ten good things: special dan-is-old edition

[danschank]

as i type this, i am 8 days away from exiting my twenties. here's the good news...

ten things i like about turning thirty

10. the fading categorical differences between old school and just plain old might seem alienating at first, but they have their merits as well. i like to think i've done a decent job of avoiding the infinite popularity

Comments

[monkey_flower]

I loved reading this.

[danschank]

thanks! hope you're doing ok, etc.

[ironchefpinoy]

an early happy birthday greeting to you dan!

i left the twenties (numerically, anyway) without much fanfare. didn't feel a thing. but nowadays... :? i think my life's been on a 10 year delay.

there's nothing like being faded in front of your parents...and then trying to get to them to catch up!

[danschank]

i like that-- a ten year delay... i guess the trick is to not have that financially, which i do... oh well, that'll be top priority, then.

i think one of the good things about getting older is that you realize it's as much of an improv act as being younger is, and that you can still make up the rules, endlessly, till death...

heh heh.

i like that jee cd cover you psoted, btw... i'm heading to NYC for the big day (the 4th is my actual b-day) and i might try to catch up with her, actually...

$$$$$

[ironchefpinoy]

yeah...money's a killer. it's taken me the past 3 years to finally feel comfortable with how i control my finances. other than food and films, i've virtually become a miser. like mr. burns...'excellent...'

[secret: a Roth IRA is actually a good thing!]

[dabit_iqa]

Oh Christ, that's right. We have the same birthday. I thought your post would help me cope, but as the day approaches all I have that seems to work is denial.

[dabit_iqa]

My plan is to cling desperately to youth, even at the risk of that desperation being obvious to all. I think I can put off the Ronnie James Dio-ness for a while, though ... I still look 22-ish and it appears I'll be keeping my hair.

It's funny what a leap in perception we're taking by reaching another zero-year ... self-perception and that of others ... because you can get away with shit at 29 that you just can't at 30, you know?

TOGETHER, WE TAKE THE PLUNGE

[danschank]

yeah, i considered giving you a little shout out up there (and all the opther lj virgos... lj is all about the virgos), but i wasn't sure if you wanted your age revealed, or still read my silly page, or whatever.

i look about 22 myself. i think being a kinda man-child helps me to feel like none of this is actually happening. and my hair is hanging out, but graying sorta rapidly.

you can get away with shit at 29 that you just can't at 30, you know?

i think i'm gonna try my best to ignore it when people make those distinctions though. i mean, i've been enduring all my friends talking about property values and crap like that for years, without any interest, so maybe it'll help me steer clear of the buying a house/ having kids package i want to avoid like the plague.

and happy birthday (soon) to you, sir!

[they_say_lady]

hi dan,
this is your mother.
fooled you!

[danschank]

you have successfully induced LOLing.

embracing one's weirdness

[erin_lindsay]

you post reminded me of a conversation amanda & i had the other day. we were discussing how insane we are about people being quiet in movie theatres which led to talking about the crazies that inhabit them.
soon we both realized that we were destined to be one of those strange middle aged ladies with lots of bags, her own special seat, and too many sweaters on.
we laughed & then both declared we were ok with that.
sometimes i'm alright with the idea of being old.
uh, but sometimes not.
on the other end of the turning thirty spectrum. most girls i know are more interested in dudes in their 30's as opposed to 20's. look at me, since i moved here i've stuck to balding guys in their 30's and it's been a good move i think.

are you trying to say i'm bald?

[danschank]

heh heh.

this has been a good month for me and loud, participatory movie experiences... first the descent-- which i saw in the more hip-hop-i-fied theatre in town, where every badass act of violence was punctuated by declarations like "THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!"... fortunately, it was, indeed, what i'm talkin' about, and made me feel like i'd been boozing it up with the entire theatre before the show. then we had snakes on a plane, sorta the po-mo smartass feel-good film of the year, where the comments were part of the process itself. i dunno. it depends on the movie.

(sidenote: guy who had the gall to ANSWER his ringing fucking cell phone an hour into a history of violence-- i still hate you and hope you burn in hell).

sometimes i'm alright with the idea of being old.
uh, but sometimes not.

yes, absolutely. well put.