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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on September 11, 2010 at 9:58pm

Sleep in until noon. Invite my friends and family to dinner at an expensive restaurant and go all out, sparing no expense. Rent a car, drive out to the middle of nowhere, to a spot where light pollution can't obscure the stars, drink wine, and enjoy a simple, melancholy evening. It'd be better if I had a nice girl to share that last part with; doubt I'd be in the mood for sex or anything, but affectionate human contact, the rhythm of a companion heartbeat, would certainly be appreciated.

Ah, I misread. I thought I was one of the few who knew the world was ending. If it's public knowledge? Well, I guess I'd have to alter my plans a bit. I don't think anyone would want to work in a restaurant during their last moments, and renting a car or getting around on roads might prove impractical. The same general plan would be possible though with a few workarounds.

My alternate plan would be to sneak into the zoo and spend the day hanging out with the penguins.

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Permalink Reply by Shine on September 11, 2010 at 11:03pm

Ah, I misread. I thought I was one of the few who knew the world was ending. If it's public knowledge? Well, I guess I'd have to alter my plans a bit

It crossed my mind while I was writing this that the scenario would be quite different if it was public versus private knowledge. I considered setting it up as "you are the astronomer who discovers the asteroid," but I was afraid that imposing too much of a persona upon the hypothetical would influence people's answers.

Either way, I think that I would try to find a good field and a great bottle of wine, as well.

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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on September 12, 2010 at 2:25am

Where I am really struggling with this whole scenario is, what would be the theme music for this hypothetical last day?

Reverie Sound Revue's Rip the Universe is a strong contender at the moment, but I might just let the penguins pick something off my iPod when I bust them out of the zoo.

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Permalink Reply by T A A on October 10, 2010 at 8:18pm

I'll go hang out with you on your last day :)

I think I'd go to bed early tho... in fact, I might just want to spend the entire day in bed having fun!

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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on October 17, 2010 at 8:26pm

I was planning on bringing as much of my bed with me as possible to the field. I want to die outside, but I also want to die comfortably.

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Permalink Reply by 0uvz0ojrhcpag on September 11, 2010 at 10:18pm

That was funny Kris.

I'd like to go horseback riding. I've always been too afraid to do that. But if it was my last day on earth - it would be well worth the risk. Even if I did get hurt - I would know I would soon be out of my misery lol.

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Permalink Reply by Shine on September 11, 2010 at 11:12pm

Even if I did get hurt - I would know I would soon be out of my misery lol.

One of the main things that I was wondering was how many people would take risks! I've always wanted to try bungee jumping but think that the risk of potentially negative consequences far outweighs the possible reward. However, with only twenty-four hours left to live, consequences are pretty much irrelevant.

So maybe I'll go bungee jumping on my way to find a field with a case of wine. ;)

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Permalink Reply by T A A on October 10, 2010 at 9:44pm

Do you cross streets or drive a car, percentage-wise, the risks of dying doing that are vastly greater than dying or being hur bungee jumping... just saying :)

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Permalink Reply by Shine on October 17, 2010 at 10:35am

True, the relative percentage of injury due to crossing a street or driving a car may be higher, but these are unavoidable risks which I must incorporate into my daily life. Bungee jumping, on the other hand, is an unnecessary risk. If I were to exchange the two activities, bungee jumping would lower my overall risk of dying. However, if I just add bungee jumping to my normal routine, then I am only unnecessarily increasing my overall risk.

I suppose that the argument could be staked that my daily risks of driving and street-crossing are themselves unnecessary. I guess that the cost-benefits analysis is the deciding factor for me: if I avoid the risk of driving (or riding the bus--still at risk on the road) by staying home I miss out on the activities of my daily life, whereas if I avoid bungee jumping I only miss out on a minor thrill.

But I guess that is ultimately subjective to the value of that minor thrill. To someone who considers it to be a major thrill and huge loss to miss, I guess the balance of the cost-benefits analysis would shift the other way.

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Permalink Reply by Shine on September 11, 2010 at 11:20pm

I'd setup a vidconf with both my sons and their mother.
To reminisce.

One of the hardest things for me would be that my parents are too far away to be reached within twenty-four hours. A videoconference would definitely be good, but it still couldn't replace one last hug.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Sizer-Watt on September 11, 2010 at 10:11pm

Hard to say. Call all of my loved ones and make sure they know I love them, then go to a swingers' club with my wife. That's what comes to mind anyway. Given some more time to think, I might come up with something else.

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Permalink Reply by Shine on September 11, 2010 at 11:25pm

I think that I would actually be driven to avoid other people and social settings--well, if a swingers' club could be labeled as a "social setting." ;) But I think it's fascinating how people would probably have polar reactions; some would retreat into solitude while others would seek out human contact.

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