Today on All Things Considered

I don’t listen to NPR much these days.

Nothing against NPR, I don’t listen to anything much these days. If I’m writing, music is distracting. And if I’m driving, I listen to books on tape, which I also listen to while exercising.

Don’t get me wrong, I love music. But there never seems to be a right time for it, except when I’m reading. Then it’s usually something peaceful I’ve already heard a million times. like classical music or Michael Hedges guitar. Needless to say, I’m pretty far behind on the music scene.

Which isn’t what I set out to write about in this post, but the title threw me off.

What I did intend to write about is my birthday, which is coming up in three days. Wednesday, to be specific. I’m turning 29! I know everyone has a feeling of “Holy cats, am I really that old?” every single year. But 29 is something special, isn’t it? No glory in 26 or 27, or even 28 really. 29 is the big one though. That’s when you gotta get all your ducks lined up and really get a running start to hit that 30 benchmark.

It’s been a good year though. I moved up out of the restaurant industry and into my first professional career position in a TV station. Then I graduated from there into a full time position at a better station. Then I moved up into an anchoring position there, finished my book, published my book, had a book signing, decided I didn’t like anchoring anymore, stepped down and went back to writing and now I’m working on my second novel. Busy year.

No complaints. I think I’d feel bad if I were still in the restaurant business, just because I was so miserable there. But things are pretty good now. Not ideal, but that’s ok, when is it ever ideal? If things are ideal for you, don’t tell me.

I’d still love to be travelling, and I plan on getting there. But there’s some finer details to work out in the meantime. Finances, for one. Back packing from New Zealand (which apparently is a word that Google doesn’t know, it highlighted it as misspelled), all the way to England ain’t cheap. But when I get there, it’ll be worth it.

Life goals have changed. As I suppose they should. Fabulous riches and wealth aren’t really motivating. As long as I have enough to live comfortably, I’m happy. And that means a cabin on a lake somewhere, or even just in the middle of the woods with a hundred miles between me and the next person. I think Bill Watterson is doing it right.

So this is just a g’day sort of little post, a hello and goodbye to 28. 30 is just around the corner, which is pretty bizarre, because I don’t feel like what I think other 30-year-olds should feel like. I’m still a kid. A big kid, but nowhere near the land of Adulthood. Adults are mature and riddled with mortgages and plans for their future and commitments. If Commitment were a country, my explorers wouldn’t have discovered it yet, shrouded as it is by sinister mists and fearsome dragons.

So here’s to another year of discovery and trail blazing. I’m excited.