Mason's World
United States
April 23, 2012
My 31st birthday was last week, and I have fully embraced being a boring old man. I didn't do anything outrageous--just had a nice dinner out with my family. My wife wanted to take me on a big weekend trip, but I told her it wasn't important enough to me to justify spending the money. And do you want to know what I asked for as a present? Dual flush toilets. That's right. For my birthday, I thought about being more water efficient.
As I've gotten older, I've embraced the idea that I don't need to do things to impress anybody. This often makes my wife crazy, because it means I'll easily say "no" to invitations for going out with friends or other social things if I'm not in the mood. But on the flip side, if there's something I do want to do, I pretty much do it. That makes me impossible to plan for and buy presents for, but in the long run, it's just what works out best for me.
There's nothing particularly special about turning 31 in the United States. I'm in a bit of a vaccuum until I hit 40. That, or have a kid. What are the big birthdays where you live?
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06:06 PM Nov 19 2012 |
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sophoal
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December 5, 2011
Once a year, my friends and I all get together for a day to watch all three Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back. Not only do we watch these incredibly long movies - we watch the extended editions that weren't released in theaters. That's over 11 hours of awesomeness!
Now, you may think I'm crazy. But you're wrong. Think about it, and you'll realize there's no other way to possibly watch these movies. By going through this journey, you're actually mimicing the arduous path of the fellowship. It's not a fun romp in the woods. It's a friggin' slog to Mordor.
We've been doing this for 8 years now, and each year takes on a special flavor. The best thing that happened this year was during the first big battle in Moria. Our friend brought his two young boys, and the yougest was standing up and bellowing mighty battle cries at the screen, doing his part to help out the good guys. He's 3. He's amazing. I can only hope my future kids will be that epicly cool. I plan to start them early by putting headphones up to my wife's pregnant belly and playing the soundtrack. That'll work, right?
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03:50 AM Jan 10 2012 |
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SantD.
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September 20, 2011
In my constant effort to become an even bigger nerd, I have now gotten into Magic: The Gathering.
It's a slippery slope.
I started playing because my group of friends who play Dungeons & Dragons together was having difficulty finding a time when we could all get together. So one of them lent me some of his Magic cards to start playing with. The thing about Magic vs D&D is that is much easier to find someone to play with - and a game can take as little as 10 minutes. That's the good part.
The bad part is you will spend more money on Magic.
First, I bought the video game. Which was pretty cheap and a lot of fun. Then I bought the upgrade to the video game. OK. Totally fair - it's got new decks and everything. No problem.
Then I went to a promotional event where the company gave away FREE cards to play with - and the players got to keep them. And that was what doomed me.
The reason this game is so successful is built of that fantastic combination of opening up a fresh pack of cards and not knowing what you're going to get inside. Reliving that feeling, I can understand again why I wasted so much money on collectible sports cards as a little kid.
Combine that feeling with the fact that they are always releasing new cards - and they officially remove cards from "legal" play (in professional matches and stuff - it doesn't matter if you're just playing at home) every 2 years or so.
That's an awesome and tricky business model. And I totally fell for it. What's the nerdiest thing you do?