Backwards Down the Number Line

Last year, I had to renew my passport and in the section where you have to put a referee (someone who has known you for a few years), I put my friend Greg Lydon. On the line that asks how long the person has known you, I was surprised to write "22 years." Though it made perfect sense it was odd to see how long I have been friends with my friends. 22 years puts us back to grade 7 at George St. Junior High. Others I have been friends with since grade 3 at St. Dunstan's Elementary School. That puts us back 26 years.

This weekend was both my birthday and my good friend Simon's birthday (November 20th and 21st respectively). We technically met in 1974 at the Victoria Public Hospital, which puts us back 35 years. I suppose 35 years is a bit of a milestone. Back when I was in high school, 35 seemed extremely old. Now that I'm 35, I still feel like a bit of a high school kid. So who knows? Maybe you feel the same no matter what age you are.

I've never been the most sentimental or enthusiastic person, but I feel birthdays are one of the nicest celebrations we have as humans. Though there are lots of birthdays cards to buy, the essence of the day isn't a Hallmark one. It's a celebration of life and the fact that our friends and loved ones made it through another year. There are people out there that hate the idea of birthdays - people that think they are stupid. On a personal level, I don't necessarily like growing older but the tradition of the birthday is a nice one. I cannot deny it.

We celebrated some October and November birthdays on Friday night at a party called Scorpia. It was nice to get so many people together and the second annual Scorpia proved to be another great party. Thanks for coming, everyone. I had a blast.

...and happy birthday, Si!