letting the days go by, water flowing underground

[the_siobhan]

Question of the Day: Global Family Day: How do you define family?

There is a Robert Frost poem. "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." That's pretty much how I define family - the people who are stuck with you. If you play your cards right and get lucky, that can be by choice.

***

I spent yesterday doing chores, then had a glass of wine at midnight and watched the fireworks going off outside from my window. Today I am doing some prep cooking and playing video games.

Tomorrow I will turn 60. Six. Zero.

No shit.

I mean, I used to have had some... pretty pronounced self-destructive tendencies for a large chunk of my life. I am genuinely astonished to still be here. (Albeit with some of the long-term health repercussions of those tendencies. Nobody gets away with that many head injuries completely scott-free.)

Huh. Sixty. How about that.

***

The holidays were good, although I ended up letting myself be pushed way past my normal comfort zone around being exposed to a bunch of strangers. (How's that for not being twenty any more.) This year I have promised myself I will do more outside stuff in the summer with my family, it will mean I can more easily say no to high-risk activities in the indoor months.

***

Pretty sure this is going to be an eventful year in the Gin Palace. Money is going to be a problem. We'll see if I'm still living here at the end of 2023.

***

For the fanfic writers, Martha Wells has posted about a company that is scraping fanfic sites and selling the stolen stories on Amazon.
https://marthawells.dreamwidth.org/601475.html)

Comments

[dark_phoenix54]

60 is a big one. I'd never given age a thought; the "big 3-0" or "4-0" never bothered me. But 60.... it really gave me pause. Since I'd never thought about age, my reaction to 60 was "Holy shit I never expected to be here". I turned 68 a few days ago, and even that made me think "holy crap I'm fucking near 70 and that's a HUGE one". I suspect it keeps getting worse the older you get. Happy birthday, even if it sets you back!

[the_siobhan]

Not gonna lie, I feel like I got away with something. :-D

[lil_m_moses]

Wow, happy 60th! I'm hitting 50 later this year, myself.

[the_siobhan]

Let's hear it for bell-ringer birthdays.

My dad was making a big fuss about it, and at some point something clicked and I went, "Wait a minute, you're 20 years older than me. That means you're turning 80!"

[dissectionist]

I am delighted that you’re still here, and I hope you will continue to be for a long time. <3

[the_siobhan]

Awww, thank you.

[greylock]

Since it is now tomorrow here (and maybe there has just ticked over), I will wish you a warm 60th for today!

All the best people are born at this time of the year!

The holidays were good, although I ended up letting myself be pushed way past my normal comfort zone around being exposed to a bunch of strangers. (How's that for not being twenty any more.

Comfort zones are comfortable! Apparently you are enjoying third 20s!

Pretty sure this is going to be an eventful year in the Gin Palace. Money is going to be a problem. We'll see if I'm still living here at the end of 2023.

That sounds not great, and assuming the housing market there is akin to here, even worse.

[the_siobhan]

Thanks!

The housing market here is a shit-show. The ex and I decided to try co-housing based on the fact that neither of us can afford to buy in this city if we sell this place, and rent is even higher.

But we'll see what happens.

[houseof9cats]

Same with two adult children. None of us can go anywhere. The kids are calculating university like this: "I have this education money in the bank. If I spend it all on housing for university, then I have to work ten years to get the money back that I already have in the bank." Online-courses-a-go-go.

[the_siobhan]

Yeah my neighbours are talking about adding a floor to their house, because they have two kids and can't see any likelihood of them being able to move out any decade soon.

[solo]

Happy 60th! Well done for sticking around.

[the_siobhan]

Thank you!

[tcpip]

> Tomorrow I will turn 60. Six. Zero.

Heh. Happy birthday in advance :)

[the_siobhan]

Thank you!

[houseof9cats]

Happy BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! OMG well done. I totally felt that about 50. I'm still here? Well damn, bonus round.

On family: oh maude, PASS. =D Seriously, though, the Robert Frost explains it. There's no one we'd show up at if shit went south. When I do CBT, it's the focus of all my downward arrows. "I have no safety net." A couple of friends would take me in an emergency, and many thanks for that offer in the past. <3

[the_siobhan]

Bonus round is an excellent way to describe it.

[brainwane]

Happy belated birthday!

[the_siobhan]

Thank you!

[doggiesushi]

Happy 60th!! And, congratulations for making it. :)

I just turned 50 in the past couple of weeks and I'm still processing it. I think about who/what my parents were at 50, and what 50 meant when I was growing up in a retirement area. I don't _feel_ that. The world has changed so much since then. I honestly feel in better mental and physical shape than I did 25 years ago, which is weird. I don't want to get all "age is a number" thing since I know that Alzheimers runs in the family and I likely have a limited run, but 50 doesn't feel very 50-ish... yet.

[the_siobhan]

60 definitely doesn't feel like what I expected.

I will be really mad if I don't make it to at least 70. I want some time off after all this working for a living shite.

[silentq]

Happy birthday! I had it in my head you were 9 years older than me so was thinking you'd hit 60 on the next one, oops! :-) 50 for me wasn't as discombobulating as 40 was, but yeah, can definitely feel the warranty expiring on some parts.
Re family: living so far away from my bio family and being single during a pandemic has made me realise that I have some chosen family in my friends, but I can't quite fully trust yet beyond some gentle leaning on them. :-)

[the_siobhan]

"Warranty expiring on parts" is a good way to put it. Chassis still strong, needs new shock absorbers and the gyroscope is completely bent out of shape.

[disastrid]

Happy happy birthday! The world is better for having you in it. ❤️

I recall the massive snow storm on your 40th and no one could get a cab home from the club. WOW do i ever not miss Canadian winters.

[the_siobhan]

Aww thank you.

I can't believe that party was 20 years ago.

Canadian winters are considerably warmer than they were, it's about 10 degrees right now.

[elusis]

Happy 60th, Sio. I'm glad you made it this far.

50 is coming for me in 8 months.

[the_siobhan]

Weirdly, 60 feels better than 50 did. I guess I"m in a better head-space about it?

[kest]

Happy belated birthday, since I am sure I wasn't paying attention at the time. I have been saying that family is who you share the Netflix password with but the Robert Frost thing hangs out in my head a lot too, with the caveat that no one HAS to take you in, family are the people who WILL. Although the 'taking in' gets logistically difficult the more housing continues to crisis...I cannot take anyone in currently, for example, as I myself have already been 'taken in'. I wish you luck in remaining independently housingly solvent.