I'm getting old

Since we've decided as a society to track anniversaries, yearly events, and annual occurrences -- not to mention periodic happenings -- I thought I would list off what I've learned this year.

I can't eat spicy food like I used to. I loves me some of the spiciest food you can imagine. Thai and Indian rank among my favorites and my soy/wasabi combo while eating sushi is usually nuclear. But not anymore. It's a sad day, it is.

I don't recover from hangovers like I used to. I celebrated my birthday by going out to an excellent dinner with my bro and his wife, then I stopped by The Bar for a couple beers. Just about everyone I know from the bar was there and they all wanted to buy me a drink. One guy I didn't even know bought me a beer and a shot of Jager. Thanks former inmate! I drank more than I intended, but not more than I've been able to handle in the past. But the hangover, jeez. It's just not worth it anymore.

Not making any money and living frugally can be more rewarding than having a steady job and paycheck. This isn't exactly news, but I now have proof.

A bar is not the best place to meet new people unless you want alcoholic friends. Not surprisingly, my best guy friend in Seattle doesn't drink at all. This should be a clue.

For being sloppy fastfood, Jack in the Box is pretty good.

There are some people who aren't vegans/vegetarians or Jewish/Muslim yet they still refuse to eat pork. This confuses me. Just thinking about my ribs makes my mouth water. I can cook you a pork chop that will make you forget about steak. Denying yourself bacon ought to be classified as self abuse.

People on the west coast care about football and sports in general. Coming from the midwest, I got the impression that sports were generally shunned out here. Not so. Maybe in Portland, but definitely not in Seattle.

NYC and Washington DC both get more annual rainfall than Seattle. If Maxim says so it must be true.