Today marks the exact midpoint of my journey between my 34th and 35th birthdays. Age 35 is the midpoint of my journey between 30 and 40. And 35 also plops me in the middle of the cycle between birth and age 70, after which — decline is inevitable.

So I”m approaching the middle of everything. God willing, I will live to a ripe old age, healthy and virile. But until then, I must make the most of the time I have. Although some may snigger, the whole “half way to half way at the half way” issue weighs upon my mind. I’m aware of the successes and failures of the past, as well as the goals I’ve set for my future. When you’re young, everything seems possible and there’s really no sense of urgency to get a-cracking. As the months slip into years, and the years into decades, urgency’s fires begin to burn with ever greater intensity.

Last weekend, I pulled together a list of short-term goals. Some of them were merely carry-forwards of things I’ve been working on but slow to achieve, and others are a bit more foundational. For example, by September 15, I will match the fitness level I enjoyed at age 30. Others are things I’ve thought about but have been a bit more whimsical and thus more optional — like getting my certification as a parliamentarian.

More to come.

Anyway, here are some tidbits of the month gone by:

1. The evening of cigars and cocktails in mid-February went well. I was joined by Tony, Rick, Chris and Rob as we sampled a Sazerac and smoked cigars on the back porch. Very relaxing. We will hold a repeat session later this month.
2. Dinner with [redacted] was a joy; we met at Bistro Bella Vita a few weeks ago and talked about work and stuff. And not long before that, I was also at BBV with Ken for a delightful meal as well.
3. I’ve decided to go paperless: I acquired a Brother MFC-J630W wireless multifunction printer with 15-sheet document scanner. Slowly but surely, all the accumulated papers I’ve been hauling around for 20 years will be digitized then burned.
4. Life at the hospital has been fun. We finally got another person in, and I was told I’m going to be promoted into management, but the devil is in the details (and the budget).
5. I continue to settle in the new place. A few weeks ago I assembled an entertainment center, so the living room looks a bit more presentable. I’ve also rearranged the office and installed a cork board and a white board. The new setup is much more conducive to productivity.
6. Tony and I have done more podcasting — check us out at http://www.viceloungeonline.com. We’re even on iTunes!
7. I’ve also been doing more blogging for Gillikin Consulting, and I updated my Facebook fan page. Please consider clicking the “like” button, and imbibing from the vast wisdom of my business blogs.

Other than the seven points noted above, not much worthy of remark has happened of late. Just plugging away — half way to somewhere.