Thirty, Flirty, and Gone!

When I was thirty years old, America was at war in Iraq. “Insurgent” was a buzzword. American death counts approached 2,000. Bombs exploded in London. A devastating tsunami hit three continents.

Senator John Kerry ran a weak presidential campaign and lost to George W. Bush. The media labeled states red or blue. Gay marriage joined abortion rights on the front of a cultural war. Congress fought over a brain-damaged Florida woman named Terri Schiavo. The teaching of evolution in classrooms was questioned. Grieving mother Cindy Sheehan staged a public protest near Bush’s vacation house.

Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement from the Supreme Court of the United States. Drug-maker Merck took popular painkiller Vioxx off the market, and was subsequently found liable in the first trial. Another jury found Michael Jackson not guilty of all child molesting charges. Martha Stewart went to jail for insider trading. Google went public. Tom Cruise went crazy.

Sears hooked up with K-mart. Brad Pitt possibly hooked up with Angelina Jolie. Mariah Carey got her groove back. Lance Armstrong won his 7th and last Tour de France. The Philadelphia Eagles got to the Super Bowl. The Boston Red Sox won the World Series. I rooted for tennis star Lindsay Davenport and against pretty girl Maria Sharapova.

Live 8 concerts raised world poverty awareness. “Desperate Housewives” got big TV ratings. The last “Star Wars” movie came out. I didn’t join the iPod cult, but I downloaded digital tracks from Apple’s iTunes website. I sought comfort in old TV shows such as “Three’s Company” and the Vietnamese pop music and traditional musicals.

It was the year that I finally moved back to the city of Philadelphia. It was a full year of happiness with my partner Jacob. It was the year that we got rid of our cars and joined Philly Car Share. We rented DVDs through Netflix and watched TV programs recorded by TiVo.

I was part of the “Run Against Bush” movement. I ran with the Frontrunners/Philadelphia on my way to complete my first, second, and third marathon races. I played soccer with the Philadelphia Falcons and joined the 12th Street Gym. I staged my own ghetto triathlon.

When I was thirty years old, I found peace in the midst of a chaotic world.

When I was thirty years old, I had an amazing year.