You know you’re getting old when you see a classified ad that seems to be missing key information that you’re not privy to, and you’re wondering if it’s just you or if anyone else out there actually knows what “Kid Rock Presale available” means.

Classifieds are part of my normal newspaper reading. I have a soft spot for them since an ad I cut out of a Washington, DC-area newspaper inspired me to write a short story. It took me about a day to write it, another day to perfect it and then I sent it off to a publisher. I heard back within a few weeks, which is unprecedented in the publishing industry. It’s not uncommon to wait for months to hear from an editor.

Not only did they magazine want to publish my story, but they put it in their holiday issue, gave it an illustration and placed it in the center of the magazine.

But if classifieds are becoming impossible for me to understand, how will I get more story ideas?