Thursday, November 20, 2008

Another Year Past

Today was my 28th birthday...and I have to say that I don't really feel any different or older than I did last year at 27.  Sure, there's some more grey in my hair then there was last year, and my knees are a bit more sore when the weather changes then they were last year, but I don't really feel that much older.  More responsible - sure.  More accomplished - you bet.  But even though I'm married, have a great job that I enjoy, and own a home, I don't feel old.

Maybe it's because I still know how to go out and have a good time.  Maybe it's because April and I don't have any kids (other than Copper) and still get to act like a young couple that only answers to ourselves.  Whatever it is, even with all of the well wishes and poking fun at my continued path towards being an old man, I really don't feel any older today.

Maybe I will in two more years when I turn 30.  Guess we'll see then.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Post-Election Reflection

I'm not an overly political person - I follow the races, I know what's going on with the issues, but at the end of the day I don't spend hours of my spare time debating issues with people or volunteering my time to a particular cause or candidate. That being said, this has certainly been one election that I have followed with great interest.

Never minding the historic nature of Obama's run to the White House, this county has been caught up in the midst of a change that is reflected in our choice of Barack Obama. As somebody quickly approaching 30, I realized that the next president was going to affect my life in ways that probably no president before and possibly after has or will. The decisions that the next president makes will influence what I'm able to do as I move into the next phase of my life.

Watching the results come in last night it was amazing to see that not only had the youth vote (of which I am technically still part of) finally turned out, but that America as a whole had finally turned out to vote. As a country that brags about our freedoms, a depressingly small percentage of us have ever actually taken part in the process, but it was amazing to see the lines of people all over the country that were committed to voting in this election.

Only time will tell if Barack Obama is the right man for the job, but whether we got this one right or wrong, as Americans we made our voices heard and we should all be proud of ourselves for that.