So...last day as a 37 year old.

[dvandom]

Tomorrow's my 38th birthday.

38 isn't a particularly interesting number, mathematically speaking...not a prime or a square or a perfect number. Okay, so it only has two prime factors (2 and 19), but that's not all that special, really.

It's not socially very interesting either, not a milestone like 40 or even a "stopping point" like 39 (as in, "It's my 39th birthday!" "What, again? Isn't this your third 39th birthday?"). It's not a demographics breakpoint.

I'm told that when you turn 38 you can no longer enlist in the Army, but even if that's correct, it's not exactly significant to me. :)

I suppose there's got to be a bunch of famous people who died at age 38, especially entertainment types who burned out early on substance abuse.

Anyone know of anything I'm missing, a reason why 38 is any more significant than 37 or 41?

Edit: D'oh! I'm definitely getting old...I forgot the Transformers connection! 38 is the number on the side of Smokescreen's car mode.

Comments

[bluelang.livejournal.com]

All this talk about *you* turning 38 tomorrow. As if you're the only one!

At least I'm the *good-looking* clone. ;)

Happy Early Birthday!

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

Likewise! And don't be so sure you're still the better-looking one.... ;)

[jameel.livejournal.com]

I keep forgetting that you're older than me.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

You know, after 27, I stopped paying attention and I have to do the math, now, every time. I'm no longer as keenly aware of my age. It's not a number that's rooted in my forebrain anymore, like it is when you're in single digits and it means so much....

Twenty-seven was significant for me because of my resignation that I'd end up joining the 27 Club (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club) or some such nonsense (like Reggie Lewis). Wonder what the statistics are for mortality at given ages and if it's a smooth curve or of there are any unnatural peaks -- given this country, I'm willing to be surprised.

Oh, and hippo preemptive birdie, too.

[jarodrussell.livejournal.com]

3 and 8 are 2 numbers. 2^3=8. Is that interesting?

[gwox.livejournal.com]

From answers.yahoo.com, on the significance of number 38:

Number 38 is the most drawn in lotteries.

38 is also an atomic number: a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element of the alkali metal group; turns yellow in air; occurs in celestite and strontianite.

38 is the largest even number which cannot be written as the sum of two odd composite numbers.

[grant-p.livejournal.com]

I'm not a good person to ask as I missed my own birthday for almost five years running once, but every year I've made it past 17 I've considered it to be a great thing. I had not originally expected to last that long and the fact that I'm now passing into 'indefinite' is, to me, a great thing. Any birthday is a victory, you've made it another year. At least, I think of it as something amazing.

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

Just thought of one myself, and I made an inadvertant pun above. .38 Special. ;)

[foomf.livejournal.com]

Everyone is older than you, Jameel. It's your own fault for adopting "DC Time" where you stay the same age and just slide your birth year forward.

[robotech-master.livejournal.com]

Funny, I thought that was intentional.

[warendfeld.livejournal.com]

I just tend to take it as another year being alive, and hopefully one where you have slightly less headaches than those of us who are 22.

Happy Birthday. Hope you get some shiny new things.

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

From Wikipedia, 38 is the sum of the squares of the first three primes: 2² + 3² + 5² = 38

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

My parents sent me some birthday money in a card that plays 30 seconds of the Star Wars Theme. :) No new TF toys in local stores this week, though, at least as of this afternoon.

[liabrown]

Happy birthday!