A few minutes ago I was listening to Pandora, one of their genre stations... alternative rock, I think, and Blink 182's 'Don't Leave Me' came on. I don't particularly enjoy Blink 182 these days, but back when Enema of the State was released, I liked them quite a bit. It gave me a small laugh, remembering back when I listened to that CD just about every day. Then I started thinking, hey, wait, when was that CD released....?

Do you know the answer to that question?

1999.

1999.

And The Offspring's Americana, which I also listened to obsessively, was released in 1998.

And Third Eye Blind's self titled CD was released in 1997.

My god. That was a DECADE ago. This music that I remember so clearly picking up brand new off the shelves is a decade old! I can't believe so much time has passed, and so fast! And to be honest, this wasn't some massive revelation that I had just now, I've been thinking a little more than usual about it because my friend Nils has been on a real nostalgia trip lately. So as Blink 182 plays on, I'm now sitting here trying to figure out how I went from a 13 year old with no responsibilities or cares in the world to a stressed, cranky 23 year old who worries about paying the bills.

To quote Nils....

"I need a playground!"

But then I remind myself that I'm not stressed and cranky all the time. In fact, most of the time I'm not stressed or cranky at all. I don't need to worry so much about paying bills since I got a raise. And hey, I wouldn't give up any of the experiences I've had over the past decade for anything. And even though I sometimes say "what I wouldn't give to be a little kid again", the truth is I don't honestly want that. I enjoy being a self-sufficient, independant, free-thinking adult. I did my time as a child, and yeah it was mostly fun and games. My parents are fantastic, and I learned a lot from them. But that's over with (well, not the learning part... I'll never be done learning from Mom and Dad... just the being a child under their roof part). I've earned my right to have a driver's license, a full time job, and my name on a utilities bill.

........

............

A song from Green Day's Dookie (1994) just came on.

So, uh.... where's that playground....?