October 17, 2001 (idea)

I'm now 21. Some thoughts:

• It's completely alien to me that I am only just old enough to buy alcohol in America, but I've been drinking here for over 3 years.
• University would be completely alien to me without the 6 bars spread throughout the union building.
• The world does not stop for birthdays - I still had a 9am lecture, I still went for my consultation at the gym, I still have to write my essay.
• An essay entitled "If the field of artificial intelligence had concentrated on building artificial footballers rather than artificial chess players, how might our efforts to build artificial intelligences be different today?” isn't always as fun as it sounds. I'll still node it when I'm done, of course.
• 21 year old people are adults:
  • A young mother on the train told her little boy to, "leave the nice man alone Simon." The nice man was me... it kind of scared me.
  • In the local newspaper it says things like, "A 19 year old man was today sentenced to 15 years in prision for the murder of his wife and two children. It's thought increasing debts were to blame." He'll turn 21 in jail...
• There are no significant rights to be gained after your 21st birthday, except perhaps entitlement to full minimum wage (which comes at 22 in the UK).

That's all. Happy birthday to me.

Not quite all, in fact. I made a mix CD for dustfromamoth, and wertperch is getting one too...

1. The Presidents of the United States of America - Naked And Famous
2. Cake - Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle
3. Fountains of Wayne - Joe Rey
4. Weezer - El Scorcho
5. A Perfect Circle - The Hollow
6. Incubus - Nowhere Fast
7. Deftones - 7 Words
8. Imogen Heap - Angry Angel
9. Skunk Anansie - Little Baby Swastikkka
10. Guano Apes - Open Your Eyes
11. Primus - Tommy The Cat
12. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Shallow Be Thy Game
13. Jeff Buckley - Grace
14. Beck - Nitemare Hippy Girl
15. Elliott Smith - Somebody that I used to Know
16. Skunk Anansie - Pickin On Me
17. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Pretty Little Ditty
18. Sneaker Pimps - Post-Modern Sleaze
19. PropellerHeads - Velvet Pants
20. The Chemical Brothers - Elektrobank

That's really all.