryl wrote:

On 2012-09-20 5:36 PM, Bastette wrote:

If they're like the ones here, they take whoever will volunteer to
perform, and yes, they mostly do seem to fall in those categories, plus
folk music.

There's probably a much bigger folk scene in Newfoundland than in Arizona.

We've got a very active music scene, covering many genres, and certainly
folk music is very popular here - I can't speak for Arizona!

I probably spoke too soon, anyway. When I think "folk music," I immediately
think of the kind of stuff I used to hear in Boston, which probably has a
lot of overlap with Newfoundland folk - Celtic is pretty popular in Boston,
for example. In southern Arizona (which is where I *think* Evelyn lives) there
must be plenty of Mexican folk music to be heard. I overlooked that, and I
don't have much excuse for it since I'm a big fan of international folk.
But I'm not a big fan of traditional Mexican music, I have to admit.

Since I'm on a roll dissing entire genres of music, I'm also not a fan
of opera (sorry, Evelyn!). I just can't get past the singing style, and I
have tried. Anyway, a few years ago, a friend asked me if I wanted to go
see a "Mariachi opera." Aaaagh! I thought my head would explode!

--
Joyce

And for those who are constitutional originalists and worry about
mustering a militia, let's go with what the founding fathers had -
allow them muskets! -- NancyE

Cheryl wrote:

On 2012-09-20 5:43 PM, Bastette wrote:
Cheryl wrote:

wouldn't touch such affairs either because they consider them childish
(or themselves treated as children) or because they have some idea that
socializing with strangers you go to a club to meet is somehow
second-class compared to socializing in a private home with ones friends
and relations.

Then I guess I've been childish my whole life. My main source of
social activity has always been with peers, who I met in various social
groups, and who were strangers when I first started going. How is that
more childish than hanging out with your family??

I'm just reporting on what I observe!

Yeah, I know. I didn't think that was your opinion.

I suspect that being clustered in
little groups by some criteria such as age (not common interests) and
then presented with organized activities, take it or leave it, reminds
some people a bit too much of primary school, or maybe small children's
birthday parties for those children who are outgrowing them.

I see what you mean. People do treat elders like children oftentimes. I
don't look forward to that.

My social circles are mostly based on common interests. But I often find
that the people I like the best don't share a lot of my interests, and
those who do share them aren't people I want to get to know, especially.
I value my friends a lot, but this does mean I watch a lot of movies by
myself, for example.

--
Joyce

And for those who are constitutional originalists and worry about
mustering a militia, let's go with what the founding fathers had -
allow them muskets! -- NancyE

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
On 2012-09-20 3:43 PM, EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:


MatSav wrote:

"Reduced"? REDUCED???

Although you say "they're all nice", my interpretation of your message
is that you think people who attend this type of club are in some way
not as good as the rest of the population.

Anyway, in another post, you mentioned that you liked working with
older people!

It's not a matter of "good" or "bad", Mat. People can be "nice" and not
particularly congenial because of education and/or interests. (One of
the reasons I find my senior residence a "mixed blessing" is that all
the "entertainers" they present play either "pop", country-Western or
gospel music, all of which I dislike intensely!)

If they're like the ones here, they take whoever will volunteer to
perform, and yes, they mostly do seem to fall in those categories, plus
folk music.

--
Cheryl

If our senior center ever had folk or gospel music, I might go to some of
their events. Here it is either country-Western or some form of jazz, which
doesn't interest me.

Joy

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
m...


Cheryl wrote:
On 2012-09-20 3:43 PM, EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:


MatSav wrote:

"Reduced"? REDUCED???

Although you say "they're all nice", my interpretation of your message
is that you think people who attend this type of club are in some way
not as good as the rest of the population.

Anyway, in another post, you mentioned that you liked working with
older people!

It's not a matter of "good" or "bad", Mat. People can be "nice" and not
particularly congenial because of education and/or interests. (One of
the reasons I find my senior residence a "mixed blessing" is that all
the "entertainers" they present play either "pop", country-Western or
gospel music, all of which I dislike intensely!)

If they're like the ones here, they take whoever will volunteer to
perform, and yes, they mostly do seem to fall in those categories, plus
folk music.

No, they PAY most of them. (Although there's a volunteer group called
"Pickers and Grinners" who play here every Friday evening just to get
together, and IMO are far more "professional" than most of the paid
entertainers, even though they play the same sort of stuff.)

I suspect that depends on the senior center.

Joy

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote:

So I thought I should get out more so I went along to it. We play
scrabble
and dominoes and can do jigsaws if we want to, some are doing a 1000
piece
which will take them weeks as we only have two hours.
They are all nice. I was demolished at dominoes last week by a 90 yo.
I am by far the youngest there We pay ?1 a week and get a meal out in
the
summer and at Christmas.
I did a jigsaw last time and completed it, next week it will be playing
scrabble with them.

I never thought I would be reduced to this.

Maybe you also need something a little more meaningful to do? I'm not
judging the activity itself, but if it feels like you're being "reduced"
to something, maybe you don't feel that whiling away your time playing
games is enough for you.

Maybe you could look into some volunteer work? Didn't you mention the
volunteers who check out the homes of people who've adopted cats from
shelters? That would still put you in contact with other people. I
don't have a personal agenda about how you spend your time, I'm just
responding to what sounded like a bit of disappointment or
dissatisfaction with the activities in the dominos-and-jigsaw group.
You wouldn't have to quit going there, just do something else as well.

Do you like reading books? Maybe there's a book group in your area?

Just some thoughts.

--
Joyce

The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in
the morning feeling just terrible. -- Jean Kerr

You could even join Toastmasters, where you'd meet a lot of people of
different ages, backgrounds, and interests.

Joy

"dgk" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 20 Sep 2012 01:57:38 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

So I thought I should get out more so I went along to it. We play
scrabble
and dominoes and can do jigsaws if we want to, some are doing a 1000 piece
which will take them weeks as we only have two hours.
They are all nice. I was demolished at dominoes last week by a 90 yo.
I am by far the youngest there We pay £1 a week and get a meal out in the
summer and at Christmas.
I did a jigsaw last time and completed it, next week it will be playing
scrabble with them.

I never thought I would be reduced to this.

I can't wait to be retired. I like my job but would rather not have
one. I think I can almost afford to retire if I don't spend too much.
And I'd have more time to spend with the kitties! My plan is about 3
1/2 more years of work. I hope it works out.

I spent a week in July with my brothers, mother, and assorted kids and
cousins. We did various games, and yes, a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.
We'd just walk by, stop for a second, put in a few more pieces, and it
was fun working with the kids and teaching them how to recognize
pieces. I wish we could spend more time together but everyone lives in
different cities so one week a year is pretty much it for a big
gathering.

But I hate having to leave the cats.

I have never regretted leaving my job, even though money is tight until my
pension kicks in July 2013.
How nice it is to ignore the alarm clock. I get up when I wake up and it's
not 6.30 am like it was.
Boyfie has adjusted to 9 a.m before he starts moaning about starvation.

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
On 9/19/2012 8:57 PM, Christina Websell wrote:
So I thought I should get out more so I went along to it. We
play scrabble
and dominoes and can do jigsaws if we want to, some are doing
a 1000 piece
which will take them weeks as we only have two hours.
They are all nice. I was demolished at dominoes last week by
a 90 yo.
I am by far the youngest there We pay £1 a week and get a
meal out in the
summer and at Christmas.
I did a jigsaw last time and completed it, next week it will
be playing
scrabble with them.

I never thought I would be reduced to this.


I see some people are objecting to the phrase "reduced to
this". What difference does it make if you have a good time?

I've always been a rather solitary person. We moved so often
when I was a child I got used to amusing myself. I read a
lot. John thinks I should be more social, so I've been
attempting to expand my circle of friends. It isn't as easy
as it sounds. With the exception of my neighbor Lynn, owned
by Schwartzie & Fedders, I barely know anyone who lives here.
Other than our cats she and I don't have much in common. She's
an avid gardener (she's got tons of outdoor plants in big
pots.) I'm not interested in gardening; I don't even have
house plants. I like to cook; she regards cooking as a
necessary evil We're friendly, and we help each other out,
sure. That's the extent of it.

I only know the other people (some of whom are only here a
couple of months out of the year) to wave and say hi to.
That's about it. *Everyone* here is older than I am. Age
doesn't concern me, we simply don't have much in common.

As long as you have a good time, I wouldn't worry about it.

Jill

Yes, I too believe that having a good time is where it is at,
and contributing, if you have the skills.
I play Mah Jongg once a week with 4 women who have become good
friends. I am also teaching the game in my mobilehome complex.
My other main activity is with my retired teachers group, where
I actively contribute computer interface functions.

Sylvia M.

"Will in New Haven" wrote in message
...

Somerset Maugham or someone else was once told by a younger
acquaintance that the younger acquaintance had never learned to play
bridge. And he said "Why what do you plan to do when you are older?"

It's a great game and most of us who play it in the U.S. are older.


My youngest uncle and his wife play Bridge and have a Mercedes car to make
them feel important.
Last time they came here we did a bit of birdwatching and the wife was
concerned about parking the car in case it got stolen because it ..it was a
Mercedes.
Needless to say, it didn't get stolen,and why would it?

On Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:27:56 -0700 (PDT), Will in New Haven
wrote:

On Sep 19, 8:57*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
So I thought I should get out more so I went along to it. *We play scrabble
and dominoes and can do jigsaws if we want to, some are doing a 1000 piece
which will take them weeks as we only have two hours.
They are all nice. *I was demolished at dominoes last week by a 90 yo.
I am by far the youngest there We pay £1 a week and get a meal out in the
summer and at Christmas.
I did a jigsaw last time and completed it, next week it will be playing
scrabble with them.

I never thought I would be reduced to this.

Somerset Maugham or someone else was once told by a younger
acquaintance that the younger acquaintance had never learned to play
bridge. And he said "Why what do you plan to do when you are older?"

It's a great game and most of us who play it in the U.S. are older.

We played bridge at college but I haven't played in probably 40 years.
I still read the bridge columns in the paper (I almost never get it
right) and plan on playing again when I retire. It's important to have
a goal!