A Letter to Myself on My 40th Birthday

7 Jun

Young Martin LiebermanDear Martin,

Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday you were skydiving to celebrate your 30th birthday. Now it’s 10 years later and you’re 40 years old.

Wait a second. You’re 40? How are you 40? You don’t look 40. You don’t act 40. You’re still single. You have no kids. You still tell and laugh at the same juvenile jokes. You still eat Lucky Charms for breakfast (sometimes, anyway). And hell, you still watch the Real World/Road Rules Challenge every week on MTV. (Ahem, you have a season pass set on the DVR.) The fact that you’re 40 just doesn’t seem right.

Are you sure that’s how old you are? And if it’s true, then why doesn’t it seem to faze you?

Continue reading →

40 Things I Learned Before I Turned 40: Part Two

6 Jun

reflectionWhenever you hit a milestone in life, it’s only natural to reflect on what’s come before and pick out the takeaways you want to bring with you as you move forward.

I guess that’s my clunky, long-winded way of saying my 40th birthday (it’s tomorrow; maybe you’ve heard me mention something about it?) has resulted in me doing a bit of soul searching and reflection.

Last week, I shared the first 20 in my list of 40 things I’ve learned in my first 40 years of living. Today it’s time to share the second half of the list. (Unranked, just for the record.)

Sure, I’m no Navy Seal. But we all have our life lessons. These are some of mine. Continue reading →

40 Things I Learned Before I Turned 40: Part One

30 May

paper and pencilSpend enough time doing something, and you’re bound to learn a few things along the way.

Such is the case with life.

Over the past 40 years, as I’ve lived a life full of ups and downs, I’ve learned many, many, many things. Some, of course, are the obvious ones: How to walk, talk, drive, cook, and write with decent grammatical ability.

But there are other things I’ve learned — important lessons that I hope will stick with me as I enter my 41st year. Many of these weren’t easy to learn, and some haven’t quite sunk in yet.

Regardless, I thought I’d put together a list of 40 lessons learned from 40 years of living. Here, with one week left till my actual birthday, are the first 20. Enjoy. Continue reading →

I Have a Lot to Do This Summer

23 May

Red umbrella on the beach in summerMonday is Memorial Day.

How did that happen? Where is this year going? I guess it’s true what they say: Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

What that means is, I need to make the most of this summer because before you know it, Labor Day will be here and then soon after, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, right?

If I want to have a good summer, it’ll help to compile a list of things I want to do. So here, for the first time since 2012, are some of the foods and drinks I want to try, places I want to go, movies and shows I want to see, and other ways I want to spend my time between now and Labor Day.

Continue reading →

My 40th Birthday Is Coming, and What I Want for a Gift May Surprise You

20 May

birthday gift boxA friend of mine recently suggested that for my 40th birthday (which, believe it or not, is less than three weeks away), I should be able to register for gifts.

After all, she reminded me, I’m single. And over the years I’ve spent so much on other people when they got married and/or had kids.

She had a point.

In fact, a few years ago, I did actually wonder — facetiously — when am I going to get mine?

So, I started to think. If I could, what would I register for?

Continue reading →

I’m in the Mood for Love

14 Feb
Photo by Instagram user @daleni01

Photo by Instagram user @daleni01

It’s Valentine’s Day again.

For many single people, that’s a source of much grumbling. But not for me.

I may not have somebody to love, but that doesn’t mean I’m not showing love today. (Or, you know, canceling the day entirely.)

In fact, I’ll be showing love to my favorite things all day long. That’s how I prefer to spend my Valentine’s Day: Eating the foods I love, spending time with people I love, doing things I love, going places I love, and so on. (Really, it’s just another way of loving the one I’m with.)

Every year, I compile a list of the people, places, and things I love. What’s on that list this year? Here’s your answer: Continue reading →

Five Resolutions for 2014 That I Can Actually Keep

2 Jan

New Year's Resolutions coastersEveryone makes fun of new year’s resolutions and never takes them seriously because no one ever seems to keep them.

It’s true: According to the University of Scranton, only 8% of people stick to their resolutions. That’s often because they aren’t realistic ones. They’re wishful thinking. Things people don’t actually want to do.

No wonder no one keeps them.

And yet, if you’re anything like me, resolving to not make new year’s resolutions is the first resolution you break every year.

Last year, the three resolutions I set for myself were more big picture. They were more along the lines of things I’d like to change about myself than actual resolutions. And I’d like to think I actually stuck to them. In the end, partly as a result of making those changes, 2013 was a better year than the year before it was.

2014 is going to be a big year for me, what with my turning 40 and all, so I want to make sure it’s another good one. So in the same spirit of my 2013 resolutions, I’ve come up with a list of five that I can keep, and that I hope will help me make this a good — no, a better year. Continue reading →

Happy to Celebrate a Happier New Year

31 Dec
One of my favorite pictures from one of my favorite days of the past year: Soaking in the excitement of the Red Sox Rolling Rally after they won the World Series

One of my favorite pictures from one of my favorite days of the past year: Soaking in the excitement of the Red Sox Rolling Rally after they won the World Series

What a difference a year makes.

For example, last year the Red Sox finished the baseball season in last place. This year, they’re World Champs. (Yay!)

Last year, my upstairs neighbor was annoying me with her late-night vacuuming and hyperactive dog. This year, she’s moved out. (Yay again!)

Last year, on this very day, the President and Congress reached a deal on the fiscal cliff, ensuring that the long-term unemployed would continue to receive benefits. This year, not so much. (Boooo!)

A year ago, that last item had me nervous up until the ball dropped. This year, I’m relieved that the insensitivity of our elected officials no longer affects me (directly, anyway).

In short, 2013 is ending on a much better note than 2012 did, and I have good reason to move into 2014 happy, hopeful, optimistic, relaxed, and in a better, more positive frame of mind than I’ve been in for quite some time.

Hooray, indeed.
Continue reading →

2013 Was a Lucky Year for the Movies

30 Dec

Inside Llewyn Davis scene2013 was the year Hollywood decided to blow up the White House — not once, but twice.

The year that Johnny Depp’s over-the-top character schtick totally and irreparably jumped the shark.

The year James Franco’s best performance was in a movie about Spring Break depravity, not the Wizard of Oz prequel — or even the movie where he played himself (a version of himself, anyway).

And the year even Bruce Willis didn’t seem to enjoy being a part of yet another Die Hard movie.

Yawn.

So you’d be forgiven if you thought 2013 was a bad year for the movies.

But you’d be wrong.

This was, in fact, one of the best movie years in recent memory, as Hollywood treated us to a bounty of impressive releases. The best of those grappled with important issues, such as racism, the economic climate, what it takes to survive (and thrive), and how tenuous our connections to each other are. They didn’t  provide easy answers or soft commentary, but through a variety of storytelling methods and production values, they entertained us, and in some cases, even inspired us to change our ways.

Of the 66 films I saw this year (!!!), what were the ones that in some cases, literally made me want to stand up and cheer? Here’s my list (with links to my reviews, where they exist). Continue reading →

If My Year Had a Soundtrack, This Would Be It

23 Dec

John-Mayer-Paradise-ValleyEvery year has its share of ups and downs.

My 2013 was no exception.

There was hope, disappointment, fear, elation, relief, frustration, happiness, and much more. Sounds like a great movie.

Of course, like any movie, there’s a soundtrack. Here are the songs I was listening to this year, which, when listened to together, provide a pretty accurate representation of the emotional roller-coaster I was on in 2013. (For the record, no pun intended, I did the same thing last year.)

I invite you to relive the year with me — musically, anyway — if you choose. Continue reading →

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