coming of age(ing)

To those who
remembered;
diarised it and check their diaries; or
remembered enough then made discreet enquiries / lucky guesstimates
- thank you all. 'twas a nice one, and I sense a good year forth a-tumbling.

For as long as I have been experiencing Time as linear and unidirectional (i.e. for 20+ years), anniversaries of varying degrees of significance have been bringing me more distress than joy. A(nother) year passes, and what have I done to show for it? Historically I've coped by the tried-and-true formula of Avoidance+Denial, but with each new calendar the panic escalates, so as to require increasingly unattainable therapeutic doses of A+D. So for a change, in the Year of the Golden Pig, I am embracing all that come with being this half-baked age and AGY (Ain't Gettin' Younger).

Recent observations consistent with previously only sporadic concerns that I may be GOAB (Gettin' On A Bit, and not in a naughty way):

• spending more time in the kitchen than in eateries
• 'cook-up' overtaking 'piss-up' as definition of a 'good time'
• hangovers
• considering pinching items of clothing rejected/forgotten by mother to be an acceptable means of expanding my wardrobe
• thinking more about realty (albeit only in abstract) than, say, spirituality (too abstract? or is it me becoming too literal?)
• hardcore budgeting with no clear or apparent object in mind/sight
• a heightened+widened sense of crisis regarding all aspects of life, e.g. Will cycling cause arthritis due to overuse of the joints? If I don't see my sister as much as possible will I become estranged from her? When if ever will I be making enough money to not have to perform mental arithmetic at every turn? ...
• keeping the company of more people who share the above traits, than people who do not

Darn, there were so many more when I wasn't tryin' to write 'em down. Look out for updates!