People Get Old And So Do I
I'm not sure what those numbers at the end of my post say but my computer says that it is two and a half hours past the official start of my birthday. The computer has not steered me wrong yet. And I feel different. Most of the time when someone is asked on their birthday whether they feel different they usually answer in the negative. I think it's become the usual answer because one is not supposed to feel different on days like these anymore. We are not special and our birthdays are not special. They are just another day that happens. While I may agree with you that I probably am just another all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world, I feel different right now and that's just how I feel.

Now it may not be my birthday that is making me feel different. I have slept very little in the past few days. I have to write an "annotated bibliography" for my Composition class. I may be kind of nervous about that. I doubt it, because I have not been one to care much about schooling this semester, but its possible. I have also been drinking a lot of Vanilla Coke lately. I like the taste. I bought a twenty pack recently. And it is the only way I was able to stay awake today. It is also the only way I am going to be able to stay awake until I decide to finish that "annotated bibliography".

On the other hand, it may be about my birthday. I am feeling old. Not old like my dad might feel old (which he probably doesn't seeing as how he is still pretty good at doing stuff like playing tennis, and running in marathons, but that will probably never be me). I feel old like a guy who realizes that just a couple of centuries ago I would have already lived half my life might feel old. Actually I feel old like a guy who realizes that he still has a long time to live might feel old. I also feel old like a guy who realizes that for most of his life, almost as long as he can remember, he has been in school might feel old. I feel all those kinds of old at the same time.

I also feel mature. I feel mature like a guy who going out to get a beer isn't the same thing anymore. I am 21 now after all. I have said before that this is not that big a deal seeing as how not being 21 hasn't really hindered my ability to acquire alcohol much. I'm actually thinking now that it is kind of a change. I can say now that "yes, I will have a beer with dinner". When you were not 21, beer was something that I drank to have a good time (I am not an alcoholic). Now it can just be a regular old drink that I have with dinner. I can now leave the lock on my dorm room open when I have a beer in my room. Going out to have a beer is now something that I can do whenever I want. And now I can buy a bottle of liquor and whenever I want participate in the ancient tradition of "the night cap". Will this make the beer any less special? Will I come to appreciate liquor less? That is what I often theorized would happen. It is the whole basis behind the argument for lowering the drinking age. Fortunately I don't believe that it is true. I don't think it will happen. I think I will come to appreciate beer and alcohol more. I have always wanted to be a connoisseur of alcohol. Now it has become a lot easier to do that. I already have some of the basic knowledge of the connoisseur. For example, I know that American beer pales in comparison to many imported beers. I am sorry you patriots but it is true. I despise Budweiser. I'd rather drink Bud Light but only because if I'm going to drink crap it might as well go down quickly. I'm sorry but I hate it. I am not a Beer Snob. I am a Beer Advocate. Better exist but it is up to you to find it. I will now get back to the point. I will also search for good exotic liquor. It exists. Drink a shot of cheap random tequila, then drink a shot of Jose Cuervo white tequila, and then drink a shot of chilled Don Julio white tequila. Make sure you drink it in this order. A reversal might cause you to throw up the crap. That is just another lesson in the fact that there is good stuff out there. Finally I want to get into wine. There has to be some reason why good wine is so expensive and I am willing to learn. Like I said, I am not a snob, I am not an alcoholic. I am just a guy who likes options. I am more mature now and I want to appreciate the alcohol with age.

So I am old. It's cool. I feel old. I have seen things. Not too many things but I have seen enough. I don't regret anything that I have done. Well I regret a few things but it has all made me who I am today and I like who I am today. Today I turn 21.

I'm the guy who has to live inside of this thing 24 hours a day.