You know you're on the fast track to mutton when you find yourself wondering, "is my arse too old for these jeans?"

 - mia freedman

having witnessed a spate of gay birthdays in july, i've heard a small chorus from birthday boys and friends lamenting about aging.  i've always lived by the philosophy that you are only as old as you feel.  although -- the boys next to me at the bar last night having a quiet snigger about the lines around my eyes [i am certainly not deaf], drove home the reality that sometimes reality can be cruel.

friends can sometimes be truthful [or cruel] when you are about to fall into the mutton trap.  sneaker shopping last week, i ooh over a pair of pumas which i think look really good [illustrated above].  they don't scream because it only has a hint of colour.  but jeremy thought they were too mutton.  on other days, i would betray my confidence and pick something else.  but i rebelled that day, knowing with full knowledge that my mutton radar was working.

we've all had conversations on whether our wardrobe is age appropriate and i confess i to be fully compliant.  i might have made mistakes about buying clothes i thought i could carry off [at my age] but after the mirror test at home, some items have never made it out of the room.  i know i can never pass off wearing short denim shorts or heroin chic jeans because i'm a sensible lamb and the 80s should really be left behind.

if one dog year equals seven human years, one gay year would probably be equals to nine.  its probably nice when you hear "you look really good" but it somehow gets cancelled out when they say "....for your age."

so do we age gracefully or should we choose to go out with a bang and make the most of it while we can?  if it was between settling down to make babies in domestic bliss with bradley cooper [oh, yum] or wearing my "mutton" sneakers out to a bar for a dance, you know where you'll find me.