A genuine question for the over 40s on the BBS

When you were in your early 20s, what did you do (that doesn't cost £) in your spare time when your mates weren't available?

Was talking to the other half about this today. We were both raised with the internet from being babies (25 yo), and it's a go-to for every need. If it goes down for more than a few days, we don't know what to do with ourselves after a day or two. We like to go out and see places, and have memberships with National Trust, English Heritage etc but it all costs money even with said memberships.

If we're broke, which we often are, we end up wandering aimlessly, dropping in unexpectedly on family or hounding our ISP to make our internet work. The internet is fantastic, but I can't help but feel it's sucked away a lot of creativity.

What did you lot do pre-1990? I work from home and support us both, so we have a lot of time together and just don't know what to do with it half the time. It always comes down to watching a film, playing a game or something else online. We need new ideas!

 

Go for walks. Mountain biking. Laik football and socialize. Games consoles etc

 

I was at uni from 18 - 22 - always seemed to be something to do or was going on . Living in halls or in a flat your mates were always there or thereabouts. We'd go to the pub most nights and have one or two drinks - if we were really skint it would be soda and lime. It was just a social thing - we'd play football most nights after tea.
After leaving college and starting teaching it was work most nights and a catch up at the weekend with friends or a match if we were at home. We also had a thing in my early 20's where we would pick a random game to attend on the Saturday - ended up all over the pace - Walsall, Hull, West Brom, Arsenal.

I get what you mean then about the internet - got that in 95/96 and things / social/ worklife balance changed

 

Cue ball
Snooker club
Dossing/mooching

Bare in mind the different licensing laws back then and also Sundays everything was closed.

 

Internet.......what's the Internet ?

 

Fitness was a big thing for me, I used to run three or four evening's a week...or do a list of circuit training type stuff...no need to join a gym or anything like that, you can get super fit for sod all...only need to spend an hour or so...by the time you've had a shower half the evenings gone..then listen to John Peel on the radio or put the record player on. Walk the dog and read a bit.
On the weekends did a bit of bird watching, only local stuff in the garden or nearby countryside, got interested in stargazing, spent a fiver on a cheap Russian telescope and borrowed a few books from the library to give me a clue what to look at...even did a bit of gardening with my old man...bored sh**less at first until the peas, beans, taties etc started growing....loads of things to do really but it's just a case of discovering them.

 

Early 20s I was a student, so mainly playing football, hanging out and talking ******** and shagging.

 

Given that the question is what we did when our mates WERE'NT available then for me it was...
Go watch Yorkshire play cricket in the summer.
Read
Listen to music
Watch telly

 

Same as now then?

 

Spent most of my early 20's honing my DJing skills. With vinyl.

 

With partner - talked nonsense, had sex, played music, went for walks.

With friends - talked nonsense, played music.

Pub played a large part with both, but that costs money.

Talked and laughed mostly.

 

Socialise

And getting pissed?

 

That too. In respect of which, not a lot has changed.

 

Music - Everything revolved round it! Great music programme on telebox - The Word etc.
Nothing like doing a Saturday shift at Jack Fulton’s on the market then upto Casa Disco for a new vinyl when finished then back to my room and putting it on.
One that really stands out when got Pshychocandy Jesus and Mary Chain proper blown away!!

 

i was in the army so kill someone or invade some place........... fitness training, read or on the p155

 

An album that still blows me away.

 

When I first heard and saw JAMC they made me laugh, never really took them seriously musically, but they put a smile on my face.

Yeah in the old days listening to music was done at home - none of this mobile music stuff - flicking through your unalphabetically sorted vinyl collection took time so I would sit and listen to music without any other distractions. And once you put a record on you would listen to the whole thing from start to finish listening to every track. Not jumping about watching youtube videos. Think the whole experience was slower and more calming. I never sit down and listen to an album from start to finish these days without having something else on the go.

 

We sang about it at the time;

 

Worked hard and slept. Life was only exciting at weekends.

 

Walks in the country side clears your head there's something in it that getting back to nature calms the soul.Dating back to famous People
One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. William Shakespeare
Looking for a simple way to help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and maybe even improve your memory? Take a walk in the woods.

"Many men are at higher risk for mood disorders as they age, from dealing with sudden life changes like health issues, the loss of loved ones, and even the new world of retirement," says Dr. Jason Strauss, director of geriatric psychiatry at Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance. "They may not want to turn to medication or therapy for help, and for many, interacting with nature is one of the best self-improvement tools they can use."