I recently put so much energy into thinking about old age that I forgot to write about the serious fun I had over the last week. Here's a quick run-down, mostly for my own sake so I don't forget due to the imminent meltdown of my brain:1. Dinner with Mom. She took me to our fave restaurant in town, one of Arlington's few chef-run joints called Olenjack's. Highly recommended. And an iTunes gift certificate definitely satisfied my sudden need for new music and lots of it.2. Drinks at Arlington's new Dave & Buster's, with my driving amigo Alex, better known as Mexellent; Sarah, my Plan II bud better known as "OMG must jump my bf right now," and an old Oakridge friend Mai, who always tells me how much of a lush she is and yet barely drinks in front of me. None of these 3 knew each other before coming out, but the conversations were fun nonetheless.3. A night of drunkenness in Austin with two of the classiest gentlemen I know, Adam and Mikey. For the first time ever, cut off by a bartender. (Well, it was their rule, you're done after two Mexican Martinis.) Moved on to another restaurant and continued drinking. And those gents even picked up the tab - what sweethearts.4. A night of old-school goodness, as the core of the Japanese Association circa 2 years ago reunited in Austin to crash the club's meeting and then head out for dinner and drinks. It was a long, festive night with some people I've had the pleasure of hanging out with on all sides of the world. It gave me a lot of faith in the continued success of the group, and the 'family' feeling that's sure to survive even after the departure of us senior citizens.5. The first time in a long time I actually had fun on 6th Street. I swore the place off last time I was in town, but when you pull your old bar-hopping buddies back into the mix, the magic comes back. I can't imagine I'll have that opportunity many more times in my life.Despite all that, I managed to have a productive 48 hours in Austin, zero hangovers, and a refreshing revival for my social life, which had slacked a bit as Internet Work got more "serious."6. I closed out my birthday season by joining The Japanese Group in Dallas on Saturday night. I didn't know what to expect from people gathering at a Japanese bar late at night - especially when invited by a dude married with a kid - but it turned out to be the best thing to hit my social life since returning home. I made a slew of Japanese friends, got to know a couple people at a couple nice restaurants, and basically found my way into a brand new social circle with a regular time and place.I wasn't sure I'd be able to follow up on last year's birthday. And while nothing will ever top that, I had a surprisingly sweet set of celebrations. Thanks to you, friends, old and new!