Stop the world, I want to get off

Brilliant, depressing, and terrifying editorial in the NYT today.

Here's to a year of great memories

Happy anniversary to us . . .

I married an old-time gal . . .

Sabine and her friend Regula in their new middle-age dresses . . .

So I'm 30

Unfortunately, I have no deep thoughts for you. Age has always meant zilch to me, except that I like the ego boost from presents.

The only age I can remember being excited about was age 10, which was thrilling to me because I had been playing Trivial Pursuit and learned that 10 years old was the age when a human is least likely to die.

This year - as a mature, grown-up man beginning his fourth decade - I received Stars Wars original-trilogy scripts, a Calvin and Hobbes collection, and five Simpsons figurines.

The only thing I that I can note as I age is that my favourite films have gone from being about kids' stuff to being about nerd stuff to being about nihilism to (now) being about men struggling to be moral. The Insider, L.A. Confidential, Groundhog Day, it's the common thread. And I just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird, which fits that bill and is now my favourite work of fiction. If you haven't read it, please do.

Cheers,
John

As much for me as for you

So, after an August where I just sort of drifted - what's a summer for? - I have what a brochure might describe as a "full and exciting" September ahead of me.

On the agenda:
- Get my last look (for a couple of years) at this tremendous city, including a look at the catacombs, and a few other things I've missed.
- Find a job somewhere in the Maritimes. Keep your eyes peeled (seriously) for anything that would fit a writer and/or editor, not necessarily in the media. I'm available Oct. 1.
- 90 hours work on my book, which basically means 90 hours work on the website.
- Pitch to CBC radio for an on-air version of The Beaver Examiner.
- Into crunch time for my running.
- A month of special dates, including my mother's birthday, a brother's birthday, my birthday, a night at the Vienna Opera, a Pearl Jam concert, and, of course, our wedding anniversary.

Sounds like fun.

Cheers,
John