I'll Be Better When I'm Older

At what point can you call yourself an adult? Is it a matter of age? Career? Wisdom? The concept of being an adult never appealed to me. I realise you can't escape it, I just wonder where that feeling of maturity comes from.

I used to think working full-time would make me feel older. Instead it has made me cynical (er, more so). Then I imagined getting married would do the trick. Go figure, nothing changed then either. If anything, I now wonder if I suck at being a grown up.

I don't clean. I stay up too late and sleep too little. Sometimes I eat cookie dough (with raw eggs for the double whammy) for dinner. I am sarcastic in nature and use naughty language.

On the other hand, I am employed full-time. I exercise regularly. I always pay my taxes and vote. I eat my vegetables and take my vitamins.

Maybe being adult means finding a balance rather than playing the comparison game. I hope that dirty jokes and staying up late always appeal to me. Whether it's "adult" or not is irrelevant.

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I Have Shoes Older Than You

I notoriously hate birthdays. Not because it makes me a year older, but because the day is usually a disappointment. You know that song, I’ll cry if I want to? That’s me. I put too much pressure on the day to be perfect and enviably something goes wrong.

This year I decided to shake things up. I took the day off work. Then I took successful elements from other birthdays. Throw in the mom and throw out the schedule. Golden. We started the day off at my favourite diner (25th), where I had an amazing mimosa with cinnamon swirl French toast. Then we drove down to Illinois for ice skating (10th) and shopping. I skipped cake and had a giant bag of bulk candy (6th). Then I had dinner at Applebee’s (16th).

Even though I was sleep deprived, ate candy until I felt sick, and failed at shopping, it was an amazing birthday. Why? No expectations. I went with the flow, did things I enjoyed, and rocked out as a grownup and a little kid. After 27 years, I learned that birthdays can be fun. Wacky.

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Once You Grow, You Can't Stop

If you’ve ever gone out to eat with me, you know that I’m not an experimental eater. I tell people that I’m not picky; I’m specific. I know what I like and don’t like to be surprised when it comes to food. My sister likes to tease me; I can go to any restaurant and find a chicken or steak dish (a good restaurant is one that has multiple chicken options).

I’m not sure when the change happened. In the last few months I’ve tried everything from ahi tuna to zucchini. What’s crazier is I’ve been cooking at home. I’ve never liked cooking; it pales in comparison to baking.

The funny thing is, once you start branching out in one place, you start branching out in other places. I’m doing something different for my birthday this year. This week we’re hosting our first game night. I have good intentions on trying yoga in the near future. I even decided it was time to give marriage a try. Heck, at this rate, I might even get on a roller coaster.

Two thousand and ten, you're one crazy year.

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Digital Idiots Or This Is Why I Hate

I think my snark has gone up. I’m not sure if it’s from being in the work market, getting older, or a combination of the two, but I’m more argumentative. It’s possible I’m looking for the balance between being a pushover and a bully. Whatever the case, I think my callers are in trouble.

The last few weeks I’ve been cutting off the idiots mid-sentence, hanging up on the ramblers, and calling out the liars. My boss not only approves of this but it brings him glee. What’s good for the career is good for the soul, right?

Today I got in an argument with a caller over an employee. He asked me if he was back at work. I wanted to know why he thought he was gone. Certainly if you knew him well enough to call him at work, you'd know if he was actually HERE. I don’t think I was asking for much. I explained that I didn’t know all 300 employees personally but would page the shop if he was confident his friend was here.

I looked up the employee later. He hasn’t worked here since last April.

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