38 not special

Ouch.

I am 38 years old today.

Old enough that I actually consider lying when people ask me my age, especially at work.

I played hoops for half an hour on Saturday against a bunch of dudes, mostly around 18-22 years old. They split us up into teams by age, and I was the oldest by far. The guy I was guarding was probably like 19 and he thought he was pretty good. I laid off him and dared him to make an outside shot. He insisted on driving and I blocked his shot like three times. On offense, I threw my fat ass around in the lane and got like 85% of the available rebounds. Then I'd roll out a few ancient head fakes and score. They started calling me "Vlade." That's what it's come to -- on a good day, my game inspires comparisons to a 55 year-old bearded Serb who looks like he's in desperate need of a shower. (Reality check: Vlade is only a year older than me and was actually well known for his extreme commitment to cleanliness.)

I'd like to fill you in with a pbdotc-style 'chicken soup' column in which I list all the things I've learned in my 38 years, but nothing comes to mind.

So let me just say that the world has been incredibly kind to me and I appreciate it with all my heart. My good breaks are way ahead of my bad breaks. I've got more than I could ever want and I love this planet as much as I did when I was 21. I can still run around and play and laugh and drink and high-five and sing like a true asshole when called upon.


Which leads me to discuss something that I really don't need.

Dudes, I didn't ask for it, I didn't plan on it, and I don't fully support it, but I am getting an iPhone today as a gift. And I will make love to it all night long.

Enjoy pbdotc's recap of Sunday night's softball in the rain. In my opinion it was the most satisfying game all season. Even if I still don't know how to shotgun a beer properly.