31 Comments

Happy birthday! "MMDP" made me laugh out loud. And I also recommend turning 50. It was an unexpectedly fun shift. Like, "ok, here we go!" I like it. (I'm 52 now.)

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I'm surrounded by children... ;)

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A child probably wouldn't have had to think about it for as long as I did before knowing for sure how old I am.

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Happy birthday, Mark! As I get closer in my own march to middle age, I very much appreciate these kinds of reflections on aging - being young is tired. I’ve already done that.

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Thank you. I'll be eagerly waiting for your first post upon officially entering middle age. :)

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Happy xenon birthday, Mark! 🥳 Enjoyed this stroll through memory lane.

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I appreciate that you gifted me with a science fact. :) Thanks!

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This was a great read, very interesting, and very well written.

P.S - I also have my own little “preferences” when it comes to numbers.

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Such a fascinating post, Mark - thank you for one of my favourite reads this week, even though it's taken me days to get to it! WORTH THE WAIT. Happy, happy birthday! 🥳

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Love this, Mark! And happy birthday!

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Thanks man!

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"You realize that some of your insecurities were complete bullshit and solely a figment of your own imagination."

Goals. HBD!

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Thank you, kind sir!

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Fun retrospective and a good way for me to catch up, being late to the party and all.

I never kept journals. Evidence.

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And yet you have a public newsletter...

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It's so much looking at journal entries and tthinking back to past experiences. I started a project where I wanted to take one sentence from each journal entry each year. I have yet to complete it for 2022 but it'll be nice to look back especially since it was a difficult year for me. My most recent entries have a title, the date and the time I wrote the entry so each entry has a lot of information about the specific moment/day I was writing.

I also use a Leuchtuurm1917 journal. The one I'm currently using I started in Sepetember of last year. I don't believe I'll be able to use it until the end of June so I'll most likely be starting a new Leuchtuurm1917 in June. I don't even journal every single day since I feel I'm too busy to sit down and write down everything that's on my mind.

Happy birthday! It's rare to find people who are positive about getting older. I'm still in my 20s but I think there's lots of great things about being older.

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Thanks Victoria! Great choice in notebooks!

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Happy birthday! What a wonderful way to celebrate!

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Thank you kindly!

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Happy Birthday! It’s always great to hear what others write in their journals. I’m inspired to write about journals and middle age now!

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Happy birthday old man! I had much the same experience of turning 50 and for the most part it’s a more enjoyable age (so long as we have our health of course). I admire you and your work and am proud to be called your friend.

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Likewise. It's been too long since we've seen each other in person but there are lots of good reasons for that. Stay safe!

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Happy Birthday!

I love so many things about this post, and find the coincidences to be slightly weird but also wonderful.

The title caught my eye because that is my favourite Beatles song, I adore it and it makes a regular appearance in the shower, where I do most of my singing. But that's probably common enough, it's a great song.

Then I see that this is a journalling retrospective. Wowhee that's right up my alley.

I've been journalling, much more sporadically than you, by the sounds of it, for a very long time. I still have one precious journal from the year I was thirteen, and read it when I need a good laugh and a reminder that stressful things feel much bigger in the moment, than they actually are.

But the really weird thing is that it's also my birthday today. Maybe that's not as weird as I think it is but I only know one other person with the same birthday. That's IRL and the internet is a vast place, still though I like the serendipity of it. I think it's a great day to have a birthday, but I suppose I'm biased.

Anyway, thank you for a funny and interesting read - hope the rest of the year goes well!

Live long and prosper 🖖

P.S. For what it's worth I think you should seriously consider the Star Trek cruise - I know I am now!

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Thanks so much for your comment and happy birthday to you to, birthday twin! We share this great date with Mel Blanc, Benny Goodman, Alexei Leonov, Keir Dullea, Stephen Tobolowsky, Colm Meaney, Topper Headon, Wynonna Judd, Duncan Jones, Marissa Mayer, Rachael Stirling, and other worthy folks, I'm sure. Sadly, perhaps, Joan of Arc, Christopher Marlowe, Alexander Pope, Voltaire, Milton Bradley, Wilbur Wright, Steve Prefontaine, and Sun Ra all joined the Choir Invisible on the 30th. So there you go.

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Colm Meaney!! Star Trek Next gen is my favourite of the Star Treks, this is amazing news!!

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Happy Birthday! And cheers to many more!

It's funny, I think of things as having happened either before COVID or rightnow. There's no in-between. Reading through your summary reminded me of milestones I'd forgotten about that happened in the rightnow (I still can't remember the specific years 😂).

Anyway, congrats on your milestones!

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Thanks!

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Congratulations on the number of journal entries.

And also, happy birthday. :).

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Happy birthday, Mark. Nice wrap up of the years.

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