Tag Archives: birthday

Three zeroes and a birthday…

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Let me say that it’s a big week for me personally and that as a result I’m about to geek out on you guys a little bit. Today marks the 3rd birthday of jeffreytharp.com and running this blog as an independent website. After spending my formative years blogging on MySpace a short stint on Blogger, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having a permanent place to hang my virtual hat. Having the name right there as the web 1000 Postsaddress means you’d damn well better be willing to be accountable for whatever comes flying out of your mouth. Even though it’s occasionally caused some friction, it’s made be a better blogger and a better writer in general. It’s absolutely worth it.

In addition to marking a birthday, this week also saw my 1000th post go live. Since there is still more good stuff coming from the archives every Sunday, I look for that total to keep going by leaps and bounds. All my old blog posts from MySpace are now available here and I’m working my way through the Blogger years every Sunday. I’m really looking forward to finally having all my posts under one electronic roof sometime in the next four or five months.

Finally, thanks to everyone for keeping up with me from June 29, 2006 to today. I know the “about” section claims that I don’t write for an audience, but we all know differently. No one throws this much life and opinion into the ether if they don’t secretly enjoy being the center of attention from time to time. I supposed that’s not really much of a secret anyway.

19,526 visits, 1,003 posts, 314 comments, and 59 countries over the last 1,095 days. For one sane voice in the wilderness, that’s a pretty respectable record.

33: The Year in Review…

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The last 365 days won’t go down as my best year, but it’ll be up there near the top of the list. In case you haven’t been reading along for the last year, here’s the retrospective in 60 words or less: Escaped the inmate running the asylum, Moved back to Maryland, Fought with landlord, Had his Explorer towed, Started a new job, Shopped tax free in Delaware, Ate more steamed crabs in one year than in the last six, Wrecked the truck (twice), Rediscovered Atlantic City, Reconnected with old friends, Got serious about writing, Got a year older and more curmudgeonly.

So as my “early thirties” slide quietly under the stern, I’m comfortable officially designating it not a bad year. Forecast for year 34: More of the same, but with more awesome.

Happy birthday: or Here’s your letter of depreciation…

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My birthday is right around the corner and there’s no way I’d rather celebrate than by receiving a condescending form letter from the executive suite telling me how great an opportunity it is for me to be a part of the team. Seriously? I’m sure that someone at echelons above reality thought that this sounded like a good idea. A real morale booster for the Uberboss to “recognize” the line employees’ ability to stay alive and employed for another year while reminding them “how good they have it.” Yep. That’s the ticket!

When you combine the condescension with the truly monumental management failures we’ve see on a daily basis, it’s really more like a letter of depreciation than anything else. If you really want to congratulate me, how about a “59 minutes” and letting me head home early to celebrate my “big day” in the company of people who actually give a rat’s ass. That I’d appreciate.

But your letter? You can go ahead stuff that in your inbox.

Editorial Note: This part of a continuing series of previously de-published blogs appearing on http://www.jeffreytharp.com for the first time. This post has been time stamped to correspond to its original publication date.

Yearly…

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This is usually the post where I’d admit spending the whole day thinking about Alexander and the other 30-somethings who moved the world. This year, I’ve made the realization that I just don’t have that kind of ambition any more. The most stressful thing I really want to deal with is making plans for my next trip and the only followers I’m interested in are Sir Winston and Lady Margaret. Somewhere along the line, I’ve lost the desire to take over the world and mostly now want it to just go bugger itself. I’m mostly ok with that. It only took me 32 years to figure that part out. The next 32 should be a cakewalk.

Happy Anniversary…

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I just realized that the 1-year anniversary of this blog passed by unrecorded on March 19th. Frankly I’m amazed that I’ve had the attention span to keep up with it. That’s a tribute to you readers who keep egging me on. Thanks a million!

Note: This Post originally noted the one year anniversary of Get Off My Lawn when it was hosted on Blogger.

The first birthday post…

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This was not the post I had hoped to write. The best of birthday rants I had been working on just didn’t read right, so you’ll have a brand-spanking-new rant for the occasion.

For the record, I hate birthdays. Actually, I suppose that’s not technically accurate. I enjoy other people’s birthdays, but am more ambivalent own. Congratulations, you’ve managed to keep yourself from becoming a former human being for another 365 days. Well done. It seems a little disingenuous.

While others celebrate the turning of another year with reckless abandon, I have almost always looked upon mine as a moment of pause. Time to take account and reflect on the works left undone, those not yet undertaken, and those that will never be. By the time Alexander had reached my age, he had unified an empire. Others stood on the cusp of their glory… Jefferson and Hamilton were about to make their mark on the Republic. When he was two years junior to my age now, Theodore Roosevelt published a seminal work on the naval campaigns of the War of 1812 and served in the New York House of Delegates.

My war rages on; one side bent on perfection, place, and prominence and the other to accept what is as good enough. I’ve lived my life in pursuit of what’s next while never being satisfied with the achievement. I’ve repeatedly sacrificed the personal on the alter of the professional. I cannot fault the results, but the price has been terrible in its own right.

I’ll not resolve these battles tonight, or perhaps ever. But each year, with the coming of June, I will be reminded, and I will ponder them afresh.