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.
Oh hey that's something I've been vaguely interested in for a while!!! You enjoying it? What do you do?
Very little 😂
No I got into it to learn the theory of it more than anything. I've been faffing about with a VHF setup to see if I could establish a little station that could be heard anywhere in the town I'm in. That's inexpensive to do and you can probably knock together a basic station with decent range for £100 and the time and effort needed up a ladder.
The next step is to look further afield and build a station that operates in the 20m band, but I'm yet to be able to convince Chief Girlfriend that an end fed antenna dangling across the back garden, or a fiver metre whip mounted to the roof is a good idea. HF transceivers are exponentially more expensive, and require some support devices too.
Otherwise, I go "hilltopping" and head up elevated positions with a quarter-wave antenna and a cheap handheld radio to listen out on what's happening. It's good for the geek in me; it's good for the mind being at such pretty viewpoints; and it's good for the body walking or running up hillsides.
Alternatively, I'll sit in the garden while the kids play around with FlightRadar24 open on a device and a handheld radio tuned to the local airport approach frequency, and talk about what an aircraft is or may be doing while listening to the chatter.
So yeah, I don't do a lot really. I live quite close to the coast so getting into marine frequencies is something on my list to do; and speaking to folk worldwide would be a laugh!
You're poor.
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.
Some even try to stay healthy! What a bunch of losers!
fuck yeah i love money
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?
😏
Entire-life crisis
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.
Is a gravel bike something specific or just like, a regular bike?
My midlife crisis is degoogling, switching to Linux, eating less meat, reducing the footprint I leave on this world, spending more time with my wife and daughter, treating my recently diagnosed ADHD and not giving as many fucks regarding work. Oh, and I took up archery. Pretty ok I guess. I'm 42.
30 something, regular MTB, Areopress. I’m on the right trajectory.
40something, gravel bike, training for a half century, use a French press.
Wow, someone real mad about a French press?
no gravel bike at 40? A deeply disturbed individual
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.
Do you have fingernails that shine like justice?
I might take up the tumbak.
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!
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.
Sounded like it was tabletop wargaming with Napeleon instead of Yarrick.
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
Hey, gravel bikes are good fun.
Damn it. So it seems like I am prototypical 40-something.
Life can be fun, so trying to make the best of it.
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
I would be great at the triathlon if the three sports it combines were running, bicycling and drowning.
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.
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.
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.
Me who just went to see a friend this morning on my fixie "Neat... I totally fit the stereotype!"
Dude seems like he could use a hobby
Also bialetti coffee makers are really simple little cook top devices that give you some amazing espresso for the change you've got in your couch. Fantastic little appliance.
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