Retrospective, or So Far

1. When I was 1, my crib was in the house's one bedroom, and my parents slept on futon mattresses in the tiny living room.
2. When I was 2, my baby brother was born and he shared the bedroom with me.
3. When I was 3, our family moved to Japan, and I first learned to speak Japanese from watching cartoons.
4. I attended nursery school when I was 4, back in the states, where our daily snack was two Wheat Thins and a Dixie Cup of tomato juice.
5. When I was 5, a girl in kindergarten gave me a ring to wear. I loved it. I lost it almost immediately and I have regretted it ever since.
6. I still wore a Mickey Mouse watch when I was 6. I was jealous of my brother's Teeter-Totter watch, which had a real see-saw under the plastic face to mark the seconds.
7. Our family moved to Saudi Arabia when I was 7, where I attended an American elementary school.
8. When I was 8, I read "Charlotte's Web" for the first time and identified with Fern because she was also 8.
9. By the time I was 9, we had moved to Japan, where they had really good art and science classes at the Japanese elementary school.
10. When I was 10, I was happy that we had moved back to California, where the (public) schools were easier.
11. I wanted desperately to be a Mouseketeer on the All New Mickey Mouse Club, when I was 11.
12. I had entered puberty barely after turning 12, and before entering the seventh grade.
13. I was the King of Disco at age 13, at the after-school dances, which were even better than ABC's Afterschool Specials.
14. When I was 14, I had my first proper girlfriend, Erin. We "went around" for a full sixteen weeks!
15. The Gogo's were the Best Band Ever when I was 15.
16. When I was 16, I started wearing bandanna headbands, a la Olivia Newton-John during her Let's Get Physical era, in order to better express my rugged individuality.
17. I had segued to wearing berets by age 17, and I loved dancing in teen clubs.
18. When I was 18, I played Roger in "Grease" and Stephen/Jesus in "Godspell."
19. When I was 19, I dropped out of UCLA and came out of the closet when I started working at Disneyland. I hated being 19.
20. I had moved out of my parents' house by the time I turned 20. I could no longer stand the tension that my dropping out of school had caused.
21. When I was 21, my first car was a Vespa scooter.
22. When I was 22, I had my heart severely broken for the first time. I came out to my parents and started Christian therapy.
23. At 23, I landed my first performing job as a dancer-singer, at Tibbie's Music Hall.
24. I danced for Disney during the day and performed in a dinner theater revue at night, when I was 24, and saved up enough to go to Hawaii for the first time.
25. When I was 25, I lived with four other roommates from Disney in a five-bedroom house, and we each paid $200.00 a month for our own room.
26. I went away on my first cruise ship job when I was 26.
27. When I was 27, I went from dancing on cruise ships to staying home and dancing in the Snoopy show at Knott's Berry Farm.
28. When I was 28, I thought my dance career was over and I enrolled in the local junior college. Shortly after the semester started, I booked six great dance gigs, one right after the other.
29. I went to work in Japan for the first time, at age 29, and had my heart severely broken for the second time.
30. Back home in Los Angeles, at age 30, I met Domestic Partner.
31. I was a cheerleader for Disney Sports - Mighty Ducks hockey and Angels baseball - when I was 31.
32. I was 32 when I worked on my last cruise ship job.
33. I was 33 when I went to work in Japan for the second time, heart all mended.
34. When I was 34 I bleached my hair platinum blond and pierced my ears. I called the look "Mid-life Crisis #1."
35. When I was 35, I went back to work at Knott's Berry Farm, my aunt died of liver cancer, I buzzed my hair off, and my sister got married.
36. When I was 36, I swallowed my pride and went back to waiting tables. I didn't perform at all, that year.
37. I was still waiting tables and still taking class at city college, when I was 37. I also booked two good shows that year.
38. When I was 38, I finally transferred my procrastinatin' butt to a university.
39. When I was 39, I was devastated by the loss of my little baby boy when we had to put our beloved and elderly pug down.
40. When I was 40, I got "my first real job" with the Los Angeles Recording School, working in the admissions department.
41. When I was 41, I started blogging, and I started making some excellent blogger friends.
42. At age 42 I revel in the joy of riding a new scooter and driving a new car.

43. When I am 43 . . . ??

We'll see!