The Gen-Xer turns 35

Well, everyone has a birthday that they have not looked forward to. I am not much into it; I didn’t freak out when I turned 25 or 30. You have your birthdays that just don’t mean much, like 17 or 22. This birthday has been making me think the most, I am turning 35 this Sunday and I don’t know what to think about it. I am halfway to 40, but I don’t feel that way.

So far I have marked off some things on the ol’ life check list:

1) I am working at a job that I love to do. Although I feel sometimes it’s not a very important job as a world changing job in general, but I work at a job that gives people an escape from every day life. They get to come and act crazy, yell, be happy or sad at the outcome, but in the end they walk away not thinking about every day life for 3-4 hours, which I am glad to serve as an escape for people.

2) I am married (which at times I am sure my parents and grandma had their doubts if they would ever have a daughter-in-law or a grand child due to early dating habits or lack there of).

3) I have a beautiful, amazing, very loving daughter (which scares me that the modern world would let a person that at the time of conception had no clue what to do raising a child and still doesn’t at times).

I think these are the major three that most people have at some point in time, and I still have a ton more things that I want to do. I am not the big, “I gotta sky dive” type of person. I am more of the person that feels I should experience and see more things in the world. Hurling myself out of a plane is not part of that worldly experience I am talking about. I think going to ACL this summer made me realize that a part of me has been missing for a while. I have made a promise to myself to get out and see more live music, and just get out in general. Due to my job during college sports season it’s hard for me to find time to do things for Sloan and Kristen, and just to do things for myself.

I have a ton more things I want to do, and I feel Kristen and I have the chance to do here in not long. Plus with the news of my Dad retiring, there are things I want to do with him as well. Have a good ol’ Father and Son baseball stadium tour each summer and hit one ballpark a summer until we have seen every one of them. I have a ton of sports things I want to experience on my list. I still want to travel around Europe, I want to hit a few more beaches during the summer, and in general live life the way I want too. Which a large part of that is to see more live music, and take Sloan to her first ever concert.

I guess, in general, 35 is more of a milestone than something where I should be counting the grey hair (or lack there of for me) on my head and just being complacent where I am, I still have goals in life and my career. It makes me want to do more of the stuff I have always wanted to do, and I have two great people to be able to do that with. It makes me want to go out and do more now than I did before. I never though of my list until now, and I am seeing it filled to the brim with a ton of stuff I want to do (a list too large for here). It makes me excited to know what else I have in store, because the first 35 years has been awesome so far.


Music this week:
Seeing it’s the week of my birthday I am going to push back the new music to listen too, and I am going to give you some albums that helped mold me into who I am as a music lover. I could give you more, but these are some of my all time favorites or have a special place in my heart.

1) Beastie Boys-Licensed to Ill. This was the first album I ever had that was mine. I think I got this as a birthday present and it has traveled with me from then all the way to me being 35. I think I went through two copies of this album. Thank you for being with me for all these years Beastie Boys.

2) N.W.A. - Straight out of Compton. This was the first album that I actually purchased with my hard earned allowance. At the time, I didn’t need my parents to buy this for me, and if they did know what I bought at the time, I would still be grounded.

3)Led Zeppelin. I can’t name just one album, but if my sister wouldn’t have had me listen to Led Zeppelin I don’t think I would love music as much as I do.

4) Beach Boys- Pet Sounds. I can always remember one constant with my Dad, he loved the Beach Boys and this album and Endless Summer I can always remember hearing at home.

5) Willie Nelson and Family-Live. I can remember to this day always hearing this at home when my mom was cleaning the house. At the time I didn’t understand Willie and I hate modern country music, but Willie is and always will be a staple for me.

6) Run D.M.C- Raising Hell. This to me is one of the all time greatest hip hop albums. This molded hip hop into what it is now, and the crew from Hollis is the cornerstone. This is the second album I can remember having along with License to Ill. I went through two copies of this as well.

7) R.E.M.- Green. I can remember buying this album when I was 12 or 13 and I knew I was breaking the mold and doing something different from my friends. This is when I knew I would always be a little different from my friends growing up in my small hometown.

8) Dr. Dre- The Chronic. If there is a person that has never listened to this album, or didn’t own it you should be ashamed. It’s hard to go through two copies of a CD, but trust me I did. This album is one of the best all time, I can remember listening to this on a Friday night with my boys back home.

9) Pearl Jam- Ten. I can remember this around my junior year of high school, and I knew this was a band that I would always love from the day I listened to this. This got me through a lot of nights sitting at home in my room.

10)Sublime- 40 oz. to Freedom. For some reason this album always reminds me of my freshman year at college. I met a lot of great people that I have since lost touch with or just got back in touch with recently. I was young, dumb, and innocent then, but it was a great time of growing up real fast.

11.)Rage Against the Machine. The first time I listened to them I was mesmerized by their ferocious sound. I hate to say this, but a kid from Oklahoma realized the world was a much bigger place because of their music and political views.

12.) Radiohead-OK Computer. This album was the first time I realized music could take you to a different place and let you have a release from everyday life. Still a band that is in my must see list.

13.)Pearl Jam- No Code. It is my all time favorite album, hands down. I am surprised the original album packaging is still intact to this day. I will always listen to something from this album once a week.

14.)The Jimi Hendrix Experience- Axis: Bold as Love. This and Electric Ladyland are my two favorite albums by Hendrix. I love Castles Made of Sand, and this is around the phase everyone goes through at one time with Hendrix and the Doors. If I had to pair the two together, I would hands down go with Hendrix over the Doors.

15.) Red Hot Chili Peppers-Blood, Sex, Sugar, Magik. My all time favorite RHCP albums. I got the chance to see them live for the Californication tour, and it made me love them even more. You can’t go wrong with this album, and it was a staple through out college and even now. Not a day goes by without me listening to a Chili Peppers song, and I am passing this along to Sloan.

15 A.) Jack Johnson- Brushfire Fairytales. This album will always be special to me due to the fact that Kristen and I listened to this all the time when we first met.

There are a ton more albums that aren’t on here, but that is a list for another day.