30.
At the time of writing, I have been in my 30s for just over a day. Welcome to the blog. Welcome to a new era of the blog. Welcome to Monday. Let's reflect on morality for a bit.
I woke up to my 30s in a Dublin hotel room. Kurt messaged me a while ago and told me that the Dublin Beer Festival 2025 would be taking place on my birthday weekend. You should know, dear reader, that I am not a beer guy. I have and always will be a cider guy. Kurt is far more into his whiskey and his beer than I am. He is a connoisseur of sorts. I always wanted to take up a hobby like whiskey and beer appreciation, but it is an expensive hobby. Since this was a special occasion, I decided to try something new and be open-minded.
We had a nice time. Originally, I was going to write about that day and what it entailed, but honestly, I am shying away from what I want to talk about. It's mortality. When I came home yesterday on my birthday, I was greeted by the news that the boxer Ricky Hatton had passed away. I am not a boxing fan, but I knew who Ricky Hatton was. While I haven’t seen any mention of an official cause of death at the time of writing, a lot of the news coverage has mentioned mental health. It is absolutely tragic, regardless of the cause. Going forward, it is likely I will be reminded of his death on my birthday. It’s just another stoic reminder for me; memento mori.
The actor Patrick Swayze passed away on my birthday in 2009, and the comedian Norm MacDonald passed away on my birthday in 2021. You may have seen that alarming/encouraging (depending on how you look at it) meme that goes “you have gone your whole life living on the date you will die, and you have no idea which date” …or something to that effect. Crazy, right?
Another person I think about on my birthday every year is Amy Winehouse. We share the same birthday, and I have now outlived her by a few years. It breaks my heart thinking about what could have been. She was a generational talent, and it's still hard to believe that she didn’t even live to see 30. This year’s birthday also brought to mind someone who, most likely, the vast majority of those who read this blog (whom I am eternally grateful for) will not know. His name was Dave Williams, and he was the original lead singer of a metal band called Drowning Pool. You may be familiar with their most well-known song Bodies. The chorus goes “let the bodies hit the floor” repeatedly. You may know it now! Dave passed away in 2002 at the age of 30 from heart failure. He only ever got a taste of the success his band had before his untimely death. There aren’t a lot of videos of live shows featuring him, but I recommend you seek them out if you are into that sort of thing.
If anything, these people pre-deceasing me is the most effective kick up the ass I need and will continue to need because I am human. I have good days, and I have bad days. But I am still here, and that is awesome.
These are some of the things I have been thinking about as I enter my 30s. So far, so good. Thank you to everyone who sent their well wishes. I appreciate you. If you are reading this and you didn’t send on your well wishes, I still appreciate you. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your time.
