Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Turning 30

As I blogged about ages ago, everyone in Vietnam turns a year older during Tet Holiday regardless of when their actual birthday is. This means that I'm about to turn thirty next week in the eyes of 84 million people.

Even though I personally don't subscribe to this birthday rule, it does bring up the issue that I will be turning 30 at some point this year. In fact, nearly all of my best friends will be thirty by the end of 2009.

This past week, was one of my best bud's birthday bashes. Tom Tancred -- who I describe to people as "The coolest guy I know" and my sister describes as "Ben's man crush" -- turned the thirty corner in memorable fashion. Tom rented out a warehouse in Los Angeles and threw a "Greasers vs. Socs" theme party. Here's the poster for the throw down:

(PHOTO: Tom through the years.)




















(PICTURE: Tom and Maggie at Tom's 30th)











Perhaps the most memorable part of "The Outsiders" is Pony Boy reciting Robert Frost's poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay":

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
so dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.


Well, Robert Frost was right. Tom, I hope you enjoy being thirty...because on January 26th, the first day of Tet, you're 31 in Vietnam.

Speaking of gold, check out the golden tan Tom got when we were on the beaches of Greece a few years ago: