# 50 things to do before you're 30 - which have you done? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 21, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952 "2006-01-21T01:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/21 "2006-01-21T04:10:52Z")
Is it just my imagination, or is this a pretty male-oriented list? (Not complaining, just saying.) I think the list for females would be a lot different (there would be less emphasis on taking things apart, breaking things, and getting in trouble with the law, probably. Ok, maybe the law stuff would be the same.) ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/22 "2006-01-21T04:26:56Z")
Who is Nigel Blinman, and on what authority does he call the shots? Sorry, but some of these are just plain stupid and or…well, vulgar (in the cheap, non-classy sense). I mean…"buy a samurai sword? Spend a lot of money on an electronic device? This is what passes for cool these days? Please, leave this sort of list to a professional. _Esquire_ magazine did this **years** ago… I’ll try to track it down. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/23 "2006-01-21T04:58:38Z")
1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit 2. Shoot something 3. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home 4. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language 5. Spend more than your monthly income on a pocket sized gadget 6. Break a really large plate glass window 7. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives 8. Destroy a speed camera 9. Refill an inkjet cartridge 10. Do a J turn in order to beat somebody to a parking space 11. Break a sledgehammer 12. Smash a CRT 13. Tip a waiter with something other than money 14. Light a fire with petrol 15. Drive at more than 140mph. 16. Get something for free through a masterpiece of complaining 17. Give yourself a mains electric shock. 18. Completely dismantle an object larger than yourself 19. Write off a car 20. Fall asleep and get really hilarious sunburn 21. Get drunk on Absinthe 22. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis 23. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery 24. Take part in motorsport 25. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours 26. Set off a fire extinguisher 27. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads 28. Hotwire a car 29. Dial 999 30. Commit a faux pas which means that a friend will never speak to you again 31. Make a bet you couldn’t afford to lose 32. Read a 500 page book in one sitting 33. Escape a perfectly justified parking ticket. 33/50. Not bad at all. All that and I’ve never even seen the inside of a prison, although it’s not from lack of effort. ---
**Author:** ![Taran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Taran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taran)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/24 "2006-01-21T05:11:45Z")
**1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit** “No, look, it’s easy to climb over a barbed wire fence, I’ll show you…” **4. Boot Linux on your home PC** No, but I did boot an OS that I wrote myself from scratch, which I think is a fair substitute. **5. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language** I got lost in Paris about a dozen times in the four days I was there. Thank God for French high-school girls, is all I can say. **10. Use a whole roll of gaffa tape in one day** Does duct tape count? **15. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives** Yep. Whoops. **16. Destroy a speed camera** Thankfully it was old and frail already. **17. Refill an inkjet cartridge** At this point, who hasn’t done this? **20. Break a sledgehammer** …by using it to get ice off of a driveway. Shun me. **25. Light a fire with petrol** No story, there was just a big pile of stuff that needed to catch fire. **30. Drive at more than 140mph.** It was a long, flat road with miles of visibility. Not too adventurous. **35. Fall asleep and get really hilarious sunburn** Concentric circles, in my case. I got him back. **37. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis** I’ve done it for boys, too. **38. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery** I was nine, leave me alone. **40. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours** Only if a computer lab at school counts. That was a rough weekend. **41. Set off a fire extinguisher** Extinguishing a kitchen fire. I looked ridiculous; I had no idea how to do it and I damn near set it off backwards. **48. Make a bet you couldn’t afford to lose** I lost, but the winner let me off. Lucky day. **49. Read a 500 page book in one sitting** I probably do this once a month. **50. Escape a perfectly justified parking ticket.** And to this day, I don’t know how I did it. 1. I guess that’s respectable, for a sheltered CS geek from suburbia. Judging by this thread, I’d say Nigel Blinman is a wuss. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/25 "2006-01-21T05:37:37Z")
I’ve never done any of these. I’m so behind. I have ridden in a car while someone _else_ drove more than 600 miles in a day, though. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/26 "2006-01-21T06:01:03Z")
1. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home 2. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language 3. Make a pointless modification to your house 4. Make a bomb 5. Smash a CRT 6. Light a fire with petrol 7. Drive at more than 140mph. 8. Give yourself a mains electric shock. 9. Completely dismantle an object larger than yourself 10. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery 11. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours 12. Set off a fire extinguisher 13. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads 14. Watch all the Monty Python films In one sitting 15. Read a 500 page book in one sitting Several ofthese were while I was in the Navy. The CRT & Bomb were just for Fun. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/27 "2006-01-21T06:03:49Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > 1. Spend more than your monthly income on a pocket sized gadget Palm Pilot. $199. Late 1998. Monthly income: ~$50, yard work and snow shoveling for my neighbor. I was 17. > [@](#): > > 1. Make a pointless modification to your house When I was 8 or 9, I rounded off the corners of the bricks on the steps to my family’s house. > [@](#): > > 1. Buy a samurai sword I did buy a bokken. This thread is kinda pushing me towards actually getting a true blade, but that’d be for the wrong reasons. Such things are deserving of respect. > [@](#): > > 1. Make a bomb Thermite. Still have it in a jar somewhere. Mg strip and all. > [@](#): > > 1. Smash a CRT I have a gimp monitor over in the corner here. Perhaps the hand of fate is ultimately beckoning to it at last. > [@](#): > > 1. Light a fire with petrol Ah, to be 13 again. > [@](#): > > 1. Write off a car By the blue book, it was totaled about twice over, but the parts to repair it (mostly body damage) were a drop in the bucket. My parents are cool like that; they know that a manual transmission is not to be cast aside lightly, however screwed to bejesus and back in might be. > [@](#): > > 1. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis I am an emotional whore. > [@](#): > > 1. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery Did it before I could read, stands to reason that I did it before I could talk. 20 years later, I still remember the taste. Mmmmm, current. > [@](#): > > 1. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads I love Montana. 'Course, North Dakota helped. > [@](#): > > 1. Commit a faux pas which means that a friend will never speak to you again Dated his ex. I am shame personified. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/28 "2006-01-21T06:21:39Z")
1. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home **Got me some hoochie lovin** 2. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language **Mexican border town in the middle of a weekday night is kinda scary** 3. Spend more than your monthly income on a pocket sized gadget **Easy enough when you make minimum wage and live at home for free** 4. Smash a CRT **We lived next to a dump, I smashed lots of neat stuff** 5. Get something for free through a masterpiece of complaining **But I was entitled** 6. Give yourself a mains electric shock. **A quick bit of lying and no one found out** 7. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis **Ugh** 8. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery **What father didn’t trick his son intp doing that? It’s like taking a whiff of amonia.** 9. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads **Went from Biloxi, MS to Manhattan, KS. Highway 82 to Paris, TX at 3am is scary as hell. Those trucks drive WAY to fast.** 10. Make a bet you couldn’t afford to lose **But I absolutely knew it was Pee Wee Herman in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"** 11. Read a 500 page book in one sitting **More then once. Not too hard when you’re a shut-in** ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/29 "2006-01-21T06:41:03Z")
1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit -Sprained my ankle jumping down some stairs. I’d say that qualifies, wouldn’t you? 2. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home -Well, I was in Israel for 3 weeks and Scotland/England/Ireland for a week, so I’m going to say that counts. 3. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language -Israel 4. Spend more than your monthly income on a pocket sized gadget -iPod for my now ex-girlfriend. … Shut up. 5. Buy a samurai sword -Does a broadsword count? Sure it does. 6. Do a J turn in order to beat somebody to a parking space 7. Make a bomb. -Liquid nitrogen + water + bottle = BOOM! 8. Smash a CRT 9. Write off a car -I took a highway exit too fast. 10. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis 11. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours -I don’t know that I was in the student newspaper office for 24 consecutive hours, but I definitely worked that long on the special features pullout section two Springs ago. 12. Watch all the Monty Python films In one sitting -The number of times I’ve watched them, this counts. 13. Dial 999 -Just now, so I could add it in. 😃 (For us Merkins, it’s not any kind of real number. I got an error recording.) 14. Read a 500 page book in one sitting -Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Four hours. Hey, 14/50. I suck. Well, I still have 9 years to get the other 36. Though I don’t really want to shag an ex girlfriend “by mistake,” nor pickup a shemale, nor give myself a large electrical shock. I guess I’m just boring like that. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/30 "2006-01-21T06:44:21Z")
1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit Yep. Few times. My favorite is face-first through a farmer’s stone wall on a sled. 2. Shoot something Yep. 3. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home The happiest place on Earth! Tijuana! 4. Boot Linux on your home PC Oh, god, yeah. 5. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language The happiest place on Earth! Tijuana! 6. Spend more than your monthly income on a pocket sized gadget … I collect japanese toys. Don’t ask. 7. Post bail for a friend Done an equivalent. 8. Break a really large plate glass window HEAD FIRST, BABY! Didn’t get a scratch. 9. Make a parachute jump on a hangover Not on a hangover. Don’t drink. 10. Use a whole roll of gaffa tape in one day … Duct tape. Oh, yeah. Son of a son of a sailor. 11. Make a pointless modification to your house HEAD FIRST, BABY! No, not… okay. Well, that doesn’t count. But I made a flagstone portico. 12. Buy a samurai sword Excalibur. Contractors stole it. 13. Refill an inkjet cartridge With a medical syringe and inkwell ink. To see if it could be done. On a Deskjet Plus. 14. Do a J turn in order to beat somebody to a parking space I work in New York City. 15. Break a sledgehammer Spent a summer turning big rocks into small ones. Not in jail, landscaping. 16. Make a bomb Done it. Several ways. 17. Smash a CRT Not only have I done it, until last year when we ran out of CRTs, I SHOT the suckers when they died. 18. Light a fire with petrol Done it. Those were some good ribs. Kerosene, though. 19. Kidnap someone Done it. Don’t ask. 20. Park inside a motorway service station … This is a big deal? 21. Own a convertible. '92 Geo Trakker. 22. Live abroad. For a month or three. 23. Drive at more than 140mph. In a Porsche 935, yeah. Fastest I’ve had the World’s Strangest Station Wagon up to was 132. The-o-retically, it revlimits at 135. 132 was in 5th gear, at 6000 RPM. It has a 8200 rpm redline, and a six speed. 140 on the track, 132 on the road… 24. Give yourself a mains electric shock. When I was three. I have never forgotten this. Scar has, however, gone away after… mumble… years. 25. Completely dismantle an object larger than yourself Hell yeah! 26. Write off a car I miss that Honda. 27. Fall asleep and get really hilarious sunburn Son of a son of a sailor. Wearing a Gilligan Hat. 28. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis More times than… sigh. 29. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery You know, three weeks ago, I was surprised people hadn’t done this. 30. Take part in motorsport Yep. 31. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours Yeeeep 32. Set off a fire extinguisher Oh, yeah. 33. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads I was going to drive to Cali on the remains of Rt 66, but the car didn’t survive. 34. Hotwire a car Yeeeep. 35. Watch all the Monty Python films In one sitting What, even Jabberwocky? I did watch all of Robotech:The Macross Saga in one sitting. My head hurts. 36. Dial 999 911? Yep. Even by accident. 37. Read a 500 page book in one sitting Sure, no biggie. 38. Escape a perfectly justified parking ticket. Yeah, well… once. ---
**Author:** ![M.Meursault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@M.Meursault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/M.Meursault)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/31 "2006-01-21T07:42:07Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] 1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit : Stepped out a slowly moving car to retrieve a cigarette. Car ran my foot over. 2. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language: Became hopelessly lost in Brugges, Belgium when I was trying to find the train station. I have this theory that Dutch is made up on the spot with non-sensical sounds. 3. Post bail for a friend: Three in damn morning, too. Friend got busted for paraphenlia at a bar. Apparently a small pipe fell out of his pocket in the presence of a cop. 4. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives: Yes; the book of the month club can be surprisingly mean. 5. Tip a waiter with something other than money: When I was in high school, I tipped a waiter with cigarettes because I had only enough cash to pay for my food. 6. Light a fire with petrol: Yes, drunken bonfires are the best. 7. Get drunk on Absinthe: a friend of my boss’ smuggled some from Prague; my boss then gave me a flask of it as an X-Mas present. Marvelous alcohol; they should legalize it here. 8. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis: Yes, anytime I have a girlfriend. 9. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery: Yes, my step-dad dared me to. 10. Read a 500 page book in one sitting: I read “The Brothers Karamazov” in one day; I can’t remember if it was more than 500 pages long, though. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/32 "2006-01-21T08:45:34Z")
Navy means it has been done. 1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit 2. Shoot something 3. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home 4. Boot Linux on your home PC 5. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language 6. Spend more than your monthly income on a pocket sized gadget 7. Post bail for a friend 8. Break a really large plate glass window 9. Make a parachute jump on a hangover 10. Use a whole roll of gaffa tape in one day 11. Make a pointless modification to your house 12. Neck a pint of peppermint oil 13. Pull a shemale by mistake (but realise in time…) 14. Buy a samurai sword 15. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives 16. Destroy a speed camera 17. Refill an inkjet cartridge 18. Say something obscene on national television 19. Do a J turn in order to beat somebody to a parking space 20. Break a sledgehammer 21. Make a bomb 22. Smash a CRT 23. Require medical treatment as a consequence of kinky sex gone wrong (STDs don’t count.) 24. Tip a waiter with something other than money 25. Light a fire with petrol 26. Kidnap someone 27. Park inside a motorway service station 28. Own a convertible. 29. Live abroad. 30. Drive at more than 140mph. 31. Get something for free through a masterpiece of complaining 32. Give yourself a mains electric shock. 33. Completely dismantle an object larger than yourself 34. Write off a car 35. Fall asleep and get really hilarious sunburn 36. Get drunk on Absinthe 37. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis 38. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery 39. Take part in motorsport 40. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours 41. Set off a fire extinguisher 42. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads 43. Hotwire a car 44. Watch all the Monty Python films In one sitting 45. Shag an ex-girlfriend by mistake 46. Dial 999 47. Commit a faux pas which means that a friend will never speak to you again 48. Make a bet you couldn’t afford to lose 49. Read a 500 page book in one sitting 50. Escape a perfectly justified parking ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/33 "2006-01-21T09:40:48Z")
1. Shoot something - only if BB guns count. 2. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home - Seattle to Texas 3. Boot Linux on your home PC - RedHat 4. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language - Cuidad Acuna 5. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives 6. Make a bomb - chemistry and rocketry gone bad 7. Smash a CRT - I did this one after I turned 30. 8. Tip a waiter with something other than money - Haagen Daaz ice cream 9. Light a fire with petrol - grounded for the rest of the summer 10. Live abroad - once. for 20 days. in 1994. (I bought the one way ticket, but it didn’t work out.) 11. Write off a car - did this after 30 also, my last car. 12. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis - too many times 13. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery - what kid hasn’t 14. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads - Nevada in February. The most I have ever been scared for my life. 15. Commit a faux pas which means that a friend will never speak to you again - too many times 16. Make a bet you couldn’t afford to lose - too many times. 17. Read a 500 page book in one sitting - too many times also, but I dont regret those so much. Wow, that was more than I originally thought. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/34 "2006-01-21T13:06:19Z")
1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit - **yup. Car crash** 2. Shoot something - **Yup. With Mr. K before we were an item.** 3. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home - **Yup. Chicago to Florida.** 4. Boot Linux on your home PC - **No.** 5. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language **- No.** 6. Spend more than your monthly income on a pocket sized gadget - **No such thing.** 7. Post bail for a friend - **Yup. Many times.** 8. Break a really large plate glass window - **I was over 30.** 9. Make a parachute jump on a hangover - **No.** 10. Use a whole roll of gaffa tape in one day - **No.** 11. Make a pointless modification to your house - **No.** 12. Neck a pint of peppermint oil - **No.** 13. Pull a shemale by mistake (but realise in time…) - **What does this mean? I made out with a guy who was really a girl…does that count?** 14. Buy a samurai sword - **No, but we own one.** 15. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives - **Yes.** 16. Destroy a speed camera - **No.** 17. Refill an inkjet cartridge - **Didn’t exist.** 18. Say something obscene on national television - **No, damnit.** 19. Do a J turn in order to beat somebody to a parking space - **Yes.** 20. Break a sledgehammer - **No.** 21. Make a bomb - **Yes…but it was small.** 22. Smash a CRT -\*\* No.\*\* 23. Require medical treatment as a consequence of kinky sex gone wrong (STDs don’t count.) - **No.** 24. Tip a waiter with something other than money - **No, but I tipped a cabby with a joint.** 25. Light a fire with petrol - **Yes, and I still do occasionally.** 26. Kidnap someone - **No.** 27. Park inside a motorway service station -\*\* ?\*\* 28. Own a convertible. - **No.** 29. Live abroad. - **No.** 30. Drive at more than 140mph. - **No.** 31. Get something for free through a masterpiece of complaining - **Yes.** 32. Give yourself a mains electric shock. -\*\* No.\*\* 33. Completely dismantle an object larger than yourself - **No.** 34. Write off a car -\*\* No.\*\* 35. Fall asleep and get really hilarious sunburn - **Yes.** 36. Get drunk on Absinthe -\*\* No.\*\* 37. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis -\*\* Yes.\*\* 38. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery - **No**. 39. Take part in motorsport - **No**. 40. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours - **Yes.** 41. Set off a fire extinguisher - **No.** 42. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads - **No.** 43. Hotwire a car - **accomplice, but not the actual hotwirer. It was our car**. 44. Watch all the Monty Python films In one sitting - **No.** 45. Shag an ex-girlfriend by mistake - **No.** 46. Dial 999 -\*\* No.\*\* 47. Commit a faux pas which means that a friend will never speak to you again - **Yes**. 48. Make a bet you couldn’t afford to lose - **No.** 49. Read a 500 page book in one sitting - **No.** 50. Escape a perfectly justified parking ticket. - **Yes**. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/35 "2006-01-21T13:49:09Z")
I believe a much better list could be created, but on this, I’ve did 11 before my 30th birthday. 1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit – twice, both while jumping bikes. The first (and worse) one, I abraded all the skin off my left forearm and cracked a tooth. 2. Shoot something - boy scouts. 'Nuff said. 3. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home - My cousin’s wedding, visiting the folks, etc. 4. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language - During the summer I lived in Italy, this happened on two or three occasions. 5. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives - Those folks at the BMG Music Club don’t pussyfoot around. 6. Live abroad. - see above 7. Get something for free through a masterpiece of complaining - who hasn’t? 8. Fall asleep and get really hilarious sunburn - more than once 9. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis - This is what my freshman year of college was like. 10. Take part in motorsport - also go-karts 11. Set off a fire extinguisher - In my dorm we used to have fights with these –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/36 "2006-01-21T15:27:04Z")
1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit **Probably the STUPIDEST was when I was riding my first horse and he took me thru a low door at a gallop, I got a concussion from it.** 2. Shoot something **Just cans and such, but it’s SOMETHING…** 3. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home **It was a LONG weekend, but still…** 4. Make a pointless modification to your house **Added storage cabinets that weren’t really needed** 5. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives **Not by choice…** :o 6. Do a J turn in order to beat somebody to a parking space 7. Drive at more than 140mph. \*_Not quite 140, got up to 110. Can I count it?_ 8. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery **Hasn’t everyone ??** ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/37 "2006-01-21T16:50:05Z")
Done: 1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit 2. Shoot something 3. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home 4. Boot Linux on your home PC 5. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language 6. Spend more than your monthly income on a pocket sized gadget 7. Break a really large plate glass window 8. Use a whole roll of gaffa tape in one day 9. Make a pointless modification to your house 10. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives 11. Refill an inkjet cartridge 12. Do a J turn in order to beat somebody to a parking space 13. Break a sledgehammer 14. Make a bomb 15. Smash a CRT 16. Tip a waiter with something other than money 17. Light a fire with petrol 18. Own a convertible. 19. Live abroad. 20. Drive at more than 140mph. 21. Get something for free through a masterpiece of complaining 22. Give yourself a mains electric shock. 23. Completely dismantle an object larger than yourself 24. Write off a car 25. Fall asleep and get really hilarious sunburn 26. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis 27. Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery 28. Take part in motorsport 29. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours 30. Set off a fire extinguisher 31. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads 32. Hotwire a car 33. Dial 911 34. Commit a faux pas which means that a friend will never speak to you again 35. Read a 500 page book in one sitting 36. Escape a perfectly justified parking ticket. Some of these seem extraordinarily mundane and average ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/38 "2006-01-21T16:54:37Z")
I count 36 in my list. Don’t want to count yours, just tell us how many after your lists please. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/39 "2006-01-21T17:01:57Z")
1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit 2. Shoot something 3. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home (I am doing it again this weekend, by the way) 4. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language 5. Make a parachute jump on a hangover (half credit, 270-something jumps, all of them sober) 6. Refill an inkjet cartridge 7. Break a sledgehammer 8. Make a bomb 9. Require medical treatment as a consequence of kinky sex gone wrong (STDs don’t count.) (Well she did. I get half-credit) 10. Light a fire with petrol 11. Own a convertible. 12. Live abroad. 13. Completely dismantle an object larger than yourself 14. Write off a car 15. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours 16. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads 17. Commit a faux pas which means that a friend will never speak to you again 18. Read a 500 page book in one sitting Darn silly list, how about seeing the Tree of Life in Bahrain? I did that too. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952/40 "2006-01-21T19:06:24Z")
1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit 2. Shoot something 3. Post bail for a friend 4. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives 5. Refill an inkjet cartridge 6. Make a bomb. 7. Tip a waiter with something other than money 8. Light a fire with petrol 9. Get something for free through a masterpiece of complaining 10. Stay up all night listening to a girl have an emotional crisis 11. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours 12. Set off a fire extinguisher 13. Dial 911 14. Commit a faux pas which means that a friend will never speak to you again 15. Read a 500 page book in one sitting That’s 15 – 14, if you count the fact I made a Molotov cocktail and set a abandoned cabin in the woods on fire, which seems to combine #21 and #25. I’ve almost done these seven: **8. Break a really large plate glass window.** I’ve walked through a sliding glass door when I was 18. Still have the scars. This is diffrent from the OTHER stupid accidents that have landed me in the hospital. **11. Make a pointless modification to your house.** It was a small one bedroom apartment. I hated my bedroom so one day, in a burst of inspiration, I moved everything in my living room downstairs, put my couch outside on the curb with a sign saying “Free to good home”, then moved everything from my bedroom into my living room and made the bedroom my den/office. Lots of people did double-takes visiting my apartment. I was 31 when I did this, so I missed the age cut. **13. Pull a shemale by mistake (but realise in time…)** I didn’t pull her for me, but playing wingman at The Blue Flame for friend. **14. Buy a samurai sword** My grandfather willed me a katana sword he bought in Japan after WWII, but my grandmother gave it away before I could claim it. **20. Break a sledgehammer** I’ve broken a claw hammer once, two axes while chopping wood and once, memorably, a crowbar while trying to pry a rusted floor safe door open. **18. Say something obscene on national television** Heh. I forgot about this. Okay, we were protesting federal student aid cuts in '97 and one of the college counselors asked me to make the protest signs. If you leave me unsupervised with a task like this I will sure as shit get into trouble. While most of my signs were straightforward, two of my signs said, “Student Aid Cuts Suck Donkey Balls” and “Screw You, President Clitoris!” These made the local news unedited on the six o’clock broadcast, but were blurred out by 11. **45. Shag an ex-girlfriend by mistake.** I regretted it afterwards, it wasn’t a mistake, and I was older than 30. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-things-to-do-before-youre-30-which-have-you-done/340952.md?page=3)