Why do I always hear these conversations?

And why do they always make me feel so old?

Many years ago on a trip to New York I was waiting in the half-price Broadway ticket line in Herald square, behind a group of college kids. We had a long wait (but I ended up with tickets to Cats!), and I had no one to talk to, so I spent a lot of time eavesdroping on their conversation. At one point one of the girls told the others about this really funny song she had just heard; a guy was tired of his relationship, so he put an ad in the personals, got a response, met the woman at a bar...and it was his girlfriend, they laughed, and their relationship was magically renewed.

It was, of course, Escape (the Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes.

What was so amusing/distressing/mind-boggling to me was the fact that these kids, who were no more than 10 years younger than me, had never EVER heard that song until their friend shared it with them! NEVER!!!! Totally freaky, and it made me feel ancient (and keep in mind I had not yet hit 30 when this story took place).

Well, this morning it happened again. I had no coffee in the house, and for some reason it seemed easier to go out for breakfast than to go buy coffee, so I wound up at Elmo's. As luck would have it, soon after I was seated a group of kids. Again, I was alone, so it was easy to eavesdrop! Pretty soon, their conversation turned to Hannah Montana/Myley Cyrus (who one of them called Milo Cypress!). Again, one or two of them knew the HM/MC phenomena, and was trying to explain it to the rest.

And once again, it made me feel everlastingly, immeasurably OLD. I do know who Myley Cyrus is. I also remember her Dad's songs, which these kids probably don't. And, God help me, I know the ins and outs of the whole Hannah/Mylie thing. Not because I'm the right age demographic, but because my CHILDREN are. I am less than irrelevant; I am the parent of a marketing demographic.

Hmph. I knew I should've just bought coffee and come home!