CmdrTaco becomes An Old(er) Man 339
So, over the years, Rob, as only true friends do, has managed to cause my inbox to explode over the years. Now, it's payback time. That's right, our very own CmdrTaco is turning 30 today. I highly encourage you to drop him an e-mail at (remove the spam parts) maldaSPAM@SPAMslashdot.org. And of course, birthday presents of single malt scotch can be sent c/o of me. I'll...uh...make sure he gets them.
30 is easy ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Why put anti-SPAM measures in the email address?? (Score:3, Insightful)
Happy Birthday! (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course, you're still both just rotten kids to all of us 40 somethings!
Little does Hemo know (Score:3, Insightful)
Wait a minute, that's not right...
Re:You lucky bum (Score:5, Insightful)
Nonsense, life doesn't even begin until 40, at least if you've done it right.
The fastest average "nonstop" (the clock never stopped) speed by bicycle across America, 15.3 mph, was set by a 43 year old nuclear engineer.
A 25 mile time trialist who competed in the American national championships from his teens into his eighties reported ( and could back it up with race results) that every year he could get stronger and faster . . . until he hit 65, at which point he started losing about a minute a year no matter how he trained.
Bear in mind that even ten years after "plunging over the cliff" of 65 he was still healthier, stronger and faster than most 20 year olds.
If you "plunge over the cliff" at 30 or 40 I'm afraid it ain't age that's done it. You have, very simply, "let yourself go."
50 is the new 30.
KFG
Re:You lucky bum (Score:1, Insightful)
At the bottom of the cliff is a river which represents 50; it even has a name: Da Nile.
The only problem with being in my fifties (Score:3, Insightful)
is that we all work in such an ageist occupation. 30+ years at the coalface means nothing nowadays. Oh, yes, and I can't make love quite as often as I used to!
30s and 40s are better than 20s (Score:5, Insightful)
Nonsense, life doesn't even begin until 40, at least if you've done it right.
I'm only 35 now (will be 36 this summer) but already I'm starting to believe kfg's assessment. All my life, I've heard this crap about how the 20s are the best years of your life and 40 is when everything goes to hell. I now believe that's a bunch of crap. Actually, I believe that common perception is probably true for common people. For geeks like us, I think the 30s and 40s are much better than our 20s.
Maybe my experience was a little more extreme than most people's since my 20s were dominated with grad school in an institute with a terrible male-female ratio, but I look back on my 20s and think of them as years where I was busy building up my capabilities. My ability to take care of myself. My ability to cook things other than spagetti and ramen noodles. My ability to prove myself capable of independent, in-depth research. All along I thought I knew what I was going to do when I finished my dissertation (become a professor) but that turned out not to be correct at all.
Now midway through my 30s, I've got a much stronger sense of who I truly am and what my strengths are. I'm still struggling to develop new capabilities and broaden my horizon, but I'm starting to take a little more time to appreciate what I've built so far. Financial decisions that I made back in my 20s because I thought they were the right thing to do are starting to pay off for me now. I'm still very busy but I'm starting to see things in a broader scope than I did when I was so fixated on one or two things in my 20s.
I imagine that my 40s is when I'll truly be content. By then, I imagine I'll be pretty damn comfortable with the person I turned out to be. I'll be able to see how everything fits together in my life much better.
People think of 40s as "over the hill" largely because of physical issues. Yeah, perhaps its true that if you don't take care of yourself that age will start to catch up with you then. But if you eat right and exercise, I think your 40s can be some of your best active years. You shouldn't still be putting in 60-hour weeks in your 40s so you'll have more time for exercising, spending time with the family, and just plan enjoying life. Regarding sports, you might have to take a few more days of layoff between workouts or slow down a bit on the court, but you will find that your increased understanding of tactics, planning, and strategy will make up for it. Yes, even for stuff like weight-training. You'll start to realize that going into the gym 4-6 days a week and blasting your muscles to failure every time in a pathetic attempt to put a half-inch on your arms in time for summer just isn't the smartest approach.
Like kfg says, your 40s should be the best years of your life if you've done it right (e.g., made careful financial decisions, ate healthy, gotten plenty of non-destructive exercise, not completely dedicated yourself to your job). That's how I see it anyhow.
GMD
Re:Who fucking cares? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:30 is old? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:You lucky bum Agreed (Score:2, Insightful)
By the 50's, falling down on one of these escapades wasn't all that bad, but the 'Getting up' was becoming a B#tch.
Unfortunately 60's SUCK! Spare parts are not readily available and Full body transplants have a huge back-order list.
However, 'Old' beats the only available alternative, I guess!
Indeed, happy birthday. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:30 is old? (Score:2, Insightful)