So I'm 30 then

Posted on 2007/03/15 23:18:20 (March 2007).

[Thursday 15th March]
Thirty years ago today my mother very helpfully gave birth to me. Arguably this has been a significant contributing factor in all the accomplishments of my life ever since.

Thanks Mum!

As discussed in yesterday's post, turning 30 comes with mixed feelings, as I'm sure it does for most people. Still, as I write I'm inclined to be positive about the whole thing. I guess I've done OK so far. Before I turned 30 I managed to get that bloody PhD out of the way, I got married, worked for two of the (apparently) best companies in the world to work for, and managed to achieve a state of relative financial security (well I'm not in any debt at least!). Maybe life might not be quite as care free and fun over the next decade, but at least I can feel like I've achieved something whilst having all that fun over the past decade. Realistically I don't really have a whole lot more to achieve now - so you'd have thought that would actually leave more room for fun over the next ten years.

Despite it being my birthday I did a really good day's work today - I got in at 8, and worked really solidly through until 6, when I let myself call it a day so I could go and meet Chie for dinner.

Chie had found a place for us to go and have dinner - a vegetarian restaurant in Soho called Mildred's. I have to admit to always having a bit of sceptisicism about vegetarian restaurants - they always seem to be wound up in "healthy eating" which is just not my sort of thing. Despite being vegetarian, I really like rich hearty sort of food, not the beansprout and chickpea salad school of vegetarian cooking. Whilst this place did seem to have a couple of things like that on the menu, they also had a thoroughly excellent porcini and ale pie, which was deliciously rich, and came with some very satisfying no-nonsense chips. Just my sort of thing. Plus as it was my birthday and I'm now stinking rich it seemed only appropriate to have a bottle of champagne with it.

We rounded off the evening at the whisky club - just a couple of wee drams. A splendid night out.

Oh one other thing to report from today - I got this email at work today, apparently there's another guy at my company also called John Hawkins. This I wasn't all that surprised about, as it is a reasonable sized international company, and both John and Hawkins are relatively common names. The surprising thing, however, was that it turns out today was his birthday as well! So what are the chances...?

So let me conclude by saying, to that very exclusive group of John Hawkinses who were born on March 15th, Happy Birthday!

Many Happy Returns John! :)

Would you believe - to add to your collection of coincedences - that today was also both my brother and sister's birthdays too? (They are twins)

Plus, of course, old Caesar got it in the neck way-back-when, so all in all the Ides of March are rather important all round!

Posted by Nigel at 2007/03/15 23:43:21.

Happy Birthday John!! 30 is a good age, you made it so far, so you should be happy about it I guess!! :D I am sure that in the next 30 years there is going to be plenty of excitement!

Posted by Lox at 2007/03/16 07:00:32.

John, Happy Birthday, you bug, lovely man. Big lovely man hugs are coming your way.

Posted by Rob Lang at 2007/03/16 08:23:38.

That's alright, son.

Posted by John's Mum at 2007/03/16 10:15:07.

Happy 30th John! Hope you continue some birthday celebrations over the weekend.

Cheers!

Posted by Malinda at 2007/03/16 16:18:21.

Happy birthday John!

Posted by Bryan at 2007/03/16 20:49:28.

'Reflection on the auspicious occasion of my son reaching the great age of 30 years'


I HAVE SEEN THE SUN BREAK THROUGH
TO ILLUMINATE A SMALL FIELD
FOR A WHILE, AND GONE MY WAY
AND FORGOTTEN IT.
BUT THAT WAS THE PEARL
OF GREAT PRICE, THE ONE FIELD, THAT HAD
THE TREASURE IN IT.
I REALISE NOW
THAT I MUST GIVE ALL I HAVE TO POSSESS IT.
LIFE IS NOT HURRYING
ON TO A RECEDING FUTURE, NOR HANKERING AFTER AN IMAGINED PAST. IT IS THE TURNING
ASIDE LIKE MOSES TO THE MIRACLE OF THE LIT BUSH, TO A BRIGHTNESS
THAT SEEMED AS TRANSITORY AS YOUR YOUTH
ONCE, BUT IS THE ETERNITY THAT AWAITS YOU.

(R S THOMAS )

Keep looking John ... it is out there waiting for you to see it !

Posted by The Rev. at 2007/03/17 08:34:05.

HB!

Posted by tom at 2007/03/19 15:35:16.

happy belated birthday greetz :)

Posted by Raj at 2007/03/30 14:53:01.

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