When is it time to take off the party hat?

[valkyrie]

I have a related question -- what exactly does it mean to settle down? Is marriage considered settling down? Living with someone? Having some sort of career? Having kids?

Maybe because I don't want to have kids, I've always considered the concept of "settling down" irrelevant to my life. Even when I'm employed as a professional and living with Mr. valkyrie, we go out and party when we feel like it, and we'll continue to do so after we're married.

I guess I'm asking because sometimes I wonder if people think that there comes a golden age in your life when it's time to stop having fun and be serious about everything. The beauty of getting older is that you realize that's not true, and you realize that you should be doing exactly what you want to be doing with your life, no matter what all your friends are doing and no matter what anybody else thinks.

[justamom]

Dang this is funny! You all sound like you're ANCIENT!

I tuned my "partying" to the demands of the job I held sometimes I held two.
Because I was in a band till 26, my evenings didn't start till 9 and "work" ended around midnight on week days and apx 1:00 on weekends. That's when the party started...every night except Sunday and Monday. Then, I had to play catch-up with my non musician friends.

I put it all away when I had my first child-well, actually when I decided to get pregnant for obvious reasons. When your very existence means the world to another, you cut the risk and try and live to see another day. .....still, I have had my moments!

Originally posted by AXJules
I think there's a big difference between people who are past the age of 23 and still go out and party, and people with no ambition or goals.

Oh, absolutely... I wasn't trying to say that there isn't. Sorry if that came out wrong! I still go out and party once in a great while... like I said, I would more if I wasn't so damn tired all the time!

I wasn't trying to put anyone down who still goes out... I was just saying that if that's all a person does, then there's problems

[mu_agd]

Originally posted by Hatchetface
Well now...I am 23 and I still hit the bottle just as hard as I did back when I was a youngin'.

Course I go out and drink to get wasted so I'll forget for two seconds how ugly I am. I guess that means I'm an alcoholic.

nothing wrong with being an alcoholic.

[justamom]

Hatchetface , never ever say things like that-and change your name. You never know how beautiful you are in the eyes of another. Change your damn name!

[swissmiss04]

I don't care what people say about my going out style. Some nights, I don't. Other nights, I stay out until 4 or so. I used to let people pressure me into staying out waaaaaay past my bedtime even when I had something important the next morning. Now I'm like "Screw it, no night out is worth being run down/sick." As long as you're going out (or not) for yourself, don't worry!

[CarolinaDG]

Originally posted by Rudey
When did 2AM become late?

Chicago pisses me off because there are very few places really open late - specially on Fridays.

When Twilo was open in NYC, my friends and I had no problem leaving late - 9 AM once. Go to any European country and things are boring until about 11 or 12.

-Rudey

In South Carolina, 2 AM is when the bars CLOSE. People go out for happy hour, and sometimes are done by midnight (depending on the night) and on Saturday nights get kicked out at 2. Yay for forced Christianity!

[valkyrie]

Originally posted by CarolinaDG
In South Carolina, 2 AM is when the bars CLOSE. People go out for happy hour, and sometimes are done by midnight (depending on the night) and on Saturday nights get kicked out at 2. Yay for forced Christianity!

Colorado is the same way -- it's ridiculous. That alone makes me want to go back to Chicago.

[sororitygirl2]

I was a party girl early on in college, slowed down and then started back up again my last year of school. Now I've been out a couple years and am wanting to start living it up again, but all my friends seem to be over it. And the ones that aren't just annoy me because they seem immature.

Can't you be grownup and fun? Or is that like the holy grail or something - unattainable?

[James]

If you attain celebrity status or great wealth . . you can party forever.

[CarolinaDG]

Originally posted by sororitygirl2
I was a party girl early on in college, slowed down and then started back up again my last year of school. Now I've been out a couple years and am wanting to start living it up again, but all my friends seem to be over it. And the ones that aren't just annoy me because they seem immature.

Can't you be grownup and fun? Or is that like the holy grail or something - unattainable?

How about you move to Charlotte, and we'll go out. I feel the same way. I want to go out, but when I do it's all really really really young, immature people. I mean, I just don't go out anymore to pick up a frat boy or do shots on an ice louge.

[amycat412]

Originally posted by 33girl
This thread cracks me up, especially when people are saying "OMG, soon I will be 24 and people will expect me to settle down!" I know plenty of people who settled down because they thought they were "supposed" to and ended up divorced because they were so effing bored and miserable with their lives. Too bad they had already had several kids.

Then there are people who ARE ready to settle down at 20 and never have a regret. I don't deny they exist, I just don't think there are as many of them as there used to be, especially as our world in general gets smaller and it's easier to see what else is out there.

I don't feel the pressure I did in college to go out (from within myself, not from my friends) but I still love to - last night Mr 33 and I were out till 2 and outlasted all of the (younger) people at the table with us. If people are telling you you're too old to do this or that, they're the ones with issues, not you. Some people can't be happy with their lives unless they are criticizing the lives of others.

And one other fact to chew on....I am in my mid 30's and got carded at EVERY bar I went to last night. So I must be doing something right LOL.

Touche Sheila. Some nights Mr Amycat and I are home at 11, some nights 6am--depends on the evening's activities and how inspired we are by them.

I turned 35 last week and got carded Tuesday night buying wine at Trader Joe's. YAY!

[XOMichelle]

Hey Amycat! It's good to see you on the chat boards!
Thanks for your perspective, I agree :-)

[ADqtPiMel]

I'm not even 21 yet, and sometimes I feel like I'm partied out. I started partying heavily early in high school, and I've kind of just gotten tired of it.

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by CarolinaDG
In South Carolina, 2 AM is when the bars CLOSE. People go out for happy hour, and sometimes are done by midnight (depending on the night) and on Saturday nights get kicked out at 2. Yay for forced Christianity!

That's crazy. Last call is at 2am here, but most of the bars stay open way past that. You just can't drink anymore.