Middle age...

When are you no longer possibly cool (if you ever were)?

Just about now in my case I think.

Hitting the mid 40's has been an eye opening experience.

My life long near sighted-ness is on the middle-age reverse train, now causing me to wear bifocals, all I'll say is that Bill Cosby wasn't to far off about them (sorry, I couldn't find a good link for his bifocal rant).

negative points off the CS (coolness scale).

My weight battle since starting with "The City" has made me appear more my age than any single other thing, Having previously worked on production equipment, there was always a physical aspect to my job; working on computers, radios, and digital recorders just doesn't build up a sweat, no matter how busy you make yourself.
Get hired by "The City"! Work Crazy Hours on cutting age tech! Get Good Pay! Gain 70 pounds!

Double negative points off the CS.

A couple years ago, I started playing guitar again and have added guitars to the stable and even modded a couple of them. I credit the Mrs. with starting this trend by getting me a Yamaha APX-5A which got me playing almost every day once again. The girls were interested for a while (see "Guitar Camp" from last summer), #2 did pretty well, and wants to play more this summer when there is more time to do so, so that's something.
The Mrs. and the girls say I'm much better, but I think I'm turning the corner on their patience. I do enjoy playing again, but the problem is; I'm doing it when I should be exercising or sleeping, also lately I've been wondering "What's the point?", it's not like I'm ever going to play for an audience again (unless the neighbors count). I'm right at the point where (If I had the time), I'd like to jam with a couple blokes every once and a while, but as that is unlikely with my reverse schedule, I decided to do it electronically with a Tascam Guitar Trainer.
The band is now always ready.
Brings me almost back up to zero on the CS, but not quite.

This is almost the same thing that happened to me with comics a few years back. I was two days late at the comic shop (I called and told them I would be), and when I got there, they had put my entire mailbox of comics on the shelf (and sold all of them). I was so pissed I told them to cancel the mailbox. It was really their loss, as I was spending 40-90 buck a month on average; money was also a bit tight then, so it seemed like a justified good idea. I thought I'd miss it (I'd been RE-collecting for almost 13 years), but I haven't really... Since DC started printing their major characters story lines in Trade Paperback format; I'm able to pick them up at Borders during "Buy 2, get 1 free" comics/anime sales and get an entire years worth of issues for multiple Heroes for what I was paying for one month previously. Collecting for me was always about the characters, stories, and art, not the individual issues. My Comics jonz was also filled by the excellent Superman, JLU, Batman Beyond, and now: Legion of Super Heroes animated series, which Bruce Timm and his cronies have done a fantastic job with.

Depending on who you talk to this puts me way over (if you're under 14) or way back negative again for MOST folks my age on the CS.

Driving a mini-van.

definitely back in negative CS.

This past weekend we went to see a band back from my
H.S. days; Off Broadway (most of whom are now over 50). I was nuts about this band, we even played a couple of their songs in my old band (which I sang). Sound and performance wise, it could have been 28 years ago. But they all looked around my age (some older). Was it cool to see them? VERY!, were they still cool?
I can't answer that.

How does that bode for my CS?