As he passes 33

I've been going on a bit about this matter to people who exist in the fleshy and green world, but I've got a birthday coming up. It's a grand thing, don't get me wrong, I'm not someone who gets hungup on such matters as 'dear me, I'm __ years old and I haven't been to Zaire, cliff-dived in Argentina, been awarded the Pulitzer, and so on. Sure, there's a little of that--birthdays are natural times to take stock and regroup--but mostly there's just this awareness that's striking me, a consciousness of the swiftness of time that wasn't really present during my 20something birthdays.

It's okay. I dont' miss my 20s for the most part, but it's strange to see them and remember them very clearly as they're behind me. Does that make sense? If nothing else it seems the 30s are about a greater amount of focus being gained; you know a little more about who you are, a little more/less about how the world works, and, it seems, a lot of things start looking pretty dumb (that is, media trends and other things that often just pass by you when you're in your 20s without much thought--or passed by me, at least).

In two days I'll be 33, a fine number and a full embrace of my 30s. Welcome.