It's My Birthday and I'll Cry if I Want To...

[bugshaw]

... because I've just used a Very Tired Old line and I am ashamed of myself. But then I'm a Very Tired Old person meself now, all of 34. As I was trudging into my futile job (sales support for things people don't buy) this morning, I wondered where the years have gone. I came to the conclusion that my feeling that I have not got very far in life is due to my assumption that the challenges I overcame would be those of my own choosing (creation of knowledge through scientific research, adventurous travel like mountain climbing, really good piece of writing etc), whereas they have instead been imposed upon me (disability, stepmother legal proceedings, frquent house moves). Instead of starting from "normal" and achieving something "special", I have been knocked back to "troubled" and put a lot of effort into achieving "normal". Do I still have the potential to attain "special"? I hope my upcoming sabbatical will provide me with an opportunity to find out.

My most recent contribution to novelty and humour is this:
What is a web designer's favourite Whoopi Goldberg movie?
(Answer is in Comments)
Which major_clanger swiftly followed up with:
Well, what is a web designer's favourite Vin Diesel movie?
(Answer is also in Comments)
I'm now jealous, because his is better than mine.

But, birthdays!

Thanks for your birthday wishes, those who have sent them.
hawkida has given me bugshaw at gmail dot com (I thought I'd leave the Bug behind as I'm a bit old and boring for that, but the good variants on my real name were already taken. Google suggested "Bridgetster" as an alternative I might like. I didn't.); cleanskies has given me Toogle (she probably didn't intend it as a present, but I've taken it anyway so ner!). I like neat things. Anyone got any more?

Comments

Bad joke

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

What is a web designer's favourite Whoopi Goldberg movie?

#800080

Hints for the geekiness-challenged

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Visit this page and all should become IMG{opacity:0.0} clear.

Slightly better joke

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Well, what is a web designer's favourite Vin Diesel movie?

#000000!

Oh, my sides, how they hurt. No, I mean it, stop hitting me! Ow! Ow!

gah

[cleanskies.livejournal.com]

hahaha hahahahaha ha ha

oh crap. I think we're even ...

Re: Slightly better joke

[adela-terrell.livejournal.com]

Ok, Wag has explained them to me now. SIGH.

Re: Slightly better joke

[del-c.livejournal.com]

What is a web designer's favourite Warren Beatty movie?

#FF0000
#FF0000
#FF0000
#FF0000
#FF0000
#FF0000
#FF0000

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure which is worse, the jokes or the fact I *got* the jokes.

Happy Brithday oldster.

I'm still in the land of the gmail unable but will be gmailing everyone when I get a chance. It could be Saturday by the looks of things.

[del-c.livejournal.com]

Will someone explain what's so great about gmail? I've only just got a yahoo address (del_cotter at yahoo.co.uk for anyone who wants to contact me during Worldcon).

Happy Birthday Bridget!

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

Gmail is wonderful. It's fully searchable, has an archive function which prevents the inbox from being cluttered up, and files related emails as conversations, not individual missives. There's probably loads more, but mine has only been up and running for a few days, so I've just scratched the surface of what it can do.

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

What about the privacy issues?

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

There are serious privacy issues at stake, but I'm choosing to overlook those, as I have no intention of using the service for anything other than fluffy day to day communication.

In the current climate, I don't really think it matters too much. All our non-encrypted emails are probably been screened by someone, somewhere looking for references to various subjects I'm not going to list here. I don't write anything in an email that I don't want to be stored on a server and handed over to whatever paranoid authorities happen to be in charge at the time.

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

Small potatoes compared to the ability to filter and search through some of the mailing lists I am on.

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, potatoes.

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

Hard cheese!

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

In my case, I'm having trouble with CIX and am planning to move from it. Gmail presents itself as a convenient option, and gosh! I have it already! Job done. I have used Yahoo and found it quite irksome.

Have a nice Worldcon, I really was hoping to go this year :-(

[adela-terrell.livejournal.com]

I Don't get them...

Yay, I'm not a geek!

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

I don't have a clue either!

(No change there, then...)

[flick.livejournal.com]

I don't get the second one, but I suspect that that's becuase I haven't heard of the film.

That's possibly worse than getting it.

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! We can be Tired and Old together!

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Yawn. Creak.

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

Whaaat? Eh? You're going to have to speak up a bit.

[green-amber.livejournal.com]

Heavens 34. You're a spring chicken. Sabbatical sounds like a very good way to put recent choices. Enjoy.

[timill]

Bloody youngsters. Who let them out to play? Shouldn't they be in bed?

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Yawn.

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!

(Goodness, you're younger than I am!)

I came to the conclusion that my feeling that I have not got very far in life is due to my assumption that the challenges I overcame would be those of my own choosing (creation of knowledge through scientific research, adventurous travel like mountain climbing, really good piece of writing etc), whereas they have instead been imposed upon me (disability, stepmother legal proceedings, frquent house moves).

Well, that's better than my feeling the reason why I haven't done very much in life is because I'm lazy.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm lazy. But I'm also in denial.

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

No you're not.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

La la la, I can't hear you...

[frandowdsofa.livejournal.com]

Just wait til you're 45. Especially when you firmly believed it was 44 until your tender lovin' put you right. Bastard.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've been a lot better about birthdays since I was moaning about turning 30 and a co-worker said she'd felt like that too. And at 40 it was worse, and at 50 it was worse, so I should enjoy it while I can!

[(Anonymous)]

Does this mean that you have got over the disappointment of not being given that spacehopper that you wanted when you were about 7 years old? Happy birthday again from your REALLY OLD mama. who doen't understand ANY of the jokes, nor why it keeps referring to 'parent' at each comment. Glad you gave me the website address??!!

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

Odd. I've always been impressed how much you've achieved, irrespective of disadvantages. If you treat work as a day to day job rather than a life-affirming career, then what most people do there can be discounted. Look at your lovely marriage, loads of friends, memories of fanzines produced and cons run. Looks a full list to me.

Oh, and happy birthday!

[pmcmurray.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday, kid...

:p

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!

I felt a lot like that before my thirtieth birthday, as if I'd expected to achieve so much and there I was with boring job and weighed down with a small kid and... I was whining to ppint that I'd never expected to end up like this, and he said I had not in fact ended up. This is true. Really, I've achieved so much in the ten years since it's ridiculous.

May all your new challenges by chosen ones, and may we all celebrate your 134th birthday on Mars.

[scarlatti.livejournal.com]

A very Happy Birthday to you!

[lproven.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday, o tiny sproglet!

congratulations!

[(Anonymous)]

...and remember you'll never be younger than you are today.
Now, don't let that get to you: as someone who was starting high school when you were born, I can tell you it won't feel significantly different for at least the next dozen years.
Giulia

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday! One's age may be used as an excuse or explanation for non-action, but never to oneself as a reason*.

Besides, with a sense of humour like that, you are clearly still around your late teens in Real Years.

*Yes, this is another 'do as I say, not as I do' maxim, brought to you from one of the whiniest and most decrepit under-forties you know ...

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! I was going to write much more but am blogging it instead... er, sorry.

Birthday wishes

[hazelchaz]

Happy birthday. Hope you have as much fun as you can stand...

chaz

Ha... ...py birth... ...day!!!

[numbat.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday bugshaw. Would you like a special birthday song? Sure you would. This one is sung to the tune of The Volga Boatmen (that's with an 'O', not a 'U').

Now you are the age you are
Your demise can not be far

Hap… …py birth… …day!!!
Hap… …py birth… …day!!!

Birthdays come but once a year,
Marking time as Death draws near

Hap… …py birth… …day!!!
Hap… …py birth… …day!!!

So another year has passed
don't look now they're gaining fast!

Hap… …py birth… …day!!!
Hap… …py birth… …day!!!

Now you've lived another year
age to you is like stale beer

Hap… …py birth… …day!!!
Hap… …py birth… …day!!!

Fear and gloom and darkness but
no one found out YOU KNOW WHAT

Hap… …py birth… …day!!!
Hap… …py birth… …day!!!

Death will come before the dawn
Now's the time to party on!

Hap… …py birth… …day!!!
Hap… …py birth… …day!!!

the problem with

[(Anonymous)]

moping about one's birthday is that it sort of implicitly tells everyone older to piss off and die.

I know that that's not the intent. It's a cry for reassurance, comfort, joy, faith, hope, and good feelings.

But, really, if being twelve is so awful, how is fifteen supposed to feel? Or if 36 is so bad, what about 45? Etc.

Moral: it all goes on, and often better stuff awaits. The unlooked for stuff is particularly good.

Signed,
the non-anonymous Gary Farber who fucking fucking fucking fucking hates LiveJournal with a fucking fucking fucking fucking fucking passion.

My friend

[(Anonymous)]

you have already attained special.
My life has been an extreme one. I want for more and have known people who have lost everything, and the more grievious of them that, by not asking of themselves, lost nothing. Truly kings of infinite space.
This life is a simple gift. It cannot be made more valuable. You are getting older and honour is such an old word. Straight and true like a circle.

Re: My friend

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Who are you?

Prezzies

[hazelchaz]

Well, it's not your birthday anymore, but I have a shiny new fanzine I'd like to send you... You can reach me via chaz at bostonbaden.com if you'd like to give me a mailing address I can send it to.

Chaz