CONTEST: Best 30th Birthdays

While researching the book online, we often came across personal sites documenting the 30th birthday parties of regular folks. Some delighted us. Some terrified us. So, we started keeping a list. Herewith, our ratings (on a 1 to 10 scale) of the most rockin' 30th birthday parties, as chronicled in digital phtographic form on the Internet. (Got a submission? Drop us a line.)

Trev Is Out of Control
Something is wrong here. Very wrong. Grade: 1

Clay's 30th birthday at Bennihanas
By definition, any 30th at Benihana is rockin'. Grade: 7.

Simon Doak's 30th birthday
Everyone looks happy. A little too happy. (Drugs must have been terrific!) Grade: 9.

Bill's 30th Birthday Surprise
Seriously scary on multiple levels. Memo to Miramax: here's your next Blair Witch phenomenon. Grade: N/A.

Marla's 30th birthday and lobster boil
The rarely-seen crustacean themed 30th. Now that's class. Grade: 6.

Scotts Surprise 30th birthday party
Rockin': jello shots. Not rockin': in-party web surfing. Grade: 3.

Photos from Ryan's 30th Birthday Party
"After tons of sushi, beer and sake we stepped across the street and took over a bar called Barnacles." Oh yeaaaah! Grade: 8.

Julia's 30th Birthday
Birthday girl loses points for appearing in every goddamn photo. Grade: 4.

Sue's 30th Birthday
Well, there's no doubt this dude was rockin'. Grade: 6.

Steve's 30th birthday
Crap party, but that's a rockin Spidey cake! Grade: 4.

jellycan: My 30th birthday party
Kubo breaks out his tambourine! A cute koala gets shot! Grade: 9.

Martin's 30th birthday rager
It's hard to capture the energy of this two-week bender in blog form, but let's just say, "The dance floor is not only for dancin'!" Grade: 10

Chris and Steve Do It Up
Nothing says 30 like table shuffleboard. Can you find make-your-own sundaes/tacos and the mullet in the background? Good party elements both. Grade: 5.5

WINNER: Martin Reddy (with a perfect score of 10!)
Turning Thirty [martinreddy.net]