"you don't look that old" - compliment or dig?

I'm not unused to being carded when buying alcohol. It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens often enough that I generally feel pretty happy that I don't yet look like someone who doesn't even need to be carded anymore. (Btw, use of double-or-more-negatives in one sentence is directly proportional to amount of alcohol consumed at time of writing. So I've realized.)

Tonight, after doing a little after-work shopping at the mall, I stopped at a convenience store to gas up the car, and bought a six pack while I was there. The cashier didn't ask for my id, but she did ask my birthdate, to enter into her register for the alcohol purchase. When I told her the year, she said to me, "you don't look that old."

At first that made me smile, and I thanked her. But as I was walkng out of the store to my car, I thought to myself, "wait, does that mean that I SHOULD look old now?" And then, "wait, AM I old now?"

Fuck. Yeah, I guess I am old now. I didn't mind reaching my thirties, I really didn't. I think being in your thirties is probably one of the best times in life, as far as your age and where you are in life and shit. But I don't think that, in considering that, I ever really projected myself getting beyond the age of 35. Your thirties are cool, I thought ... as long as you're 35 or younger.

My year of birth is 1974. I am 35. And on my next birthday, holy fuck, I'll be 36.

I'm probably being arbitrary and illogical in prescribing some kind of difference here, between one year and the next, but I can't help it; I feel a bit like Charlotte from Sex and the City, when she suddenly has a problem with her birthday once she hits 36. She doesn't want to go beyond 35. Especially since she was single and not really where she saw herself being at 35 ... she didn' want to acknowledge that next year when it came.

I think the cashier tonight was being nice, giving a compliment I think, when she said "you don't look that old." But I've also thought that before, when I've been carded or whatever, and have heard similar comments; I've thought, "thanks :)" (yes, with the smiley face). Because I thought "oh, they think I look young." But tonight, after having that initial thought, I followed it up with "oh, wait ... does that mean they're surprised I don't look .... old?" Which is a sucky thought, because that means I actually am old.

Or at least I must be thinking of myself as old ... since my current reaction to that statement is apparently to pout.

P.S. It's now more than an hour after the writing of the above post, and I feel like adding: It's fun to go shopping. Actually, maybe more than the shopping part, it's fun to come home after shopping and go through all the new stuff you bought. Especially when all the new stuff is girly stuff, like makeup and shoes and shit. I'm drinking and playing with my new makeup and figuring out what outfit I'm going to wear to work tomorrow that will show off my new shoes, and I make no apologies whatsoever for being so girly and liking it.