Because 31 Is The New 50

Technically, it’ll be 19 more years before I’m old enough to join AARP. But in the meantime, I’ve been building up my cred: I use coupons every chance I get, I try to be in bed before 10 p.m., and I totally love the nickel slots at casinos.

Last December was my crowning achievement: I got a Nintendo Wii. Now I can compare my bowling and golf scores with everyone in the retirement village near my house.

Okay, so I also have one other game for the Wii: Dance Dance Revolution. This is not really a game for senior citizens, but it is also not a game for me, apparently. Three weeks after the game arrived in my mailbox, I got a stress fracture in my foot. (True, I wasn’t alone. It was still humiliating to tell my running friends that I wouldn’t be joining them for awhile, since I’d seriously injured myself playing a video game.)

Anyway, it was during the two long months that I was confined to a stationary bike that I finally started downloading video podcasts. I thought it would be annoying to watch videos on a tiny screen. But I found out that it’s even worse to watch a blank wall at the gym.

One of my favorite video podcasts is the Best of YouTube. Do I need to say more than that? Probably not.

While there is a fair share of American’s Funniest Home Videos-style montages of people getting kicked in the crotch or falling face first onto rake tines, there are also some fantastic videos of really cool physical tricks (chain surfing, for example) and musical gimmicks (Super Mario on two guitars).

It might not be hard to find these crowd-pleasers on YouTube, but the podcast offers the added benefit of bypassing all those inane comments beneath the video. (“lol!!!” “OMG that is soooooo funny!!!!!!!”) Sure, some have found meaning in all those acronyms and exclamation points, but I’m not worried I’m missing anything.

Anyway, my point, I guess, is that YouTube video podcasts became the gateway video podcast. Now I’ve got so many on my list that I’m manufacturing reasons to keep pedaling. When they invent Wii Stationary Bike: Ride or Die, I’m not sure what will take top priority.