Your favorite age....

There was some story in the news this week about your favorite age.  Apparently, most people said 33 years old.  Let's see, I would have been 33 in 2005 I think.

2005 would have been when I saw my first hockey game, so it had that going for it.  I was making decent money at a decent job.  But I can't say there was anything remarkable about it.

This week, I switched up my playlist in the car, and heard some Portishead.  Now that takes me back to a good age.  Although it was released in 1994, I think I heard it for the first time when I moved to Pittsburgh in 1996. Which got me to thinking.....I've been living in Pennsylvania for 16 years.  Which means that I was 24 when I moved here.  Which means that 24 might have been my favorite age.  Not that I loved PA, or disliked CT, but finally being out on my own was an interesting experience.

An experience that included living in the 4th bedroom of a house in Pittsburgh with what I called the party boys.  John, Ethan, and Matt.  My room was tiny and luckily already had a mattress on the floor.  It was right next to the bathroom, which made for a loud experience on party nights.  It was also right above the kitchen, which made for a disgusting experience when Ethan decided to boil down chicken bones to make homemade chicken stock.  Really?  You know you can just buy that sort of thing, right?  One of the worst smells ever.

I worked at the gift shop at Children's Hospital and walked 2 miles (one way) to work every day.  (Parking is a bitch in Oakland.) I got fired from said job because the money drop was missing one night. I didn't take it.  I was stunned when the woman fired me.  She also fired the other girl that worked that shift, since she didn't know which one of us did it.  That girl had worked there awhile too.  Weird.

After that, I worked at Three Rivers Stadium selling Pittsburgh Pirates tickets via Ticketmaster.  Most frequently asked question:  "Do you sell Stillers tickets?"  Sigh.

And working at Bruegger's Bagels in the Jewish section of town. Melissa and Jess were some of the best co-workers a girl could have.  I felt bad when I finally ditched them. Sorry ladies.

And then there was my longest stint, making gift baskets at a local business called A Basket Affair.  I made beautiful baskets and delivered them all over Pittsburgh.  Double parking downtown and running up to Deloitte and Touche. I can't see 33 year old Kristin double parking anywhere.

I paid my rent with cash advances from my credit card, which had a 600 dollar limit.  And this was my favorite age?  Doesn't really seem to make sense.  But out on your own, in a new city that's yours for the taking is pretty cool stuff for a 24 year old Kristin.  Seeing Easy Rider for the first time and not really getting it, but being awed by the ending.  Hearing Portishead coming from Matt's room day after day after day. Heading to Mad Mex for food and blue drinks that we really couldn't afford. Being surrounded by crazy, intelligent, passionate, crazy people.  Not really a care in the world except looking for a job, or heading to the Greenhouse Cafe to see who is there playing chess.  Sounds pretty sweet after all.