All Grown Up

or
Still Waiting for Adulthood

Most of my life I’ve felt like a kid. Something I’ve noticed since I was a teenager is that from age to age there really is not much of a difference. You really are the same person for the most part. And pretty much from 17 on it’s been mostly an anticipation of what it would be like to be an adult. Why? Because I’m still me. I still feel like a high school kid wondering when I’m going to grow up. At 21 I was a little more mature than I was at 17 but I’ve been drinking since I was 14. So, now I can legally get drink, great. 27 was probably a little more mature than 21 and I had been on my own for a while. As in not needing my family for anything. Still I relied on my friends from time to time but still not quiet grown up yet. Now at 32 I’m probably a little more mature than 27. But I’m just as laid back and easy going as I have ever been. And I haven’t had to rely on my friends for anything other than their friendship for years now. At this point in my life I live in a studio apartment. I am on my 2nd car that I’ve gotten from a dealer (my 4th car in my whole life) and I can barely afford to buy a place of any real value in Southern California. I’d like to think that if real estate was more accessible to me I might feel more grown. I’m hoping to find out in 2006.

In the meanwhile, I do things on occasion that make me feel a little more grown up. Like when I got an accountant. A guy I used to work with recommended him. As I was looking for someone to assist me with something that might become a tax issue. This tax season will be my 4th, or maybe 5th with him. And when I see him and get my tax returns I feel like I’m a little bit closer to adulthood. The same way when I’ve gotten cars from dealerships. Not to mention the next time I do that I will be going in with good credit. For the first time ever. Matter of fact, I plan on using carsdirect.com for my next auto purchase. Because car salesmen suck and I want to deal with them as little as possible. So car buying and even car insurance buying makes me feel grown up. Though these feelings of grownupness[sic] are rare I’m grateful as they remind me that I’m still a kid at heart. And, thankfully, only have to deal with grown up stuff on occasion out of necessity. Yeah, I pay bills twice a month, but how often do you go car shopping or do taxes? I mean it’s great being able to buy video games and comic books at my leisure (mostly). I’m being grown and a kid all at the same time.

Today, is a grown up day as well. For the first time ever, a housekeeper is cleaning my bathroom and kitchen. Even as I type this. It’s an interesting feeling having someone clean your place. She actually works at my office and she cleaned my co-workers place. She did a great job for her so I figured maybe she could help me out. And truth be told I needed help. In a major way. I mean I have cleaned my bathroom, but my tub was in dire straits. Forget the fact that I suck at cleaning it. But combine that with the fact that no one but me has used it for the past year and well... you kinda see my dilemma. For the record I don’t count the couple weeks my boy CAR slept on the air mattress at my place. If only because I have seen his tube in worse shape than mine. So, yeah, I hired a housekeeper for my studio apartment. Because I’m grown enough to realize I needed some help and took action to get it. I’m just glad I found her. I’ve been doing some research on this for a while and she is cheaper than having a franchise service. Though, considering the state my bathroom was in, she will be getting a nice tip...