Yes, I know it is a Wednesday, but time is a construct or a flat circle (pending on who you ask).
I had some things come up that kept me from posting last week or getting to the post yesterday. Free content on the web is not quite free.
So, last week, I turned 50. I have made it fifty times around this yellow dwarf G-type main-sequence star, we call the Sun and sometimes more officially Sol. I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about this, or if there is a correct way to feel about this half-century mark. Whether I know how to react or not, it happened. So, there is that.
Many things have happened in the 50 years I have been around. Personally, I escaped a systemically racist church environment SIDE NOTE: I do not think all the people there are overtly racist, however most of them are not anti-racist. The opposite of “racist” is not “not racist.” The opposite of “racist” is “anti-racist.” Racism is active. Racism is something that is happening. “Not racist” is passive. To be truly helping in dismantling racism, one must be anti-racist. END SIDE NOTE. I was married for 21 years. I have 2 biological kiddos of mine. I have earned 1 bachelor’s degree and 2 master’s degrees. I have remarried and now have 4 step-kids. I played soccer as a youth, fenced epee relatively competitively in college, spent years playing World of Warcraft. I have actually dialed phones with an honest to goodness dial. I saw the rise of the Internet. I have been to 2 continents, 7 countries and 8 timezones. Even though I haven’t traveled nearly as much as I would have liked, I have traveled more than most of the people I know. I have experienced 1 pandemic, a mild earthquake (enough to wake me up), multiple blizzards and heatwaves. I have been in 112° F heat with a 120°-ish heat index, and -20° F with a -40° F wind chill (that is 44.4° C, 48.9° C, -28.9° C, and -40° C respectively for my Celsius readers, or 317.6K, 322K, 244.2K and 233.1K respectively for the physicists out there). I have tried countless types of cuisines. I have seen people be born, I have seen one person die. I have broken 3 arms and 2 legs on other people while only having broken 3 toes and an arm on my own body. I have a bad knee and a worse knee and I would not wish my decrepit feet on my enemies.
All in all, It has been a pretty darn good set of 50 years.
Onto the questions:
1. What does the age of 50 symbolize to you in terms of life's journey and milestones?
I hope it is significantly less than ½.
2. How do you hope to be remembered by the time you reach 50 more years in the future?
Again, my intention is to be remembered by people getting in contact with me and celebrating my full on Century of being around.
3. What are the top 3 lessons you've learned over the past 50 years?
Lesson 1: It’s all bullshit
Lesson 2: Stop procrastinating
Lesson 3: Take care of your feet.
4. The number 50 is often associated with renewal and new beginnings. How do you interpret this symbolism in your own life?
I did not realize that 50 is associated with renewal and new beginnings. That seems positive.
5. If you could time travel 50 years into the past or future, which would you choose and why?
Future. Past is always worse. ALWAYS! Just hygiene-wise…
Hell in 1974, they were still using leaded gasoline. Gen X is the last generation that has the leaded gasoline brian damage.
6. How would you explain the significance of the number 50 to a child who is just beginning to understand age and time?
I wouldn’t. Children are idiots.
7. What are your hopes and aspirations for the next 50 years?
I want to be healthier. I want to travel more.
8. What advice would you give to someone who is half your age, about to turn 25?
Take care of your feet. When they go, shit goes south fast.
9. How do you plan to continue growing and learning in the next decade?
By doing different things and continuing to be. Seriously though, I plan on traveling as much as I can when I can.
10. Looking back, is there anything you would change about the past 50 years?
I would take better care of my feet.
11. What activities or passions do you look forward to exploring now that you’ve reached 50?
I want to get into mini painting. I think I could be good at that.
errrr… I meant more like this stuff from Pete the Wargamer
12. Think back 50 years. What piece of technology did not exist back then that has had the biggest impact on your life today?
Duh, the Internet.
13. Can you name a historical event or figure that dominated the headlines 50 years ago?
In 1974? Hmmmm… nothing worth nothing happened in ‘74 other than my friends and I who were born that year. As far as “newsworthy” items, there really weren’t any going on.
14. As you reach 50, do you view this as the halfway point of your life or the beginning of a new chapter? Why?
I view it as the 10% mark for my life.
15. Is 50 considered "over the hill" or just hitting one's prime? How has society's perception of 50 changed over time?
50 is neither over the hill now nor hitting one’s prime. That being said, 50 used to be near death. If you look at how 50 year olds were portrayed in popular media 50 years ago, they were shown as decrepit old people near death. Now they are Paul Rudd.
16. What new interests, hobbies or reinventions of yourself are you looking forward to in the decades ahead after turning 50?
Am I supposed to really get into WW2 now? I get tp wear black socks with sandals now, right? Hawaiian shirts?
I need to write more, I need to draw more, and painting minis might be fun… that will probably require a 3-d resin printer…. So, I will have to get into that stuff as well.
17. In 50 years will we have flying cars?
No, I don’t think we will ever have flying cars
18. Since the Roman Numeral for 50 is L, you kind of have to take the L this week, right?
Taking this L is a dub, right?
19. What hurts today?
Feet and right shoulder.
20. What is something you would like for your birthday?
A more confident understanding of my professional future.
To recap:
My wife made a gluten free spice cake with cream cheese frosting that was stunning
The primary cake ingredient was quinoa? Da Fuq?
IT was an amazing cake and it lasted all of 8 hours before it was gone
I has a sad that it is gone
It was stunning
I seriously might NEED to ask her to make it again soon
My feet are shit
There is nothing specifically wrong with them… EDIT: more wrong with them specifically today
Still have the torn transverse metatarsal ligament on the left foot, the remnants of plantar fasciitis on both feet, and some arthritis on the right big toe
But I have had that stuff for a while
Makes doing cardio a not fun thing
The contract work is going well
I get to invoice them on Monday
I need to get something reviewable by early next week
That is very doable
The direction Star Wars is going is better than the direction that Marvel is going right now
They seem to be finally opening up the galaxy to places beyond Tatooine
The doggos really don’t love me working
It has severely cut into their lounge-on-the-couch-with-me time
You know the deal…
Leave a comment if you would like to be asked 20 questions
Leave a comment if you have a topic for a 20 Questions Tuesday post
Hell, just leave a comment, I turned 50 last week!
These questions were brought to you by ChatGPT 4
Have a great rest if the week, folks