So I turned 36 earlier this month… it’s the year of the dragon, so my age is a multiple of 12 (for the 12 Chinese zodiac signs). For the most part, my birthday passed blissfully… I mean, I DID struggle with the reality of being closer to 40 than to 30, but what can be done?

The life of Benji Button continued on its usual trajectory. The week before, I went on my long anticipated cattle drive in Parkfield, CA. My four days as a star in City Slickers definitely were an adventure. Temps were in the high 90s, and we clocked in about 6 hours/day of riding. Thankfully, those weekly riding lessons paid off and I eked by with minimal soreness in the butt and legs. Then again, Butt Butt’r might have been my savior! Overall, I was good with nearly all of the cowboy livin’ (the heat was actually nice with the breezes and tree shade)… the only dealbreaker for a repeat? The camping. Well, what I call camping. Yes, staff cooked our meals and we had hot showers and real toilets, but STILL. Anytime I’m not sleeping in my Westin bed (perfected after years of product research), I call it camping. Yes, crappy beds at cheap hotels also count. 🙂 Needless to say, I missed my bed– maybe even more than I missed unlimited internet!! And I should also clarify that this was the FIRST time ever that I traveled without my laptop. Yes, I am THAT ridiculous. Just call me fuckin’ Kim Kardashian, ok?

On a more serious note, the experience really reminded me that there are all sorts of ways people make a living. So often I forget and assume that everyone is college-educated, mid to upper class, and white collar. So NOT true. One person I met– he was the sweetest guy ever. Why do I say this? Uh, the dude was away from his wife for 4 short days, and he bought a subscription to some e-cards service so that he could queue up daily e-cards for the wife. If you’re rolling your eyes, let’s just remember that The Notebook is one of my favorite movies, so f off. Anyway, Andrew and I were talking about our childhood. He was telling me how he was raised by a single mom, and they traveled throughout California doing migrant farm labor starting at the age of 3– he picked cotton in the fields!! Then, he was saying how this cattle drive was on his bucket list, and to do it, he had to forgo all gifts/presents/vacations/splurges for the next two years.

I felt so ridiculous. I mean, truthfully, I found the site, thought about it for a few minutes, and then bam, booked it without further thought. And afterwards, I proceeded to buy myself a riding helmet, riding pants, and fucking expensive cowboy boots…

I know, my father always says “life is unfair.” But Jesus, call it like it is: I am a spoiled white collar brat. My life is cake. I need to do something about this.