All growed up

Have you heard that Charlotte Church is expecting a baby? Wasn't she just 12 years old and singing church hymns? My my my how time flies. Char ain't the only one growing up -- I am also growing older (though she is the only one of us who is pregnant). I recently just had a momentous birthday -- 24 on the 24th! I've officially entered my mid-twenties. So far reaching this milestone hasn't made much of a difference in my life other than that I think this means that I officially have "adult" acne. There has been little change for me because even before I turned 24 I had been acting like a woman well beyond my years. Hence the disappointment of being a lame old person is tempered by the fact that I was so lame to begin with. For example...



... I clip coupons. Neither like nor love are strong enough words to describe how I feel about coupon-clipping. Coupon-clipping is generally the happiest 20 minutes of my week. I like looking for good deals on products I usually buy. A dollar off Lean Cuisine? AWESOME. And I love trying out new products. Huggies diapers? I don't really need them but for $5 off, why not? I check the weekly circulars to see where the best deals are and I rarely buy anything that's full price. Grocery shopping is a long and relaxing trip for me as I compare prices and check coupon expiration dates. I saved over $600 on my groceries last year, and yes I'm extremely proud of that.

... I really like flossing. At age 8, almost nothing could convince me to brush my teeth let alone floss them. (On a completely unrelated note, I have a mouth full of cavity-riddled teeth that are probably one strong gust of wind away from falling out of my head.) At age 24 flossing is one of the only things I do daily and I really love it. Now I'm guessing that many of you do not floss as often as I do, and I'm basing this primarily upon the Mitch Hedburg joke that quitting smoking is as difficult as starting flossing. Is it fair to assume that you have the same personal hygiene as a hilarious comedian(RIP)?

... I'm saving for my retirement. Woohoo, I have saved $1400 towards my retirement. That should be more than enough money to live out my retirement dream: living in a house in Miami that I will share with three other older women. One will be funny and mannish, one short and Italian, and the other one will be dumb and Midwestern. I will be southern and slutty. I'm working on my accent now.

... I prefer practical gifts. When you're a kid, anything that isn't a toy is a lame-ass gift. I would spend months circling and marking every toy catalog that passed through the doors of my home so that I could make sure I got exactly what I wanted, which was usually something pink and plastic. Again, on a completely related note my parents' house is filled with kids' toys and other assorted crap. Now, I don't want things that are frivolous or fun -- I want things that I need or would have otherwise bought for myself. This year for my birthday I asked for such exciting presents as magazine subscriptions, snow boots, history text books, bed sheets and a wallet. Ooooh.... Ahhh...