It was thirty years ago today—October 31, 1991—that I celebrated my 30th birthday. My mom and 3 sisters Shawn, Donda-Lin & Courtney drove to Pittsburgh to visit me at my first apartment in the city, and Mom brought cafe curtains for my kitchen window and a chocolate fudge cake with a jack o’lantern hiding in its center.
We went to dinner at Damons, a prime rib restaurant at the nearby Waterworks Mall and it was just a great day. Towards the end of their visit, while we were enjoying Mom’s cake, my sister Shawn asked if I had any plans on getting married soon, because if I wanted a kid of my own I wasn’t getting any younger. Mom told her to stop pushing and I laughed and said Shawn made a good point.
But I already had what I pretty much wanted. After dropping out of college in 1981 and floundering thru most of the Eighties, I returned to school in ‘87, graduated in ‘89 and began my career (in IT, as a software developer) on January 2, 1990. I finally had my own place, a job I loved, and some money in the bank.
The Nineties would turn out to be my favorite decade. (Heck, with 3 Star Trek series on TV, and shows like X-Files, Seinfeld & Frasier it was even my favorite decade for TV!)
Anyway, here I am thirty years later, sitting in my robe, in disbelief that today I am a 60 year old man. I have some blogging friends who are several years older, who say 60 is still whippersnapper territory. All I know is I’m retired, have a head of mostly white hair and 3 prescriptions I take daily for high blood pressure & urine flow that remind me I’m not a kid anymore, either.
Geez, am I even considered middle aged? According to Britannica.com, “middle age is the years in adulthood between 40 & 60.” Well between you & me, in my head I still think like a 15 year old. Well, a 15 year old from 1976.
Here’s some awesome birthday cards I got this week, and one (from my friend Susie) even had a $10 bill inside. What the—! When’s the last time you got a birthday card with real dough inside?
Thanks so much Erin, Susie, Pam, Courtney, Shawn, Donda-Lin and Canadian Chuck & Robin. And Happy Halloween to anyone else out there reading my 60 year old drivel!
Hi Doug, you are so welcome. Goodness, the years go by so quickly. I am not too far behind you!
ReplyDeleteI really do believe age is just a number. Most days I still feel in my twenties with the odd 57 year old day.
I agree about the 1990’s being the best for tv too.
I love seeing the photo from your 30th birthday. I hope you have some chocolate fudge cake again today.
Take care!❤️
Robin
Happy Birthday, Doug! Love the photo of your thirty year mark! And the cards you got for the six-oh are great. Did you have to blow out sixty candles? After about 40, my sister and started using two number candles.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday whippersnapper. You are still a youngster to me. Love your card collection and one with money?? Cool. Bet you had some fun parties growing up with being a Halloween baby.
ReplyDeletePatti, no parties growing up--but still had some great Halloween birthday cakes!! Well, I'm still a youngster so... ;^)
DeleteHappy Birthday, Youngster! I remember those glory days of three ST series, although Next Gen was my favorite by far. That's an excellent photo of you; only the outside of us changes, but the inside (mostly) stays the same. We're every age we ever were!
ReplyDeleteA Halloween baby, huh? That must have made interesting birthdays throughout the years.
ReplyDeleteWell, Happy Birthday! I think 60 was the only age that 'hit' me hard... not sure why. But the others haven't (maybe 80 will - and it's getting close). That chocolate cake sure looks good... and that's a great pic! Happy Birthday Dug! Hope you have fun today!
Happy Birthday! I remember a bit of a feeling of shock when I turned 60, but you will settle in to it. Now my next birthday I'll be 70 and that scares the heck out of me! Seriously, you are still young in everyway! Sure we may develope a couple of health issues along the way, but that is just practice for when we are really old! (sometime in the VERY far away future!) I send you many good wishes! Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteHappy 60th Birthday Doug! It looks like you received a lot of fun birthday cards. I can't imagine that you didn't bake yourself a birthday cake to celebrate:)
ReplyDeleteNo cake this year Sue, I'm trying to be good :^)
DeleteHappy Birthday! Enjoy! Sto Lat!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to you! I was looking in my diary recently and realised all the appointments that are coming up are for the hospital and dentist. When did I get old?
ReplyDeleteI loved Frasier too!
I found 60 to be a problematic birthday, too. It meant that I was truly in the midst of middle age and heading towards the next phase. But now that was almost twenty years ago, and I'm happier than I was then, for sure! Wishing you a happy birthday and a great year ahead. :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday! Aloha from Hawaii. Sixty is nothing. Try my age, 75. In 25 years, I'll be 100.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gigi but in 25 years I'll probably be a ghost! So if your lights flicker on your 100th birthday... that'll be me :^)
DeleteI remember being 60 and older buddies telling me I was so young yet AND just wait till you're 70... etc. etc. Well here I am past 70 and I'm telling you that you are still a young whipper snapper. You really are only as young or old as you feel. You are such a cutie! (Then and now)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday. I was going to add whippersnapper, but Patti beat me to it.
ReplyDeleteSome say it’s all downhill from here, but since turning 60 (quite some time ago) it feels more like walking uphill. At least we’re still walking (after a fashion).
Happy birthday. The 90s were my favorite decade as well, but I think that's because my kids were growing up at the time and they were great kids. Plus, Seinfeld. But you know what? My 60s (roughly the 20-teens) were a great decade, too, so you have a lot of good things to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteChocolate fudge cake! oh Yum!
ReplyDeleteAnd Happy Birthday.
I loved 80s TV and music too. My kids were teenagers then and I really liked what they were listening to, unlike my own mum who hated the music of my teen years.
Happy Birthday Doug!
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the age thing. I'm a decade younger but my mind is a quarter century (or more) younger. My body for the most part keeps up still but more and more often I do something that reminds me that it is gradually falling apart despite what my mind thinks.
I agree with you on the 90's and television!
Belated Happy Birthday wishes! Oct. is mine, too, and was my husband’s, other family even today.
ReplyDeleteThank you Joared, a belated Happy Birthday to you as well! :^)
Delete