Thirtysomethings

So many of my friends have already turned 30 or will very soon. I myself passed that milestone two years ago.

This Saturday I plan to attend a 30th birthday barbecue, which I am really looking forward to, since it coincides with Memorial Day weekend. Those two celebrations combined should make for a really awesome party. My sister's boyfriend is turning 30, and if any of the stories about his relatives are to be believed, it should be one helluva party.

Out of all of my thirtysomething friends, only one has a child, and she sends me pictures on Flickr every once in a while. Her daughter is pretty damn cute.

I am neither ready to get married nor ready to have a child. Not by a long shot. My best friend has been nagging me for quite some time to go on an Internet dating site, since two of HIS best friends have had success on them. Sorry, but people seem to always look better online than in person--if that's what they look like.

(Funny, as I wrote that paragraph, I'm listening to a Brad Paisley song called "Online", which has the line that says "I'm so much cooler online." And he ends that song with a marching band!! *SIGH* I love Brad Paisley...)

When I was in high school, we all had timetables for what we were going to do when. For example, one friend wanted to be married at 22 and have her first kid by 25. I, too, wanted to be married by 22. However, now, as I look back, my 22-year-old self was NOT ready for ANY sort of commitment, let alone college graduation.

Speaking of which, this past Saturday was the 10th anniversary of my college graduation. I graduated in an outdoor ceremony in the pouring rain. My black graduation gown bled through my yellow sundress, which, at the end of the ceremony, was a lovely shade of purple--in the butt. Graduation was the easy part. The hard part was moving back into my parents' house, with no job prospects and totally broke.

Now, here I am, 10 years later, in a successful career, my own home, two cats, and a blog.

Exactly what would I say to my 22-year-old self now? Well, first I'd start by saying that life has a weird way of working things out. Put your trust in the universe, but also make sure that you're doing your part so that the universe won't screw you over. You still have to make your own decisions!

And finally, don't read any books that are supposed to tell you what thirtysomethings are supposed to do. Don't listen to people who tell you you're supposed to be married by a certain age. Make your own timeline! When one of my friends turned 30 three years ago, I gave her a book called 30 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do Before Turning 30. According to the author, by the time one turns 30, one must know how to:

• wrap a present
• parallel park in "three breathtakingly beautiful movements"
• keep a plant alive for more than a year

Well, I've failed at least three of the items on the list. I don't even put "To/From" tags on my presents, since my friends and family can tell from the shoddy wrapping that a gift's from me. I can barely back my car into a parking space, let alone parallel park. And I've managed to keep the sunrise cactus that my mother gave me for Easter alive for two months--and that's a record for me! (Even though it's a cactus!)

Now I would hate to end this post on a low note, so I am now going to highlight those tasks from the list that I am able to do very well, thank you:

• change a flat/jumpstart a car: Isn't that what AAA is for?
• take good pictures: Thanks to digital, I can delete the bad ones
• remove common stains: Tide to Go is marvelous
• hold a baby/change a diaper: I haven't done this in years, but I figure it's like riding a bicycle
• make dogs and cats love you: There are few animals that truly hate me
• cook one "signature meal": I've got LOTS of those, baby!!!

And finally, shout-outs to the folks at CTWeblogs.com for listing this blog on their site! Hopefully I'll get more readers that way!

Until next time, kittens...