abitterwoman wrote:This year I will turn 28. Only 2 years away from the "big" 3-0. I'm actually not worried at all. I'm hoping by then I will stop being carded at the casino. I get stopped like every 4 minutes.

I think age is, as they say, just a state of mind. My mom is 55 (not saying that is old) and she is the most active person I know. I wish I had as much energy as she does.

You are ordering a drink every 4 min?

PemberDucky wrote:Column A, Column B.....

Tab A, Slot B.

PemberDucky wrote:Push button, receive bacon.

Image related:

I had a baby born a month premature about six weeks before my 30th birthday and really didn't have the time to think about it (she's a fine young toddler now - no lasting harm).

I found 32 was a really odd year - like I had the freakout I thought I'd have at 30 about what am I doing with my life and why.

33 has been better (bought my first house and had baby number 2), and I'm up in the air about how I feel about turning 34 this year -- I do find that the passing of the years is causing me to do more about getting the things off the ground I've been talking about doing but not putting the effort into.

35 is a killer....or so I've heard.

I recently turned 50. Turning 30 was no big deal. Turning 40 is harder. However, I've found that during your 30s and 40s, your body starts to pay for the 'sins' of your youth. So, if you're not already eating right & exercising, start now! It gets harder as you get older. You'll likely begin to stock up on Ben Gay, Tiger Balm, Aspercream, Arnuca cream, etc.

And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

One thing I'll add -- as you get into your 30s and especially your 40s, you'll find that things you used to get worked up over aren't that big a deal. While you don't get smacked in the head with any great epiphanies, you do begin to realize what is important and what really isn't.

megward wrote:I found 32 was a really odd year - like I had the freakout I thought I'd have at 30 about what am I doing with my life and why.

i had those every year from age 25 to 78.

30 didn't hurt, 40 hurt for one day, 50 didn't hurt. But, dammit, I'm still not reconciled to 60 and it was five years ago!

pooflady wrote:30 didn't hurt, 40 hurt for one day, 50 didn't hurt. But, dammit, I'm still not reconciled to 60 and it was five years ago!

// [scribbling furiously] ... 60 ... 5 years ago ... carry the one ... dammit, i was told there would be no math!

no1 wrote:// [scribbling furiously] ... 60 ... 5 years ago ... carry the one ... dammit, i was told there would be no math!

11, she's 11. It's not that hard!

KtCallista wrote:It's not that hard!

that's what she said!

Thirty is still young, and here's my reasoning...Take a look at the average lifespans of humans before the 20th century. In almost any era (caveman, mesopotamia, dark ages, etc.), the average life expectancy was 35 years. I'm well past my 35th birthday, and I consider myself to be in the bonus years. You haven't even made it to the average age yet, kiddo.

no1 wrote:i had those every year from age 25 to 78.

Somehow that's almost comforting.

PemberDucky wrote:KENNEY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND AS I HAVE SAID MANY MILLIONS OF TIMES BEFORE, MY BIRTHDAY IS THE 6TH.

(eta: those fine folks have an awesome birthday, too, tho....)

HOLY COW YOU SHARE YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH THE DALAI LAMA, GUITATIST STEVE "Cliffs of Dover" VAI, AND BJORN BORG!!

...and also the kid who played the young Boba Fett in "Attack of the Clones!"

Oh, and FREDDY KRUGER!!

Happy birthday! Is it all different now?

Happy Birthday! I did have a whole long post that I wrote on my own 30th birthday a year and a half ago which I thought about sharing, but it's your birthday, and it basically boils down to this:

Every day is a gift. Crossing that 30 mark does not automatically imbue a person with wisdom. Life can be awesome no matter what age you are, and finally...If Chuck Norris is in his 70's and can still kick butt and take names, than 30 isn't quite as much of a slow down as most people think it is.

Party on and have an awesome day!

bluejester wrote:If Chuck Norris is in his 70's and can still kick butt and take names, than 30 isn't quite as much of a slow down as most people think it is.

chuck norris at 70 has 42 years of knowledge and experience on chuck at 28. if chuck at 70 were to fight chuck at 28, who would you pick to win?

no1 wrote:chuck norris at 70 has 42 years of knowledge and experience on chuck at 28. if chuck at 70 were to fight chuck at 28, who would you pick to win?

I don't know, but I would pay good money to see that throw down.


So since Pember asked for it here is my post from near my birthday. Hmm, now that I look at it there is a good deal of annoyed undercurrent to it. At the time, I had a lot of friends doing the whole "Ha ha, you're old" shtick to the point of no longer being harmless ribbing. That and it was pretranslpant so I was fairly sick and didn't need over-the-hill gags thrown my way when I wasn't even sure whether I was going to make the 31st b-day. Anywho, here goes:

I like birthdays. I guess that I am a bit hobbit-ish in that.
I like both getting and giving gifts when I can, and wishing well to
those who have them. It’s a time to celebrate and to just kick back
and enjoy yourself without worrying about feeling selfish for doing
so. But there is something about this particular birthday that I think
bears mentioning. I’ve had this idea in my head for a while now. Not
just a few weeks or months, but years. Pretty sure in my mid-twenties
or even early twenties I started thinking about this and I have a
little mini-story later on to give an idea as to part of the reason why
I am going to say what I am going to say. I came to the conclusion
long ago that I don’t want to see a single black balloon, or similar
themed gift, on my upcoming 30th birthday. No snarky comments
about “old man” or “getting up there” or anything of the like. No
black canes with horns on them and especially no “over the hill”
products would I welcome or find
amusing in the slightest degree. I have found them to be a little
thoughtless in the past when I see them given and bought for others. I
cannot imagine how such a ‘tradition’ of giving such things started and
I don’t want it to have any part in my birthday, nor would I want to
give a gift like that to anyone else. Now please understand where I am
coming from on this. Before any assumptions are made about me
being ‘in denial’ or ‘having to be tough’ or ‘grow up’ about it listen
to what I have to say.
I want to make it plain. I feel that all the rubbish I’ve seen
in greeting cards and so-called “gag gifts” about turning 30 are just
old fashioned meanness repackaged under the banner of “good natured
ribbing.” To me it’s silly to give this thing, this treatment of a
friend or family member, a new name or pretense and think it’s all
okay. It is picking on them, at least that is how I feel. Now, before
you think me unwilling to be a bit self-deprecating or “too proud” let
me say that I am well aware that I do goofball things, dumb things,
silly things, and things that make me laugh at myself. Also, I
generally take it in stride when people check my skin color against
that of a banana to see if the fruit is ripe; and I don’t mind that I
get poked fun at for my deep dislike for hell’s messenger, the pickle.
So why is it that I so vehemently despise the “over-the-hill” gags and
don’t want it to have a part in my birthday?
I guess to me it does not have the same feel to it as good
natured ribbing or practical joke in good spirits. When I think of
some one teasing me good naturedly I think of things like the time that
I lost one of my contacts while working the theater concession stand.
I have crummy depth perception when this happens, and in this instance
I made a pretty poor attempt to fill an Icee cup despite a friend of
mine offering to take over while I grabbed a new contact. I got red
Icee all over the side of the cup and my hand and a bit on the floor as
well. We still laugh about it to this day. Or a practical joke (even
if it’s on me), can be hilarious if it’s done in the right spirit, like
a water balloon attack on a hot summer’s day. However, for me, there
is a big difference here. I guess that I find age jokes to be the
equivalent of a school bully tripping a person with an outstretched leg. Even if that tripped person appears to chuckle along with the bully or seems to take it stride, chances are that their feelings were hurt. I know mine would be, which is why I feel like that about the age jokes. It might seem at first blush that I need to “lighten up” or “take a joke” or “be mature” or “tough it out” about these jokes. Quite frankly though, who in their right mind would want to be treated poorly, laughed at and
joked about in a demeaning way? Especially on their birthday which is supposed to be a celebration?
I guess I feel like if I were to hand a person what I call
a “black balloon” gift it would be a slap in the face. I’ve felt that
way for a while, maybe since a certain incident that I’ll relate to you
all now. Several years ago a friend of mine turned 40. A group of us celebrated with some cake, dinner out, and general goofing around. But the evening was peppered with others in the group joking about him
being “an old man now” and “needing dentures to chew his food” and
other stuff of that ilk. It seemed just wrong to me. He half-smiled
at the ribbing, even when he got one of those black canes with turn
signals and a horn. It might have just been me, but it seemed like he
wasn’t enjoying the ‘good natured ribbing’ as much as those who were
doing it, and he also seemed a little sad and annoyed.
I felt bad for him and knew then that the “you’re old” gags and
jokes were not something that I’d never be okay with on any birthday.
Certainly not my own birthdays, and I really wouldn’t want to
participate in that kind of stuff in other people’s birthdays. Why
would I want anything that seems to me like a person saying in a
mocking, snide tone, “You’re old and going to die! Ha ha, and as an
added bonus I want to mention that you’re best years are behind you,
and death is closer than life. Isn’t that funny? Now laugh with me, because if you don’t that means you can’t take a joke and need to lighten up.” Now please bear with me for a second here while I give the equivalent of a “What Would Jesus Do” moment. Imagine if Jesus were to show up on your doorstep on your birthday. Do you think He’d hand you one of those aforementioned canes and laugh at you? Or more likely would He slap you on the back and say something like, “Happy
Birthday! It’s great having you around. Where’s the cake—just kidding, I know it’s in the dining room--though I wish you wouldn't have picked the lemon cake, it gives me gas.”
(Ladies my apologies, I don’t know what the female equivalent of a
hearty back slap is, but I’m sure that Jesus could make the switch pretty easily.)
Now don’t take this to mean that I’ll never accept the “old man”
moniker. When I’m in my late 70’s early 80’s (Lord willing) and have
an awesomely long Gandalf beard that I can tuck into my belt—then I’ll probably be okay with it and smile along with you if you make an age joke. (Even though we both will know deep down you are a little jealous of my magnificent Gandalf beard.) However, until my glorious forth-coming facial fuzz appears, I won’t really appreciate any age jokes.
So please, no gifts or comments or posts that have that bent to them.
Please don’t give me anything black colored as an age joke, no copies of Logan’s Run, or “over-hill” cards. Birthdays should be a celebration of life and all that can be done with one’s life. I think of birthdays as an opportunity to think on the memories of the past and
look forward to the adventures of the future no matter how old you
are. Oh yeah, and the family, friends, cake and presents are pretty cool too. I wish I could put it better about how I feel. I guess the best way to sum it up is to direct you the Randy Stonehill video/song on youtube called Turning Thirty. I’ve always liked it, even before reaching this age and (minus the joke about writing the song 8 years
ago and daughter bit) I feel like it sums up a lot of how I feel.



(Sorry that the formatting is wonky. FB to here is a bit off.)

bluejester wrote:I don't know, but I would pay good money to see that throw down.

I would pretend I wasn't interested at all but find a livestream online to see it.

(Also, nice post.)

PemberDucky wrote:A++
you said it all very well, mr blue. and it was right for you to put it out there. transitiony times *can* mean unwelcome poking. (cue no1: TWSS)

thank you for making posting.

i am here for the poking party.

bluejester wrote:Thing

So, for one of my buddies' 40th Birthday I gave him a Mid Life Crisis kit containing the following:
A 1:24 scale model Yellow Corvette.
A Temporary Tattoo
An America's top model Barbie Doll
A piece of rug formed into the shape of Elvis hair.
A six pack of Top Shelf Beer (because we're too old to be drinking cheap beer)
He already has a guitar and motorcycle, so I skipped those cliches.

We had a good laugh and drank the beer (plus some).

Now, would that be considered mean spirited?

no1 wrote:i am here for the poking party.

Get in the barrel, then.
you're up.

j5 wrote:Get in the barrel, then.
you're up.

i love being in the barrel.

//sharpens incisors

j5 wrote:So, for one of my buddies' 40th Birthday I gave him a Mid Life Crisis kit containing the following:
A 1:24 scale model Yellow Corvette.
A Temporary Tattoo
An America's top model Barbie Doll
A piece of rug formed into the shape of Elvis hair.
A six pack of Top Shelf Beer (because we're too old to be drinking cheap beer)
He already has a guitar and motorcycle, so I skipped those cliches.

We had a good laugh and drank the beer (plus some).

Now, would that be considered mean spirited?

No, that reminds me more of a giant comb that I got as a gag gift a few years ago because of my ponytail.
I'm talking more about a few people that I know who more took every opportunity to basically say, "Ha! You're getting old!" They were doing this with everything from a limp I had (from a sports injury) to losing a video game. It seemed like their whole spirit was bent on their own satisfaction on getting a sarcastic jibe in at my expense. Who wants to treated like dirt on their birthday, then given the "Can't you take a joke" excuse was more my thought.

If some one gives me a cool mini-kit around 40, and those who know me know that I would find fun ways to use it all of it, that's fine.



And a big thanks to Pember, hope you are having an awesome birthday.

no1 wrote:i love being in the barrel.

//sharpens incisors

no1 wrote:i love being in the barrel.

//sharpens incisors

//dons brass knuckles

We used to have big parties. Outdoor parties mind, since we have always lived in really small places. That's fine though, because my birthday is in the middle of summer. For thirty, I'd told my husband I wanted he and the kids to throw me a big Harry Potter party and just invite everyone we know. We could fire up the BBQ and play cheesy yard games and in general have a good time (and if we didn't live in town now we could have stashed a bunch of fireworks like we used to do, but alas, not to be).

In fact the whole party was not to be. The other problem with having a mid-summer birthday is that life gets busy. Crazy busy, and the time for my birthday came, and the supplies had not been bought. We ended up having a nice dinner out with my kids. I did get to go see Harry Potter, with my husband and that was fun. But with traveling and summer and life, thirty came, thirty happened, and we all moved on to the next day. Kinda like my 16th birthday now that I think about it, except this time my parents didn't forget, and even called to wish me a happy birthday.

I like blue's post above, birthdays are a time to kick back and celebrate! And if Orc is reading (which I never can tell when he comes in and lurks) - I'll still take the Harry Potter BBQ party for 35, does that give you enough time to plan?


--Honestly Ducky, I still have to remind myself that I'm over 30 now. I have to remind myself that I've almost died and came back in that year. I still feel like the youngest person most places I go, many of my friends are older, only a few close friends are younger than I am - and they are either teens, or not much younger than I am, not enough to risk teasing me about my age and wisdom (although I'll gladly take the wisdom). I hope your birthday was a great one! I hope you woke up and realized that 30 is just another day, like all the ones before.

do not be scared of 30.
be scared of 80. have fun til you get there.
<43 not scared. i still act a fool and embarrass my kids.
*runs around banging pots with wooden spoons*

coffeenogrumpy wrote:do not be scared of 30.
be scared of 80. have fun til you get there.
<43 not scared. i still act a fool and embarrass my kids.
*runs around banging pots with wooden spoons*

wait 'til you get to 92! it's grate!

I tell everyone not to do anything for my birthday, tell them I don't like celebrating them. In truth I am talking myself out of expecting to enjoy the day at all. I turned 30 a couple weeks ago, all that talk didn't help me any, I woke up excited.
To make it easier on myself turning 30, I stopped telling myself I was one year closer to death. Now, I just tell myself I am one day closer.