Another one gone

It’s been almost three weeks since, but I recently turned 22. Hooray?

Alas, the post-21 world is lacking in the anticipation of previous years, as there are really no further privileges to be unlocked with the arbitrary key of age. Unless, that is, you frequently rent cars, in which case the economic benefits of your 25th birthday will relieve you of great monetary hardship. I’m much more a fan of borrowing my roommate’s car, however, so the flair of that particular achievement doesn’t shine very brightly from four years afar.

I also received plenty of questions concerning the way I “feel” about being 22, a question which is invariably asked on every birthday yet remains eternally puzzling. Age is an artificial concept, one invented more for utility than anything; it is better, after all, than referring to individuals as “old guy,” “older guy,” and “oldest guy.” Yet people always wonder whether some magical change occurs on that one date a year, and my answer is more or less the same each time it’s asked: a shrug.

Yeah, passing the “legal” mark had its novelty, and proper access to alcohol was certainly appreciated last year, but the definition of “me” has not undergone any drastic alterations because of those events. The aging process is a gradual one, and though I may be surprised 18 years from now when I look back and realize, “Holy hell, I’m fucking old!”, it’s never that jarring when living the moment.

But, all pontificating aside, it was not a bad birthday, as there were plenty of friends, poker chips, and (most importantly) beer to tide everyone over. Cameron was down for the last few days of break, lending a nice touch to the otherwise testosterone-thick atmosphere (what a juicy image, ha!), and it was good to see the old gang back together on familiar turf. I rarely get to spend much time at home these days, so Winter Break in general is an anticipated and nostalgic event.

And of course, a big thank you to all those who left me electronic messages of well-wishing. It’s always fun to log into your neglected Facebook profile only to be buried under a pile of wall posts. One of these days I’m going to throw the party I’ve talked of for so long, and we’ll boogie down like we were meant to. In the meantime, stay classy, and much love for all those I cherish.

Posted on 01/28/08 at 3:14AM,