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Elf's Random Musings

What Comes With Age . . .

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by
Elf
, June 10th, 2013 at 12:06 AM (3326 Views)
It's been a while since I've made an actual blog entry, and I've got a lot of stuff on my mind right now. I figured I'd blog about it. Or something.

In about a week is my 30th birthday. In about seven days I'll turn 30 years old, one of those roadmarks of "old age". It is also traditionally the hallmark of being a true "adult", and it's making me think.

I've had people tell me that being 30 is much better than being in one's twenties, but still it's sort of really terrifying. It makes me feel old, disgruntled, and makes me want to take a look at my life. Things that I should have done, things that I shouldn't have done, and the things that I've actually done. Contemplative stuff.

Also, it makes me realize that I've been with the fandom for a long freaking time. So again contemplative. I haven't really worked on any fanworks in a long time. My original works are actually going somewhere with the JukePop Serial and the Anthologies I've been accepted in have turned my attention elsewhere. Mainly to getting to the point where I can, hopefully, do this for a living.

Then it's getting to the point where, hey, I've gotten older and my interests have changed. Not to mention sometimes the fandom can really piss me off. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere as of now. I'm an administrator after all.

Plus here's always the added bonus of, you know, advertisement.

But yes, I'm getting old in a week. Freaky right?

In other words, I'm reading this amazing vampire novel called Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin (yes, that George R. R. Martin), and it is fantastic. It's one part historic fiction, one part gothic horror, and one part a very interesting odd couple friendship. The writing style fits the whole vampires and riverboat theme, and changes slightly with who's POV the chapter is in. I picked it up due to another vampire author I adore, Kim Newman, talking about it in delight and how much it inspired him.

Reading the book, I can see why.

It was written in 1982 (the year before I was born, ouch), and back then I can see why it would have been such a ground breaking effort. Reading it now is just a fantastic vampire novel. A lot better than most of the crap that passes as vampire fiction now a days.

Still, this is sort of an odd thing that bugs me, but when there's always a "good" vampire, there's always the requisite flashback chapter. The chapter that tells the vampire's back story to the reader. It never fails. Instead of getting bits and pieces so the reader can put things together on there own, they're info dumped about what the vampire was previously like.

It's even done somewhat on Buffy and Angel, but at least never heavy handedly there.

It's an odd nitpick, but I'm odd.
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Comments

  1. The Geek's Avatar
    C'mon, Elf. 30 isn't THAT old.
  2. LoyaltL's Avatar
    Yeah 30 means your life is only HALF over.
  3. ratstsrub's Avatar
    Generally, the people who think of 30 as old are young.
  4. Laith's Avatar
    Mid–life crisis then?
  5. Spinach's Avatar
    I don't know how I've managed to get by thinking you were like 27ish this entire time without noticing your age right there in your profile...
  6. RadiantBeam's Avatar
    Just wait until you get into your 50s.
  7. DezoPenguin's Avatar
    Puppy! Puppy, I tell you! (Man, I remember Fevre Dream from when I was in high school*; I never read it myself, but my vampire-loving friends who were into Anne Rice, especially this one proto-Goth girl, liked it. That, The Unicorn Tapestry by Susy McKee Charnas, and the St.-Germain series by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro** were the big "non-evil vampire" novels of the day.

    *I was only in junior high in 1982, but the vampire field was much smaller then, so a few years later was a big deal.

    **Aha! There's the exception to your "flashback chapter" idea. There isn't one in Hotel Transylvania, or for that matter any of the other books that I know of.

    (And now you know why Twilight produces nothing but bemused apathy in me--I literally have grown up through the entire paradigm shift of "vampire as soulless horror representing the destructive forces of society" to "vampire as romantic lead and cool lifestyle choice." Been there, done that, nothing new here, moving on.)

    ...I didn't have my own "Holy crap, I'm old!" moment until I turned forty, though. Expect gag gifts, though!
  8. Suncofold's Avatar
    >.>
  9. Raven2785's Avatar
    As another "Oldfag" as the young kids like to call us these days, I gotta say I kinda see what you mean about being scared about hitting 30, but in the end while you're still navel gazing there are things that you could've done and things you did that you regret but in the end the one thing that matters is this:

    Are you having fun.

    In general as long as you enjoy your life right now it doesn't matter if you're 30, 60 or even 90. Because even with all the crap and shit that life trows at us on a daily basis (Let's face it. There are some days we all wish we could just trow the towel) as long as you are in a place where you can consider yourself happy then you're doing just fine and anyone else who tells you otherwise needs to shut up (unless they're paying your bills, or he's your husband )
  10. Gaia's Avatar
    If you ask me, 30 isn't old at all!

  11. Kelnish's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Raven2785
    As another "Oldfag" as the young kids like to call us these days
    When I say "oldfag" I'm usually talking about Elton John and his ilk.
  12. Raven2785's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kelnish
    When I say "oldfag" I'm usually talking about Elton John and his ilk.
    And you're not a kid (unless you lied about your age)
  13. Kieran's Avatar
    . . . I so want to hit you with an "I told you so" right now - because I did, a couple of years back. I warned you that this day would come.

    That said, however, I agree with Raven's statement on getting old - and Dezo's on vampire characters, but that's not germane at the moment.

    . . . Or should that be, "not St.-Germain?"