I'm in that age bracket and I've turned to spunking the little amount of disposable income on amateur radio kit and equipment.
I wish I'd picked up a debilitating cocaine habit instead. It'd be cheaper.
I'm in that age bracket and I've turned to spunking the little amount of disposable income on amateur radio kit and equipment.
I wish I'd picked up a debilitating cocaine habit instead. It'd be cheaper.
I'm not sure how a midlife crisis would look for me because I've basically kept the same weird interests I had as a teen.
So basically a life-long midlife crisis?
π
Entire-life crisis
I guess so. Is that really a crisis if it's basically what you do though?
similar, i went from not having transportation besides my feet to having an ebike. we joke that it's my midlife crisis, but really it's just my transportation.
my midlife crisis will involve so many saxophones. when i can afford a midlife crisis.
I have a very mild case of that in that I bought a weird traditional flute from Japan a couple of months ago. It looked cool and a game character I like has one. A bit hard to play, but I'm getting there.
It'll certainly be a lot more expensive, but I wish you a future crisis full of epic sax all the same.
What flute and game was it?
A shinobue, a transverse flute made of bamboo (well, traditionally, mine is not too bad but it's plastic. One day, maybe).
The game is Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The two protagonists play the shinobue as a ritual to send off people who have passed.
I like Okami too, and I believe Waka's flute in that game is also a shinobue.
Thank you. i'm probably going to get the electric sax before i get the bass (if i'm spending 30 grand on an instrument i have a few others ahead of the bass sax), but we can dream.
Yeah, my midlife crisis was basically, I just got extra bored at work and spent more time doing all the usual non-work activities. Finally resolved when I decided I didn't need to work any more, which gave me a lot more time for all of teenage-me's favorite things. Wasn't even tempted to buy a Corvette.
I have really enjoyed my midlife crisis (which looks a little different as a woman): lost 30 lbs, began dressing like a scary executive, got rid of the imposter syndrome, and give very few fucks. It has been delightful.
Please explain the scary executive getup. I am taking notes for my own impending midlife crisis.
Yeah is this well fitted suit scary, or turtleneck scary. I personally leaned the other way and wear literal rose tinted Lenon glasses now. Fuck it, I tried everything else to see this world as anything other than a shithole filled with idiots, may as well take a metaphor out for a spin
That is because the world is a shit hole run by idiots. This is the perfect perspective for the scary executive look. Your disgust and impatience is justified - go with it. π
This has some good stuff: https://www.caspermagazine.com/feature/the-art-of-tailoring-with-an-edge

I see that to dress like a scary exec, I must first earn like a scary exec...
Sigh. I really don't love the walking-on-my-pants-cuffs trend, especially for dress pants (pictures in the link are worse than this thumbnail).
As someone about to hit 40, I'm tryyyyyyying to let go of skinny pants, but the above is just so impractical!
Do you have fingernails that shine like justice?
No, but her voice is dark like tinted glass.
Sheβs changing her name from Kitty to Karen
God forbid people pick up new hobbies as they grow older, we should all make as much money as humanly possible and then die i guess.
The problem with hobbies is they tend to contribute to clutter and as you get older you want less of that.
Isn't it all software now?
Sounds like you would enjoy https://vcvrack.com/
Retro anything has jumped in value tremendously; for me its been game hardware.
Damn it. So it seems like I am prototypical 40-something.
Life can be fun, so trying to make the best of it.
What is a gravelbike?
Basically a road bike, but kitted out for touring instead of road racing. It's really used to be just bigger wheels and tires but these days road cyclists are running thicker tires as well.
Hybrid between roadbike and mountainbike.
Someone posted a pic of one in another comment.
I have an older one (ok, actually two...) of those:
https://www.salsacycles.com/collections/fargo
It is more on the mountainbike-y side, others are typically slightly less rugged.
Isn't that what normal hybrids are for? I guess it looks cool though
"Normal" hybrids usually have straight handlebars. Gravel bikes usually have "drop" handlebars like road bikes.
What's a normal hybrid?
Like a commuter bike with flat handle bars, kinda thin tires, and no suspension
Mine was in the hybrid category but does have front suspension. Helps with the craters in the roads because for some reason UK roads resemble the Donbas. Think it's also listed as a trekking bike.
Roads, gravel paths, grass and dirt paths are generally what I go across.
I know these, although they are not as common here as gravelbikes.
Kinda like watered-down Fixies optimized for urban commute.
Will not work well in more off-road (so: "gravel") scenarios and for touring.
Different thing, I would say.
Ah ok, drop bars are so uncomfortable..
Remember that the geometry is completely different to a roadbike. You are much more upright and less bowed.
You also have many more completely different holding positions than for a classical mountain bike bar.
Most comfortable and ergonomic ride I owned so far.
Solved basically all of the hand and back pain issues I occassionally had during longer tours on classic bikes.
So basically the "mountain bike" I had as a kid, before the started adding fancy shock absorbers and disk brakes?
All right, now I want a gravel bike too!
You had a mountainbike with drop bars?
Unusual.
Also: Basically all gravelbikes come with disc brakes, major distinction to roadbikes.
I had a Randonneur-like bike in my youth in the 80s, which had some features common with the recent gravelbikes.
I liked it very much, so was very happy when gravelbikes became a thing 10 years ago or so.
Haha, i didn't know it had drop bars... Nope, that's not for me :)
I would be great at the triathlon if the three sports it combines were running, bicycling and drowning.
I mean, the reason many people fit this in their forties, is because they finally have the time and money to do so.
I was too poor in my twenties to have a nice espresso setup. I make decent money now, but I have young kids now, so no time. In ten years time when I'm in my forties, I'll finally have the time and money simultaneously.
Brewing decent coffee however is fine (or tea, or caffeine pill it & hydrate) but dang nothing like having a bike that can get into some hills! Until the ski mountains open for winter but can be too far, too expensive
Are we still on for historical wargaming at 40? Or has that moved to 50 now?
What's that?
Some kind of LARPing or more the tabletop thing with historical setting? Is the latter even still a thing? Only know it from old movies...
I think it's the tabletop thing where you paint your miniatures for months and then don't have anyone to play with
For these often the journey is the destination, I think.
But also, I only know about the Dnd and Warhammer fantasy stuff like my son is involved with...
Comment was about something different, if I understood correctly.
Yeah, painting itself is probably the main hobby at that point. Over at !tabletopminis@lemmy.world there seems to be a fair amount of historical minis posted, though it is likely less popular than fantasy settings
Sounded like it was tabletop wargaming with Napeleon instead of Yarrick.
That are the ones I have seen in old movies.
Never encountered it in RL up to now, though...
Warhammer with a WWII Historical setting. It's all still a thing. They're arguably at their highest popularity too. The pandemic was a gateway for a lot of people into both hobbies.
Can confirm. I did exactly this at 40. Now in my 50's I just traded in the gravel bike for an ebike and bought a milk frother for my espresso machine!
Everyone should learn new things as often as they can. Pick up a new hobby or skill, become very proficient at it, incorporate it into your life, repeat. This active mental engagement is the best way to prevent dementia and keep your mind sharp.
This active mental engagement is the best way to prevent dementia and keep your mind sharp.
It's also... you know... fun
Relevant to many of us on here, this approach also lets you lean in to your ADHD powers to better your life instead of resisting them and stressing out.
Hey, gravel bikes are good fun.
I had no idea what a gravel bike was so here's for the other folks who don't either:

You're poor.
Have you considered getting a convertible?
I turned 40 this year and turned my office in a darts room. Does that count? I still have my office there though (far enough to not get damaged by the bounce off darts).
Darts? Pshaw, that's so 20 years ago. Make a crokinole or carrom room.
44 here and zero of this applies to me lol. My hobbies are still video games and art; the same hobbies Iβve had since I was a kid.
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