I turned 30 on couple of days ago, and frankly, it was weird.  I’m not freaked out, like some people get when they reach this “milestone.”  It’s weird in that I’m starting another decade of life.  It’s weird how much older 30 seems than 29.  It’s weird because it doesn’t seem any different from age 29, except when I say out loud “I’m 30.”  I used to use the phrase “you’re only as old as you feel” when I worked retail.  I said that to men who would come into the store and hesitate to buy an item because they felt they were “too old for that.”  The way I see it, I certainly don’t feel too old for anything.  In fact, I don’t feel like I’m 30, which is contributing to the weirdness of the occasion.  I still make crude fart jokes, poke Marty incessantly when we’re together, dance around my apartment in a silly manner when I’m giddy, and get excited to play new video games.  Again, I don’t feel like I’m 30, but I am.  So…there it is.

In honor of my 30^th birthday, I thought I’d make a list similar to the monthly 12 of 12 I try to post.  This time, however, the list is comprised of things I hope to see and/or do while in my 30’s.  I’ve got a decade to complete the list, so I think I’ve got a pretty good shot at checking off everything.  Here goes (in no particular order):

1. Watch the Cubs win the World Series.
2. Pay off my student loans.
3. Go whitewater rafting in the Grand Canyon.
4. Learn Chopin’s “Fantasie Impromptu.”
5. Write and publish a book.
6. Meet U2.
7. Buy a house.
8. Go to Wimbledon.
9. Watch the Bears win another Super Bowl.
10. Learn to write left-handed.
11. Celebrate Oreo’s 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th birthdays.
12. Get married.
13. Add a different stamp to my passport.
14. See my parents retire.
15. Win a tennis tournament.
16. Become fluent in Tagalog.
17. Learn Spanish.
18. Get tenure.
19. Present at an international conference.
20. Buy a new car.
21. See a sunset on the beach at Boracay.
22. Drive on the Autobahn.
23. Skydive.
24. Watch FSU win another NCAA college football national championship.
25. Have a child.
26. Swim with dolphins.
27. Visit all 30 (ha!) MLB parks.
28. See Niagra Falls.
29. Learn to cook more Filipino food.
30. ?