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Almost exactly twelve years ago, when I was fifteen, I absolutely could not sleep on the night of my sixteenth birthday. I remember I was so desperate to find a way of making the night go faster that I tried counting sheep, and got up to about a kazillion before I must have eventually lapsed into unconsciousness for an hour or two. In that particular instance it was mostly because I was hoping for Tekken 3, but at that stage, birthdays were always something exciting, to be looked forward to and enjoyed - with the possible milestone every three years of being legally allowed in to watch a whole new BBFC category of films at the cinema.
As we all continue our inexorable shuffle across this mortal coil, however, the feeling of birthdays turns into one approaching dread, the excitement of the day gone and replaced with it marking being yet another year older. And this birthday is another type of milestone, another less comfortable one that comes up every three years - I've now left my mid-twenties and am beginning my late twenties, with 30 looming ever closer. I don't even feel like I'm all that far out of university yet - but before my next birthday, the ten-year anniversary of me first standing in the queue of newcomers between the monstrous concrete tentacles of Andrew Melville Hall will have passed. (Note that this article suggests that after you see it in real life a stiff drink will be necessary).
This previous year was one mostly of turmoil, and I was very lucky to get out of it with my life as comfortable as it still is. Very shortly after my last birthday I felt the need to start anti-anxiety medication, I went in for appointments at a mental health department for the first time, I finally restored my status (gained at 17 and not really used since 21) as a legal driver, sort of fell halfway between losing my job and leaving voluntarily, accidentally found another job, bought a car, and climbed quite rapidly into running a work project for the first time. That's a lot of change, compressed mostly into the first half of the year, and I'm hoping that things just stabilize from here. Oh, and that period of uncertainty in April finally gave me time to finish Crystal Towers 2 (thank you,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ravenworks) - that's a fairly positive life change, not working on that.
It's not all bad. Over the last few weeks I've received the new netbook, the latest Professor Layton game, and various other things that will no doubt be used to distract myself on the plane journey in just two days. Tonight, we're going to order an Indian meal from the place near us that has come the closest to getting it right, and Whitney has made me a cake. Perhaps best of all of these, I haven't even received any dreadful e-cards.
As we all continue our inexorable shuffle across this mortal coil, however, the feeling of birthdays turns into one approaching dread, the excitement of the day gone and replaced with it marking being yet another year older. And this birthday is another type of milestone, another less comfortable one that comes up every three years - I've now left my mid-twenties and am beginning my late twenties, with 30 looming ever closer. I don't even feel like I'm all that far out of university yet - but before my next birthday, the ten-year anniversary of me first standing in the queue of newcomers between the monstrous concrete tentacles of Andrew Melville Hall will have passed. (Note that this article suggests that after you see it in real life a stiff drink will be necessary).
This previous year was one mostly of turmoil, and I was very lucky to get out of it with my life as comfortable as it still is. Very shortly after my last birthday I felt the need to start anti-anxiety medication, I went in for appointments at a mental health department for the first time, I finally restored my status (gained at 17 and not really used since 21) as a legal driver, sort of fell halfway between losing my job and leaving voluntarily, accidentally found another job, bought a car, and climbed quite rapidly into running a work project for the first time. That's a lot of change, compressed mostly into the first half of the year, and I'm hoping that things just stabilize from here. Oh, and that period of uncertainty in April finally gave me time to finish Crystal Towers 2 (thank you,
ravenworks) - that's a fairly positive life change, not working on that.It's not all bad. Over the last few weeks I've received the new netbook, the latest Professor Layton game, and various other things that will no doubt be used to distract myself on the plane journey in just two days. Tonight, we're going to order an Indian meal from the place near us that has come the closest to getting it right, and Whitney has made me a cake. Perhaps best of all of these, I haven't even received any dreadful e-cards.
