I had so much fun putting together the things about myself that are an indicator of how old I feel. I suppose I should explain a couple of these items huh?

The poster sporting my name in imaginative pink objects keeps me feeling young. My mom brought that back for me after returning from one of her work trips to the city. I was about twelve and had an undying love for anything and everything pink. I later grew to despise the color for a short period of time but this wasn’t until I’d acquired an obscene amount of pink belongings.

That being said I see it fit to explain the remaining pink objects. The Lip Smacker chapstick is something I started using when I was in middle school and I’ve continued to use ever since then. Every time I use it I’m immediately back in the lunch room, sixth period, a circle of friends, Powerade’s filling the table, and lots of laughter as the chapstick makes it’s way around the circle. Seems kind of gross to think about it now but in sixth grade none of us were concerned about germs.

The I-Pod was the first one I ever owned– yes I do own a more updated version thank you. I received this artifact for my fifteenth birthday. Funny how the things that hold little to no value now, used to bring so much joy. I remember the day vividly. My parents took my sister and I out to dinner for my birthday and we were sitting in Red Lobster when they gave it to me. I can still smell the melted butter and cheesy biscuits.

The Excedrin reminds me of the point in my life where I started to become responsible. I never got headaches until I started working as a cashier. Headache was a bit of an understatement to be honest. Rude people drive me crazy. So the Excedrin is a stepping stone in my life for when I got my first job. I still have that same job six years later, however, I escaped the cashier position and have since moved to a different department.

The picture is one that my mom took of me when I was five or six? I’m not exactly sure how old I was but these pictures frequent the house. My mom used to buy me dress up clothes when I was younger because what five year old girl doesn’t like to play dress up? One day she did my hair and make-up for me because I was dying to look the part and not just tromp through the house covered in sequins. So after she finally gave in to my incessant pleas, she continued to follow me around the house and have an impromptu photo shoot. No matter how old you are, it’s always fun to dress up and dance around the house. This theory has brought me out of some foul moods.

The earplugs are significant because people always say, “If the music’s too loud, you’re too old” well I’ve recently discovered that sometimes the music IS too loud. Namely when I’m trying to do something productive, however, it still makes me feel old. And yes, I have on occasion actually used those earplugs.

The pictures are of my nephews. I think their role is obvious for the most part. My brother is thirty-eight, married with two kids. I was ten when my first nephew, Ryan, was born and twelve when my second nephew, Joe, was born. Now eleven years later I only feel older.

The AAA card and Cortland ID are both indicative of me growing up and juxtaposed with five-year old sequined Toni and a love of pink things, makes for a pretty conflicting image of how old I feel.