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1994.  Half of my lifetime ago.  I was 17.  I just graduated from high school and looking forward to being a fish at Texas A&M... the college I wanted to go to since 4th grade.  My best friends were Stephanie, Tracy, and Mick.  My phone number could be dialed using 7 digits.  I didn't have an email address or a cell phone or text messages (unless you count the beepers that people could write words as phone numbers).  We didn't have an internet connection.  We still used the Apple IIGS for a computer.  I drove a 1993 Chevy Cavalier- black with a red stripe.  It had a radio and power door locks.  My parents had a CD player installed in it for my birthday.  The Real World had only shown 2 seasons - New York and Los Angeles.  I made $4.50 an hour working at Party N' More... that was $0.25 more than minimum wage!

I can't believe that was 17 years ago.  I see seniors graduating this year and it doesn't feel like I'm that far removed from it.  But then again, I graduated from college 12 years ago.  Everyone around Houston dials 10 digits even if it's not long distance.  I got my first email address as a college freshman and can't remember the last time I wrote a real letter to someone.  I bought my first cell phone in 1998.  It was $24.99/mo for 70 daytime minutes and 500 evening/weekend minutes.  That seems so funny now.  I've been at my company for 10 years.  I'm married with 2 kids.  Would I want to go back and do anything differently?  Probably not.  I could definitely have done some things better but in the end I could also have ended up a lot worse off!

So now I'm officially mid-30's.  I wonder what 68 will be like.  Hopefully I'm still kicking!