Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Thoughts on being 30

Today I am 30 years old.

1.I don't feel 30. Maybe 25, but I still feel about the same as when I graduated college. I still even wear some of the same t-shirts.

2.The best part of being 30 is now it will be even more ridiculous when I get carded.

3.Turning 30 isn't a big deal to me.

4.I am really glad to be married and settled. Even if it means I now lose all my whip cream on any ice cream sundae.

5.It has been a really neat time to grow up. Kids now naturally have cable TV and the Internet. It was kinda cool to have V66 and a unix based email address. It helps you appreciate the access to information. I just paid my mortgage online, my grandpa used to drive his checks to the phone company etc. It amazes me that Rachel has so much access to nursing school online.

6.I wasn't always so interested in traveling. Seeing Alaska, St Lucia and Italy has been great, but seeing the Grand Canyon was the most impressive. You hear about it and know it so well growing up, but to actually see it is awesome.

7.Looking back, I am glad the Red Sox lost the '86 World Series. I would have felt very unattached to the Red Sox history had they won when I was so young.

8.There is something wrong with our educational system when at 30, I still wake up in fear of an overdue paper or book report. Last night I did try twice, to save my wife and dog from the ceiling fan falling on us. Only it wasn't, and they weren't as concerned as I seemed to have been in my sleep.

9.It's not even Thanksgiving and our neighbor has Christmas light up. I'm afraid to turn on the radio.

10.Spending a lot of time in Vermont, I grew up watching a lot of weird Canadian TV that no one else remembers (G Force, Force 5, The Boogaloo's, Secret Garden)

11.I have a need to keep learning new things. I would really enjoy going back to school for many subjects I didn't even consider at the time (economics, some psychology, business, accounting).

12."Oldies" stations have gone too modern (too much 70's, not enough 50's) hopefully the neo-retro movements will fix that.

13. 30 years and still not a coffee drinker.

14. I am glad to see classic board games show up in stores for the holidays. I don't think they are as popular now, but I love board games. Most these days are simple to learn and last an hour. I still prefer really complicated games (Monopoly, Risk, Axis and Allies)

Things that will make me seem old:
I showed up to college w/o a cell phone or an email address
I hate IM
I had a lot of cassette tapes
I got a 212 Mb hard drive for Christmas one year
I had a 2400 baud modem
I remember 386 computers
I remember paying under $1.00 for gas
I played Pac Man in the arcade
I had an Atari
The first VHS I saw was Splash
I went to college w/ 5 CDs

These sports teams have left their homes:
Montreal Expos
Hartford Whalers
Quebec Nordiques
Minn Northstars
Winnipeg Jets
Vancouver Grizzlies
St Louis Cardinals
Houston Oilers
Washington Bullets (name change)
LA Rams, Raiders
a bunch more...

9 comments:

Karen said...

great recap and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! hate IM- Blasphemy!

Anonymous said...

Loved your list! Happy Birthday!

Anonymous said...

did you say you have some cool whip?

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE!!!

Dave said...

Oh wow Mustard on my blog!

I haven't seen Mustard since my wild 20's.

Dale said...

Happy BD Dave! I didn't realize you were older than me. You and Tom are one of few people that I can say look younger than your age than me.

Funny how you hate IM... one of my complaints is that people don't IM enough outside of work. It'd be a lot easier. Ironically, you are one of 3 people I IM outside of work.

Anonymous said...

Dale, I think you are the only person I IM out of work.
It is good for football games and drafts but it is not a primary form of communication for me like most people today.

Anonymous said...

Dave,

As being only 5 years older,I moved into college with a 9 inch black and white TV. I remember debating if a CD was worth $5 more than a cassette when buying them at Strawberries. My first 3 cars had to be unlocked with a key, no fob. I shared a PC with no e-mail/internet for my first job (used Lotus 123 for DOS). I even remember renting the VHS player when you rented a movie.

Good news is Tom and Jerry cartoons are making a comeback, some hopefully more cool stuff will come back - like G Force.

I think reflecting like that is cool on your Birthday. Hope you enjoyed "The Mist" and had a great day.

Mike

Martha said...

Happy (late) Birthday!