Hi!

The questions below serve only curiosity purposes. If you don't like talking about your age, just vote and don't post replies.

Thank you,
AnnaBtG.

I'm 22 . . . I'll be 23 at the beginning of December. Of course I don't hide my age -- I've always been the youngest one in my class at school and last year I was the youngest person in the entire Biomedical Engineering Graduate Students Association. Although, before I turned 18 and before I turned 21, I lied about my age all the time. Oops, did I say that . Hey, all of my friends were older than I was.

- Laura

I've never quite understood what the point was in lying about your age... the only thing I can think of is that it would be to avoid (perceived) discrimination. I'm 35 and a half, so I actually voted with the 36-50 crowd. Hmm... maybe I do lie about my age!

Um, anyway, no, I don't lie about my age, other than occasionally promoting myself before my official birthday

PJ

I'm 20 in November so I just usually count myself as being 20 it's not a lie exactly and besides actually most of my friends are younger than me.

Hi,

I always forget my age. Is not on purpose.

MAF

Sheesh, Pam, leave me stranded all alone in the 26-35 category whydoncha?

I don't lie about my age, but I am considering sticking with 29 for a while.

Rivka, you are no longer alone; I registered myself in the 26-35 year-old category. Pam, I, too, am 35 1/2 - at least, I will be in December, and that's too close for my happiness... When's your birthday, if you don't mind me asking?

Good question... I'd love to get to know more people here that are close to my own age

Melisma (slinking tiredly back under her Rock - time for her afternoon nap, and yes, she does take a nap in the afternoon, as it's the only way she can teach all morning *and* all evening and get enough rest!)

I will be 50 in October and I don't really think about age other than I still haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up! Now that the kids are grown and, usually out of the house, I'm enjoying the heck out of being me. Who's got time to worry about age!
Catherine

Thanks, Mel. Pam has my bday . . . except she seems to think it's hers.

Hi,

Since I was 15 years old my mother was 39. Now I'm 43 years old and is getting to her forty something (fifty) when in reality she near 70's.

I don't see the reason of taking age off.

Soon she'll be younger than me.

I'll be 25 in November, but I usually have to calculate my age if asked about it.

--Bernd

LOL, Kri-El - you too? I thought I was the only one who had to have a serious think when anyone asked! Nice to know I'm not alone there!

LabRat

Okay another one for the 13-19 category here

sunshine

LabRat and Kri-El, you are not alone. I'll be turning 39 (I think...let's see, born in 1964, it's 2003...yeah 39)

As the years add up the harder it is to remember my age, Elisabeth's age, and my parent's age. I don't even try to remember my in-laws.

My eldest will never have this issue. With her being born in Dec of 1999, all she will have to do is take the current year, subtract 2000 and tack on what ever month it is. Take today for example she is 3 years and 9 months old.

James

LOL, Bernd and Labby, I've done that too. This year I know my age, since one of the "0s" is hurtling toward me. But I've been known to say things like, "I'm 26. No, wait, I had a birthday last month, I must be 27. Is that right?" <rapid calculations> "No, I was right the first time, 26."

Well, Rivka, even you admit that I had it first! But that's okay, I'm used to sharing -- one of my cousins was born on that day, too. And one of my best friends in college. And a certain message boards Oh, and I heard that it's now a national holiday in Iraq! But it's possible they weren't thinking of me when they decided that...

For Mel and anyone else dying of curiousity, said birthday is in April

PJ

I'm in the category 60 to 80. I'm 62 and when people ask my age I tell them.

When people ask me about my age, I say, "Guess."

I'm 21, but look a lot younger. I've had people (recently) think I'm 12, 15, 16, etc. So I make them guess, just so I can have more fodder to make fun of myself. And them, of course.

Someone told my mom last week that she thought my mom was in her mid thirties -- she's 48 with two kids in college and one already out. And people have always told my dad, "You look too young to be married/have kids/have kids in school/have kids in high school/have kids in college/have a son getting married." So I guess I'm doomed to look young for the rest of my life...I know, I know, I'll appreciate it when I'm older.

Bethy (who doesn't really mind it except when it's a cute guy who thinks she's more kid sister material than potential smoochie material. <g>)

Boy, that 36-50 answer leaves a huge gap. I'm 36 now, and I'm not used to being lumped in with 49-year-olds...

Also, about the lying question...I never really lie...I just usually tell people that I'm 20-16!

Oops, I just realized that I hadn't voted for myself...
I turned 15 last May and - of course - I never lie about my age. (And I'm not planning to do it later.) But, although I don't wear make-up or stuff, I'm often mistaken for being older, I've heard all sort of weird things... a few months ago I went to have my haircut and the hairdresser asked me what classes I attend at the university... :rolleyes: It's quite okay now, but if people keep adding me years like this when I'll be old enough it's going to become a problem...

AnnaBtG.

Enjoy it while it lasts...I'm 2nd year college and people regularly ask me what high school I attend. -_-

Jen

Sorry, can't do this poll, because I don't care who knows my age - which isn't an option in part 2.

I'm 42, if anyone's interested.

And lol at those who can't remember. That's the advantage of being born on a '0' year - it's easy to calculate your age.

Yvonne

I'm with Yvonne. I couldn't care less if people know my age. It's 36, BTW.

I too am one that has to calculate how old I am if someone asks... for myself, my husband, son, sisters.. actually anybody that I know when I ask someone when their birthday is I want the yr that they were born too so that I don't make an embarassing mistake.

Yay for being born in a 0 year . Since I was born in the last month of 1980, though, sometimes when I am calculating my age that way, I give myself an extra year by accident. Just today, my friend asked me how old I was and I told him 23 and then I had to ammend myself. It was sort of embarassing .

- Laura

I'm another person born in a 0 year, 1980 to be exact. My birthday is June 16, nearly dead center in the year, so that makes me 23 this time of year. I never lie about my age, though I did routinely until I turned 21. (Never felt the need to lie to make myself 18, but 21 was a whole other story.) Now that I'm "of age" I never lie, but I don't go out of my way to explain either. For example, if I'm with a group of people planning our evening out and someone asks, "Are you 21?" I usually just say yes, since what they are really asking is if I'm 21 or older and therefore able to get into all bars/clubs. I don't feel the need to give them my exact age; they could care less. So I'm sure there are some people out there who think I'm a year or two younger than I am, but I didn't lie out of any need to hide my age. I can't imagine that I ever will. I've never really understood the need to hide one's age.

Annie

Jen,
The exact same thing happens to me. I'm a sophomore in college and I'll be 20 this November, but I still get asked all the time "which high school do you go to?" or my favorite, "are you thinking about college?" I feel like replying, "yeah, 20 credit hours worth of thinking."

Becki

LOL Labby & Kri-El - I usually have to calculate my age, also. In fact I almost voted in the 20-25 range, forgetting that I recently had a birthday!

And I rarely lie about my age, except to not tell my students when they guess correctly - but that's more of a habit than anything at this point

I'm 25, almost 26. I don't lie about my age, because people don't believe me in the first place.

I've found that it's easy to remember my family's ages. My oldest brother is 1 year younger, so that's easy. My middle brother is a bit harder, being 14 years younger. My dad is exactly 20 years older than me, and my mom is 20 years older than me or my brother, depending on the time of year. My husband's mom was born in 1950, and his dad is exactly 10 years older than my dad - give or take 3 days. It's my husband's age that gets me confused sometimes! 3 1/2 years older, and it has a tendency to throw me off.

I don't tell. Someone says ASL and I say I don't tell/Girl/I don't tell. That's all there is to it. (Unless I *really* like you and we get along well. *Then* I might tell. )

LOL Anni! On chat lines where I don't really feel comfortable sharing ASL (or if some twerp IMs me and I don't know him/her at all), I usually say
'old enough to know better but young enough to do it anyway/guess/not with you' or some other smart-aleck reply. Sometimes I play with the guy - pretend to be a guy (a gay guy, just to make it more fun), or act like a girl all along, and then say, 'well really, I'm a guy' (and see how fast he disconnects!), or some such like that. Not that I really get a lot of unknown people trying to IM with me...

Melisma (giggling, under her Rock, as she remembers the last time she did that - she was pretending to be a gay guy, and it turned out the guy was gay too... *Hello*! )

This is slightly off topic to the original question, but when I answered I wasn't thinking about lying to people about your age online, and this brings up a concern of mine, so I thought I'd respond again.

I only talk online to people I know in real life or to folcs. But lately I've had a lot of random strangers IM me when I'm on IRC. My standard reply is, "I'm sorry, I think you've confused me with someone else." Half the time, that is enough to stop them, but the other half the time, they are just as happy to talk to me as whoever they were looking for. So my second response is to tell them politely that I don't talk to people I don't know. Have a nice day. Etc.

But lately more and more the content of the IMs are of a sexual nature from the beginning. So when that's the case, I start off saying, "I'm sorry, I'm only fourteen. I don't think I should be having this type of conversation with you." hoping they will apologize and stop. But I was ASTOUNDED by the number of people who will say things like, "You're fourteen! Me too!" My response to that is always, "Great. So if my dad, who's a cop, traces your IP number, he'll find out your really a kid and not some forty-year-old pervert?" You'd be amazed how fast they sign off. <G> But while I find that mildly amusing, mostly I find it horrifying and I worry about all the chatters out there who really ARE fourteen year old girls.

See, Annie, that's why I've always got the +i flag turned on. If they don't know I'm there, they can't talk to me. Of course, you use a more common name than I do, so it may not always work...

I used to think up a bunch of responses to the a/s/l requests when I was in more active, less age-restricted chat rooms. Too bad I've forgotten most of them, it's been too many years since I've gotten one. I've found that everywhere I go to chat now, people hate those, and will often bounce the requester out of the room/channel!

I have found that people have started talking to me because of my IP/domain. It shows where I live (gee, thanks, RoadRunner). And telling people that I'm married still doesn't seem to deter them. *sigh*

Bethy, I have the same problem.

I look a lot younger than I am (it's all in the family). I often let people guess when asked about my age, and it's usually the same thing: they miss it by 10 to 15 years.

Okay, it's more flattering that anything else, especially when, from time to time, you benefit from the "under 15th" prices while entering exhibitions or movie theatres.

So how old am I? Well, there are a few pics online that could give you a hint. So,be my guess!

Carole

Ok, I know what the A and S are in A/S/L, but what's the L?

Isn't ASL short for age - sex - living?

Pelican

I've always thought it meant Age/Sex/Location. Like, where do you live? And you aren't *ever* supposed to tell an absolute stranger where you live, at least, enough information about you that they can figure out how to find you. I get away with telling them what I do because I live in a huge city area (and I actually do not live *in* the city, and I never tell them exactly what part of the area I am), and I use a pseudonym online that has nothing to do with my real name, so they can't just look me up in the phonebook. At least, I think it works... It's important to be aware of your personal online safety, folcs - can't stress it enough!

Melisma (crawling back under her Rock to go to bed finally)

Oh! Of course. Thanks, Mel.

No problem, Rivka - I remember my very first time in a YahooChat room, getting asked a/s/l, and being very embarrassed at having to ask what that meant! Better you ask in a friendly forum like this than in a more hostile environment like that...

Melisma (under her Rock, glad she doesn't hang out at YC much anymore...)

I'm feeling very young :s I'm glad Anna is here. I'm 16. However, the popular "guess" age for me right now is 9. "What grade are you going into? 5th?" I'll appreciate it later...

Really?!?!?!?!?! Wow!!!!!!!

AnnaBtG.

I'm not appreciating it yet...

Good friend of mine happens to be a priest at my church, and the first time I met him, I could have sworn he was 30 (he'll be 40 next summer ) I wonder if he appreciates it yet...

Jen

I'm with a few of you out there. Born in an 0 year (1980). Oct 4th to be exact...just 11 more days till I'm 23!

I've been told though that I look as young as 15 or 16, depending on how I do my hair I think...

My mom will be 49 this year but she looks like she's in her 30s. I've had people think she's my older sister before. I love it, she looks great! Though it was weird a few years ago when my boyfriend at the time thought she was hot...(he still does) Not that I was or am jealous or anything - I broke up with him because I realized he was nothing more than a friend to me - I just didn't and don't want him thinking about either of us like that! ewwww... My friends still tease me about it.

Well I was born in November 27th, 1980 (hey my birthday will be at the same day of thanksgiving this year! ) but I have two different "guess ages": if people judge me by the way I look they think I'm 16 or 18. However if people who knows me enough and talks to me every day about every thing they don't believe I'm only 22 (well almost 23 now ) they think I think like someone who is 30 or something like that. Weird, huh? They say I'm too mature for my age. Well some friends of mine use to call me Doctor Raquel Friskin because I use to help them a lot ...sentimental help and other things..hey looks like I am mature for my age after all!

Okay I babbled too much already.

Raquel (who is glad that people don't think she is older by the way she looks or that she is younger by the way she acts and think )

Just remember: Birthdays are very healthful. The more you have, the longer you live.

I'm hitting my 40'th in a little over a month. I don't feel any different....yet. My mom still tells me how she remembers sitting with ~ 3 week old me in her lap, watching JFK's funeral on tv.

Ah - history. Does anyone have a birthday co-inciding with a famous event? For instance, my oldest daughter was born on the 5'th anniversary of the Challenger explosion (Jan 28, '91, also the first day of the ground war in the first Iraq incident)

Frank (just idle curiosity)

Well, I'm told that I was born on the day of Martin Luthor King Jr's funeral. Cheery, eh? And then last spring, my birthday was the day they toppled that famous statue in Baghdad. I hear that it's a national holiday in Iraq now

Oh, and the best one -- these boards officially opened for business on my birthday

PJ
Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

I was born on the day my mom and dad became parents.

Well, erm, does it count that Prince William was born on my 14th birthday?

Melisma (under her Rock with no better claim to fame, she thinks)

I was born on the anniversary of George Reeves' suicide. It's nice to have a "superman connection" but I have to say that I really would rather it was something happier.

Annie

Desi Arnaz died on my 6th birthday. A lot of people wouldn't care about that, but I am a *huge* "I Love Lucy" fan -- I even was when I was 6, so it was really sad for me that Ricky Ricardo died on my birthday. However, I didn't find out that he died on my birthday until just a few months ago.

- Laura

I share my birthday with King Henry VIII of England, the painter Peter Paul Reubens and Rosseau. James Madison died on my birthday and the assassination of the heir to the throne of Austria, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophia, in Sarajevo by a Serbian Nationalist,Gavrilo Princip occured then. This incident precipitated a war with Serbia, eventually starting WW1. Ohoh, and the Treaty of Versailles ending WW I was signed

May 17th, 1988. I don't know of anything that happened at that day (or at May 17th in general).

My little brother was born on Christmas Eve though

AnnaBtG.

I don't know if something important happened on May 27th...but...

Anna you're kidding right? Clark arrive on earth May 17th...

Carolyn

What?? Really?? Where does it say so??

AnnaBtG. (really proud )

http://www.scopesys.com/anyday/

Here you can find out all sorts of things about your birthday.

Nqoire,
That's a very interesing site. I knew my birthday was on the anniversary of Martin Luther (not Luthor!) posting his theses on the Wittenburg door, but I didn't realize it was also the anniversary of the first thermonuclear bomb detonation -1952 (that's fusion rather than fission). And lots of other things.

Time for some more research.

Frank (Glad I asked the question)

Dang, I didn't recognize any of the names associated with my birthday!
It's January 16, 1988 BTW. I'm 15. I was born on the same year that Robin #2 got whacked by the Joker.

Yes, that's an interesting site, Nqoire, although a little US-centric at times. A European equivalent might be interesting too, if there was such a thing.

But, hold that pony! Under public holidays I discovered this:

Not only have I not the faintest smegging idea what Handsel Monday is...but I was completely unaware till now that my birthday falls on a public holiday!

LabRat (demanding to know who in authority has kept this one quiet all these years...and who do I complain to? )

Hrm. I don't have many birthdays I recognize, but I do have a lot of firsts... 103 pilgrims land on Plymouth Rock, HMS Beagle sails into Bay of Islands, 18 students play 1st basketball game, 1st junior high school established, 1st crossword puzzle (with 32 clues) printed in New York World, 1st feature-length silent film comedy, "Tillie's Punctured Romance" released (starring Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand & Charles Chaplin), 1st feature-length color & sound cartoon premieres (Disney's Snow White)... all this on December 21st. Wow.

If I'm not mistaken in Tempus Figitive, when Clark puts the date to where Lois and him should go to stop Tempus, was: May 17th 1966 Smallville.
The day he arrived and the Kents found him.

Carolyn

I think I can claim that I have the most interesting birthday so far (as long as L&C is concerned, anyway)

I visited your site, Nquoire. I didn't find about many people I knew, except for Sandro Boticelli: Was born on May 17th, 1444 and died on May 17th, 1510! Now THAT's a coincidence.





May 17th, in Greece, is St. Andronikos day (Andronikos=he who wins the men). He's not a very known saint, but they could have named me Androniki after him

I had seen another site about birthdays, LabRat, but don't remember the link. It wasn't as interesting as Nquoire's one though.

See ya,
AnnaBtG.

Nice site Nqoire!!! I found out that I share my birthday with some very interesting people: 1940 Bruce Lee; 1942 Jimi Hendrix, 1954 Curtis Armstrong actor (Moonlighting - oh I loved this show ) and 1957 Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg JFK's daughter (that's the ones I could recognize <g>)

As for some LnC connection does the death of Baby Face Nelson who was shot by FBI agents in 1934 counts?

Holidays: my birthday is a National Day in Burma, in Cuba it's Martyrs' Day and the best one of all I was born in Thanksgiving Day!!! Yeah I was born on the last Thursday of 1980...pretty cool! And this year my birthday will be on the same day of Thanksgiving again

Raquel (who really needs to search where Burma is and why they stole her birthday )

Burma is now called Myanmar, and it's in southeast Asia - on a peninsula that's shared by Cambodia, Thailand, and a couple other countries, if that will help you locate it on the map.

Melisma (under her Rock, suspecting that it was actually Raquel who stole Burma's birthday and not the other way around )

LOL Melisma, thanks for your help. I did locate it on map.

Raquel (who still thinks her birthday should be a National Holiday in Brazil too )