Saturday 17 January 2009

Reflecting on Turning 30


Above: Turning 30, some time ago.

I was reading the Miles Family Blog about 30 things to do before I’m 30 and it got me all nostalgic and thinking about my list of things I wanted to achieve before I turned 30... Um some years back now. It’s interesting that once I turned 30 I stopped counting birthdays. When people ask how old I am I either say 31 or have to ‘do the math’, and people get all indignant and say things like ‘What you don’t even know your own age?’ normally I say ‘I have more important things to remember, like bringing chocolates home for my wife.’ Yet the same people, who get indignant that I can’t remember my own age, give me a nod and a knowing smile when I tell them that my wife is 21. Go figure...

Anyway with much ado I give you the things I can remember I wanted to achieve before I turned 30 and some notes on what actually happened.


1/ Have a high paying job:

a/ Own a business (computer repair) - owning a business does not equal people throwing money at you.

b/ Make Upper Management within my chosen profession – Unfortunately my profession was Life Assurance. Was good money available if you are willing to lie & cheat your clients & steal workmates best clients.

2/ Own a blue suit with pin stripes – yes wore it to my sister’s wedding.

3/ Become a pastor – made it at 29

4/ Grow a beard – yes

5/ Grow my hair long enough to have a pony tail

– Yes/no, I grew it for a year and ended up with a weird Wildman look... while wet my hair was straight and I could put it in a pony tail, as it dried it began to curl and frizz out.


above: reviving my heritage. the 'Highlander' look minus the kilt.

6/ Own the following cars:

a/ Dark Blue Holden Commodore

b/ Arctic White BMW 6 series

Didn’t get either of them, but still hold out hope for the Holden. I had a Holden Camira for 10 years which served me well and now a Subaru Forrester which I still love after 7 years.

7/ Visit every continent:

a/ Asia – Yes, spent a day in Malaysia (also visited Hong Kong @ 33)

b/ Africa – Yes, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia & Botswana

c/ North America – Yes, that was easy, was born there, have also re-visited to visit Disneyland, oh and family.

d/ South America – No, but would like to know where I can get some ‘Yerba Mate’, Paraguay tea, ‘drink of friendship’ in North Queensland.

e/ Antarctica – no hope of that happening.

f/ Europe – No (did get to UK, Wien & Romania @ 33).

g/ Australia/Oceania – Live there and have visited PNG a few times as well.Have really lost interest in travel now... but would still be up to it if the conditions are right.

8/ Get married to a beautiful woman (didn’t happen) and start a large family - nope didn’t happen.

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Well, what do I hope to achieve before I turn 40? Well, I might have to sit down and think about it a bit more... maybe ‘Not being stabbed with a screwdriver by one of my sons' would be on the top of the list and to read more books... which ones, well my current goal is to finish ‘Institutes of the Christian Religion’ by John Calvin. How’s that for a realistic goal?

12 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you got a hair cut :)
    And you should have added that you DID marry a beautiful woman and make a start on the large family after you turned 30 - no wonder you might worry about being stabbed with a screwdriver by one of your sons.

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  2. I was going to make the same comment as Grannysaurus - you did get your "Barbie Doll" gorgeous girl and made a start on your family, and only a little after 30.

    But I like the wild man hairdo.

    Doesn't UK count as part of Europe?

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  3. Sorry, re-read and realised you mentioned Europe @ 33.

    You know, visiting Europe was probably the only thing on my list of things to do before 30, and I still haven't got there!

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  4. The tea in Paraguay isn't all that great. :)
    WHEN you do make it to South America, I highly recommend Brazil. The food, the people, the hot springs... all amazing!!

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  5. Grannysaurus, I think it was getting the haircut that landed him the beautiful wife.

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  6. Forget worrying about getting stabbed by one of your sons - after No. 8's comments - I'd be more afraid of my (beautiful) wife doing something more drastic with one of those knives Lion was holding. Then you would have no chance of having a large family.

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  7. I was thinking the same as Saint Bernard. I just wasn't brave enough to say it in case it implied my own violent streak. After all he is the SIL who nicknamed me the Dragon Lady and I'd hate to live up to expectation :)

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  8. My goal was to marry a beautiful woman before turning 30... and I didn't it happened until a year later. That's why my age remains static at 31, it was a good year, and interesting year and a hard year as well.

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  9. Nice to meet you!

    You have some CUTE boys.

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  10. Being a fairly new reader to your blog, I was shocked that you didn't call your wife beautiful! Then I wondered, Maybe this is a brother-sister blog?

    I'm glad I read the comments - it cleared everything up and I can breathe again.

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  11. Married at 31. Yes you're correct, so point taken, just make sure your (beautiful) wife understands that too!!

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  12. I'm glad I read the comments because before that I was wondering about how much you would cop it when your poor wife read the post! Great list - I only have 8 months left & haven't made my list yet!

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