As a housekeeping sidenote, I'm going to be 40 years old on Friday.
Heck, 40. It's just a number. Like any other number. Well, I guess it's a Størmer number. Oh, and also half my life is over and probably more and I'm going to be dead soon.
Rejected schemes for becoming immortal:
I'm mulling celebration options. Extreme model rocketry? Combo Star Wars/Star Trek/Aliens/Raiders marathon? Play through Ninja Gaiden over and over again while tears for my lost dreams drop one by one into the metal grill of my Xbox, until it finally shorts out? Actually socialize with my friends and family? I throw it out there: what's the most balls-out nerdy way to celebrate a birthday?
(This may turn out to be one of those sad open topics that yields no comments. Well there's always alcohol and poker.)
I'd stay away from the Ninja Gaiden one. Unless you want to depress everyone in a five mile radius.
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As for balls-out nerdy, I suppose you could do a live-action WOW roleplay party, with all the gifts being Star Wars paraphernalia.
Cliff
Jun. 24, 2009 19:46:pm
at 19:46:pm
Upload your consciousness into a computer simulation, to eventually be downloaded into a silver, red-eyed robot?
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OK, that's Caprica. Still RDMverse, though.
Church
Jun. 24, 2009 21:31:pm
at 21:31:pm
There's a crappy Christian Rock song called "Turning 30" by Randy Stonehill. You could listen to that over and over and over again, working yourself up in to a kind manic fervor that only comes from overdosing on cloying treacle, then watch "Liquid Sky," a terrible movie about drug addicted lesbian performance artists and the aliens who eat them. I know, it sounds like it'd be a winner, but it's not. In any event, jumping from the one to the other is kind of like going from a sauna in to the snow. You could go to a Jehovah's Witness's house, ring the bell, and babble about some completely fake religion that you make up on the spot. You could cobble together a particularly bad superhero costume, then just hang out in elevators and time how long it takes for someone to actually speak to you. (That one's fun. I haven't done that one in a while.) Find a good song about existential dread and blast it like crazy on your stereo for days. (Might I suggest "Just another day" by Oingo Boingo). Experiment with new tunings on your guitar, or, if you don't have a guitar, go visit friends who do play and when they're in the bathroom re-tune all their instruments to a slack key (D G D G B D is an easy and fun one). Just a couple off the top of my head...
republibotthreepointoh
Jun. 24, 2009 23:07:pm
at 23:07:pm
Watch 40+ hours of BSG- instant nerd cred, and it could last a whole weekend. And you just might enjoy it.
anon76
Jun. 25, 2009 00:14:am
at 00:14:am
As a fellow nerd who just turned 40, my wife got me a tattoo. I suppose if I was a true nerd, I'd have gotten "frack" or "42" or something. But I thought that was a pretty cool gift. I'll always remember my 40th!
dennitzio
Jun. 25, 2009 00:28:am
at 00:28:am
@ dennitzio what did you get? spill.
Lev Grossman
Jun. 25, 2009 08:09:am
at 08:09:am
I agree with anon76 that you should do a BSG marathon in celebration and tie that in with Church's suggestion. Plus, if you started watching Lost, you could try to learn Richard Alpert's secret for not aging.
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I do sympathize. I'm less than 6 months from 4-0 myself. My plan is to get a copy of The Ghostbusters video game so that while I'm playing, I can keep telling myself that I was only 14 frakking years old when it came out. If I consume enough booze while playing, I think the crying as I curl up in the fetal position later should be fairly easy.
Kemper
Jun. 25, 2009 09:30:am
at 09:30:am
One word: lasertag.
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Or just chill and play/watch some Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Power
alaskanturkey
Jun. 25, 2009 10:49:am
at 10:49:am
Oh, yeah, "Captain Power" is a good one! "And we'll an rendezvous at Babylon 5..."
republibotthreepointoh
Jun. 25, 2009 11:08:am
at 11:08:am
I just turned 32 on monday... lets see.. I played Frisbee Golf, I played Laser Tag, I played Final Fantasy XI, I watched about 4 episodes of BSG (Introducing my Roommate to the show, he loves it.. so what gives?), played a little guitar (if only knowing 3 chords and the first 5-6 notes of Redemption Song count as playing) and had a little drink and a little smoke. You could always switch out/add Lost to that too though...
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It was a nice day. But looking at it like that...I think I know why I'm single...
suiter
Jun. 25, 2009 14:28:pm
at 14:28:pm
Captain Power!! Brilliant. I was just talking to my friend about Captain Power. Yes. Gaining an understanding to the agelessness of Richard Alpert would be the best advisable thing. The only draw back thus far is working for Jacob/the Island.
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A Superhero suit? Haven't done that since college, but it's a great conversation starter.
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I have to say a marathon of all the best Sci-Fi, action movies and possibly shows. Take your list and add Blade Runner, Lost, Gattaca, play all three Halos on Legendary back to back, BSG, Babylon 5-preferbaly the later seasons, Forbidden Planet, MST3K, watch Daredevil for a good laugh, and pray to the gods that Lucas saves his legacy by allowing others to lead the creative processes and direction of the live-action Star Wars TV series that takes place between ep. III and IV, he is planning to do. And last but not least this Friday tune in and watch the pilot/movie of Moore's Virtuality on Fox.
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Do any of the above options but the last two are non-negotiable. You must do the last two if nothing else.
lostepic
Jun. 25, 2009 14:29:pm
at 14:29:pm
I second lasertag. Have a good one
Rorschach
Jun. 25, 2009 14:54:pm
at 14:54:pm
I'm a sappy nerd. When I got married, my wife and I had custom rings made with the pattern of two roses tied with a Celtic knot (long story where that came from). I got a cool, and very large, version of that tattooed on my forearm. Yes, I'm p-whipped, and happily so.
dennitzio
Jun. 25, 2009 17:58:pm
at 17:58:pm
Why would you do the same thing you have done for all your birthdays past? I demand that you start drinking early (beer, whiskey backed), flirt with a hot chick, and enjoy your success.
Brew
Jun. 26, 2009 09:33:am
at 09:33:am
Happy birthday, Lev. Since you're just another sap working for the man, I imagine you're slaving away at Time right now while your editors have forgotten it's your big day!
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On that depressing note, I vote you go read your favorite graphic novel, play a text-based computer game then have a "next prime number" party.
walkinghbomb
Jun. 26, 2009 10:49:am
at 10:49:am
Happy birthday, mine is in 3 months.
Godfrey
Jun. 26, 2009 11:42:am
at 11:42:am
Yes, yes. Come along younglings...
Church
Jun. 26, 2009 22:30:pm
at 22:30:pm
Balls out nerdy?
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All weekend AD&D fest (w/costumes or not)
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Pick a period and do a birthday bash at the SCA's annual Pensic festival.
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jacobblues
Jun. 30, 2009 10:49:am
at 10:49:am