I'm old(er)

Well, as of yesterday I'm numerically old(er) - 26. A surprising number of people (I think I may have had to count on more than one hand - that's a lot for a summer birthday) remembered and wished me well. The family birthday 'party' was last Saturday's dinner at Customshop- a new and very good restaurant on Elizabeth Ave then Allison's first attempt at making Sacher torte - which turned out well - a bit low profile, but still dense and dark-chocolate-y. My actual birthday was spent writing a Managerial Economics project, which is due later today and still not complete.

I'm not sure I'm taking the correct path through the mid 20's young professional life though. Typical 40 hour work week, 6 hours of class per week, another 2-4 of homework. Then there's the chosen expenses, mainly school ($9k year) and the house (even considering the number of cars I've rotated through they have not been a significant money gain or loss). The house recently has been the big one: over $2500 above mortgage spent on it in the past month alone. So, I'm essentially taking a nice paying normal job which could allow for a good life, but via choices I've made have no free time or money, and less of a social life.

I've always lived long term, am always planning the next step, always looking at the future and figuring out what it takes to get there.  There has always been a goal - it is adaptable and has changed many times over the years - and it's still probably way too idealistic, but I feel that with enough work and learning I can get pretty close. I've become rather good and efficient at fixing all of the minor technical issues that pop up in daily life, but every now and then things converge to just shut down forward progress, and that seems to be happening more frequently and the 'next step' is pushed further away.

At what age and at what step will I consider myself stable though, when can I step back and say, you know, this is a fine life I've worked toward, and be content? The current answer seems to involve 29, a real walkable city, and a dwelling where maintenance means a set monthly fee, possibly one garage space for an old Porsche.

How to get there? Looks like 3 years of running 100% to accumulate enough knowledge, degrees, money and home-investment-gains in order to make the jump. Will the payoff be worth it, or will the goal be moved forward again? Not sure.

But in the mean time I should finish this economics project.