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That miss got you on 1998, too. Just 1 DP difference between us.

Man, I really don't think I'll be able to beat 14 greats on My Sweet Darlin'. The sheer fact that I am way out of shape means I'll only get maybe 3 stabs at the song before I get winded and just try to clear the song and pray for perfects.

10 years ago I'd say that My Sweet Darlin' was easy as shit but time and 90 pounds of flesh can certainly change a man.

10 years ago I was your age now.

Does.... Does life get any better in your 30s?

My 30s have been pretty great overall. In fact, I would say that they've been getting more great as they have gone on.

How would you rate your 20s? Are you worried about slipping from greatness or wanting to move toward it?

Oh, I'm definitely worried about slipping (more) from greatness. 2004 to like 2007 Merk was awesome and it's been pretty much downhill since.

My 20s have been OK I guess, I got my degree and then worked a job I did not like, got fired, and now am working a job that is pretty good albeit underpays. My only major regret is that I really, really let myself go and got fat after promising myself I would never get fat again and throw away what I had worked for when I got skinny. I'd say I definitely got less naive about the world in my 20s and put my efforts into gaining a marketable skill.

Merk wrote:Oh, I'm definitely worried about slipping (more) from greatness. 2004 to like 2007 Merk was awesome and it's been pretty much downhill since.

My 20s have been OK I guess, I got my degree and then worked a job I did not like, got fired, and now am working a job that is pretty good albeit underpays. My only major regret is that I really, really let myself go and got fat after promising myself I would never get fat again and throw away what I had worked for when I got skinny. I'd say I definitely got less naive about the world in my 20s and put my efforts into gaining a marketable skill.

I can understand how rough it can be as my 20s were extremely rough as mine started with going to war, which oddly enough was less difficult than what I faced upon my return. It's good to hear that you got some clarity from your life experiences.

I think my 20s were generally pretty good, but I feel like I've done a lot more and new things in my 30s. I think I have a smaller circle of friends now than I did then, but I feel much closer to the people in my life now than in my 20s. My employment hasn't changed in 12 years, but my work within the job has changed at least 2-3 times in that time. I know people older and younger than me getting paid more and less, but I seem to be getting by ok. I generally like what I do and the people that I work with and that's far more important to me than the paycheck (provided I'm not starving).

I know that it probably wasn't as obvious, but I can definitely relate to the dismay of attempting to pull on pants that *used to* fit. It had happened to me a few times over the past 3-4 years, but it finally bothered me enough this year to make an effort to do something about it. I had literally divided my pants into groups of "still comfortable" and "will do if others are not clean."

The "still comfortable" group had dwindled down to just a handful of pairs at the beginning of this year, so I made some diet changes right around my birthday. 25 pounds later, I was able to merge my pants groupings as they all fit fine again. I actually had to buy some new (smaller) ones because the last of the old "still comfortable" group are actually rather large on my now. They are a bad time/idea without a belt.

This wasn't as hard as I maybe thought it would be. I think if you want it bad enough, you'll find something that works for you and you can do it, too! (That is definitely intended as encouraging, not condescending. I want to make that clear in case it didn't come through in text.)

My activity level really hasn't changed though. I would consider myself to be only moderately active this entire time. I wouldn't consider myself sedentary, but I probably do less than I did say, 10 years ago. As a result, my stamina is lower than I can remember and I would like to improve this. I guess that will be my next goal.

Anyway, I think it's well within your power to make your 30s great. The fact that you are saving for a house shows that you're planning for things. You've been setting goals and carrying them through. You'll do fine!

HYPER OFFBEAT for this week?

I remember people used to complain that Hyper Eurobeat was off, but I never really noticed since I was always terrible at PA anyway. Now that I seem to be at least average-ish, I'm curious if I'll notice.

Sure! That will work. Do you have Extreme installed? I think Hyper Eurobeat was fixed after Extreme.

I do have Extreme installed. I have also heard that it was fixed after Extreme. But since it debuted in Extreme and that's what we're both playing, I assume we'll have the issue. I'm just wondering if or how much it will affect me or if I'll just adjust.

I've always had a bit of a tough time with it, remember you have to rush a little bit and tune out the music!

So it's visually correct but the audio is slightly behind?

Well it's more like visually it's ahead and audio-wise it's normal.

Have you guys ever noticed that Hyper Eurobeat is neither hyper nor Eurobeat?