It's My Birthday!

The Brave Astronaut celebrates today - it occurred to me that my father was the same age as I was when LBA was born.  I am certainly feeling my age, the knees don't work as well as they do, I weigh more than I would like, I really can't see close up without my readers anymore.

When I turned 30, I'm not sure if I had all of these things - but I think I had most of them.  From BuzzFeed:

40 Things Every Self-Respecting Man Over 30 Should Own

1. A tailored black suit - I have a navy suit (I bought it to get married to Mrs. BA) - does that count?
2. Black dress shoes - I have both lace up and loafers in black.
3. Brown dress shoes - and brown (well, burgundy, but same thing)
4. Stocks - my stock portfolio is in my father's custody.  I have none of my own until he's no longer around to own them.
5. A tool kit - got that, and a tool box, and a drill, and various nails, screws, and other handy stuff.
6. A nice wallet - a few years ago, I went to a small card wallet with money clip.  I don't carry a wallet in my back pocket anymore.
7. Cologne - when I used to work in retail, I made friends with the Cosmetics Department Manager and got a huge selection of colognes.  I'm on my last bottle.  I could use more - if you're wondering what to get me.
8. A watch - I have several.  An everyday watch, a dress watch, and a Tiffany's watch (that was a wedding gift from Mrs. BA).
9. A proper bed with proper bedding - check.
10. A flashlight - I have several, including my favorite, a heavy duty Maglite.
11. Duct tape - because there's nothing that can't be fixed with duct tape.
12. A weekend bag - that's something that I would like to have - a nice weekend bag.  But then again, the way I pack - for a weekend I need a steamer trunk.
13. Proper glassware - I have most of the glasses I need.
14. Grooming kit - check.
15. Double-hinged wine key - check
16. Multiple towels - Mrs. BA and I would love the gift of new towels.
17. A chef’s knife - I have a whole set.
18. A passport - I had one, but it's long expired and lost.  Mrs. BA and should really get ours up to date.
19. A flask - I have my grandfather's.
20. Sewing kit - how quaint.  It's really easier to just get new stuff sometimes.
21. An umbrella - check
22. An ironing board, and an iron - I have those things, but that's what dry cleaners are for.
23. Jumper cables - check
24. Undershirts - check (and yes I do routinely replace them)
25. Playing cards - I've always been a card game lover (it's from my mother), so I have several decks, including two Pinochle decks.
26. A lint roller - with no pets at the launchpad, there's no lint roller around.
27. A leatherman - I'm on my second.  The first one was confiscated by TSA.  It was also the one that injured me, so it was OK that I had to give it up.
28. Sunglasses - I would like to have nice sunglasses, but shades are one of those things that are not worth spending a lot of money on.  They break, they get lost.
29. A record player - I may have had one when I was thirty, but don't have one anymore.
30. Football/soccer ball/basketball, etc. - yes the yard is scattered with sports items.  I did however recently buy myself a new mitt when LBA was playing baseball this year.
31. A French press - I love my coffee, so I own one of these - but I mainly use my Cuisinart.
32. Good socks - I should have better socks.
33. Good underwear - I should have better underwear, too.
34. A cast-iron skillet - Mrs. BA has one of those.
35. Multiple sheet sets - check, including several sets of flannel.
36. A bar set - I have most of the items, they're just not in a matching set.
37. Matching dishes - several sets, including my mother's china, Christmas dishes, and "summer" "lighthouse" dishes.
38. A decent car - it's going to be time for a new car soon, but we like the one we have.
39. A solid book collection - oh, there's no lack there.
40. A decent bottle of booze - yep, that too.