As some of you may be aware, today was a day I've been dreading for the longest.  No, not Easter.  My birthday: today, I turned thirty.  Getting old is never fun, and hitting certain age benchmarks can be psychologically fazing.  Now, maybe it's because it was Easter that got me into the spirit, but I did something for my birthday I hadn't done for a good number of years: I celebrated.

It was an amazing day weather-wise, so I took the motorbike down to Atlantic City early this morning.  More of an introspective trip than anything else, both the ride and a jog across the Ocean City boardwalk gave me time to think.  You see, I had lost someone very dear to me some weeks ago; a patient of mine, a wonderful and brave young girl of thirteen who lost her battle with cancer.  Being a health care worker, it's something of an occupational hazard to see folks come and go, but the year-long relationship I formed with her, as both her therapist and friend..... well, it left me heartbroken.  In the end, I'd like to think we had each given one another something of immeasurable worth: I, some much needed friendship leading to her final days, and her, a reason for me to finally understand and appreciate the living, and to not be hung up so on something as trivial as an age number.  I'm here, and I'm healthy; I often take that fact for granted.

A few hours later I found myself back in New York, where sis and I got together for lunch.  I had the lemon chicken with eggplant marsala, a dish I hadn't had in quite some years.  It was good, though I think the prolonged anticipation of getting to try it again was nominally more exciting than the dish itself.  The peach sorbet was exactly as I remembered it, though: perfection.

It was then that Tiff hit me with the best gift I received today: tickets to the upcoming Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden this July.  To put it simply, I was "Speechless" - I myself had been trying for weeks to secure tickets, with intentions of surprising HER with them.  Now, I've just three months to make some concert-appropriate headgear.  What think?  The gyroscope top or the Ga-Ga-Garrador look?

Afterwards, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I always gravitate toward those gorgeous Victorian castle exhibits, but the currently featured Art of Victorian Photocollage exhibit was engaging as well.  We ended the afternoon with a "cheers-to-thirty" drink -- a Jägerbomb for her, and a passion fruit vodka for myself.  Then we stopped in at mom's, where she greeted her two slightly tipsy daughters with a Costco-bought sweet potato pie.  We ate the entire thing (they actually do make a pretty damned good pie) whilst reminiscing and playing catch-up.

And now I'm home, with a cup of decaf by my side, tired as hell, and ready to zonk out at a moment's notice.  And it's only 10pm.  Busy day.... or maybe I really am just getting old.  But I'm proud to say I made it to the big 3-0, and survived it.  I can now look ahead without trepidations or regret.  At least until forty starts rolling around.

A shout-out of thanks to all those who got me here.  And to you guys, too, who helped to ease some well-founded understanding of my "issue" in this related thread.

Happy Easter, all.  Hope yours turned out as well as mine.  This day has certainly been a rebirth of sorts for me.

Happy birthday, Angie. Don't sweat the implied value attached to your age. It means nothing to me, at least.

Oh, and happy zombie Jesus day to you too.

The easiest way to look at any milestone birthday is that it's already done by the time you recognize it. That is to say, you've been turning 30 since the time you turned 29, and when the day itself hits, it's already on the books and you're officially past it. Many happy returns, however you look at it.

My own Easter was an unusual one. It started out as they have been, breakfast at my sister's, an egg hunt for the kids followed by a little front yard football. At around 2 o'clock though, she was practically falling over tired, and we all decided to call it there so she could take a much-needed nap while daddy took the brood to the park. In retrospect, we should've seen it coming - she's expecting in June and has been having a hell of a time sleeping, and she really shouldn't have pushed herself as much as she did. She's since called to let us know she's feeling better, which is good.

Back home with nothing to do, I decided to 'activate' all the 360 games I had bought but hadn't yet had attached to my account. Yes, I was that bored. I had intended to cap it off by starting up my brother-in-law's copy of Bioshock to try and get into FPS's (one of the genres I have very little talent at - I chose BS for its generous health/save system), only to find that sticky children's fingerprints on the bottom - which withstood three intense cleaning efforts - made the disk unplayable. Rats. He lent me Assassin's Creed as well, so I'm hoping that'll be good. So far though, I've just been puttering with other things.
On a side note, I realized today that I've had a Gold Membership for two months now that I've done sod-all with, so I'll probably be adding all you guys later tonight on the off-chance anyone else gets to urge to play things around midnight (not specifically tonight, just in general. I'm a night owl, you see).

But yes, happy Easter, and for those of us in retail, happy POST-Easter, where things will finally slow down until mid-May.

Just do like I do...stop paying attention to the exact number of years old you are. It works...I actually kind of like that people normally guess much younger than 29 (well, I'm 28 for the next seven days anyway). But when my hearing and eyesight goes...THEN it's gonna get rough.

This was one of those days I had completely earned the right to do nothing and I took full advantage of it, capped off with an amazing game start to start off baseball season. It's already depressing enough to think that I was 16 the last time the Orioles fielded a competitive baseball team... ; _ ;

Happy birthday to you Angie!  I turn 32 this year in October, but I think after I turned 30 myself, I don't think it's as important to put such an emphasis on each birthday. 

I spent most of my Easter being under the weather with a cold.  I always seem to get one when the season changes from winter to spring, and so my long weekend feels mostly wasted as I wasn't up to celebrating much of anything - my parents are in Hawaii on a long deserved vacation for just the two of them, and my brother and his wife invited me out to do stuff with their family, but I politely declined in favor of just recuperating.  I have tomorrow off work (a lieu day - we don't get Easter Monday off), so probably just in time to go back to work I'll be just fine =p.

In many ways I don't feel like I'm in my 30's... I just feel like I'm alive - I have a job I love, I have friends (work and outside work - tho I don't see the outside ones as often), and I'm happy. 

But condolences about the loss of your patient - that's tough.  Hopefully your party celebrations helped you thru it!

Happy birthday!

I turned 27 today... god, nearing thirty.

Happy birthday!
Sounds like you had a good time which is always a plus. I'll be turning 25 shortly and I'm not looking forward to it much. Getting old is tough...  but we can't let it get us down! Gotta keep searching for fun. It's out there somewhere! XD

I'm sorry to hear about your patient, but glad to hear about you. And I expect to see a photo of "concert-appropriate headgear". Happy Birthday, old lady.

Happy birthday, Angie! I'm just a few months from turning 30 and I'm glad to hear that it's not scary.

I had a GREAT Easter. Spent the morning/early afternoon at brunch with a group of friends (all opera singers). And then, I spent the evening with another friend, where we had long, personal talks. I love those! It was a good day.

Happy birthday, Angela! I've been in my thirties for five years now. Only just coming to terms with that, I think. But, in almost every way, aside from the sound of the numbers, I've had a far better time in my thirties.

Actually, it's more that I've been a better person in my thirties. At least, I think so. In ways, I was still a total child in my twenties, which I embraced but fact is I was an adult and that just led to life conflict. I'm not sure what has changed - I still do all those child things, still buy toys, still don't want a 'real' job, but that conflict went away. I'm neither child nor adult. I'm simply me.

And that just came with age.

You know there's a point in your teens where you reject what your parents expect from you? Like, I'm 16 and I'll do whatever the hell I want. Well, I think it's in the thirties (probably earlier for some, later for others) that we can do the same to society, other people, the entire world. I'm 35 and I'll do whatever the hell I want. Sounds selfish but, for me, that also meant I decided not to work for people I felt weren't working for the best interests of other people, so it doesn't have to be selfish.

With what you do, you already care for others. I couldn't ever do what you do and I can't imagine what your recent experience is like. And you may already have given society the finger and might be doing exactly what you want when you want to but, if not, that could be on the way.

And it's a liberating experience. Welcome to the oldies club!

Happy Birthday Angie!

I turned 30 last year, and was pleasantly surprised that nothing really changed whatsoever.
It IS just a number.

happy birthday to you two!

i'll turn 29 in a few months, which kinda sucks, i'm not excactly happy about it and i can't even explain. hey, but my hands still look very young. as long as your hands are fine, everything is all right.

exfoliate, moisturize, repeat,, that's all there is to it...

Happy B-Day, there, Angela! Belated, though it is!

I'm pretty awkward about giving people congratulations and stuff like that; people tell me I usually come off sounding insincere, so usually, I don't bother...but, eh...it's the thought that counts, right?

I'm never too ecstatic about my own birthdays, either; as you get older, there aren't much privileges left to earn, and after awhile, only more is expected of you...oh well, I can live up to that, I guess.

Me, I'm two months away from 25...so I guess I'm one of the younger members here, but if you ask me, I've always felt like a crodgety old man, since I was, like, 16...or 17...

Oh, here's a joke for you: What's the difference between an angsty, disillusioned adolescent/teenager, and a crodgety old man? Umm...I don't know...

Ah well, it's not how old you are that counts, it's how old you FEEL! Feeling old? Try doing something that makes you feel young again! When life gives you lemons, make a tall glass of piemonade!

Well, this old man's yammered on long enough, I'll let you young people get back to it!