26 on the 26th

It's my birthday! Well, it's not actually my birthday in Canada, but it's already 8:32AM in Estonia where I was born shortly after 8AM, on the 26th of August. This birthday feels like an odd one. First of all, it's on a Tuesday. My only plan for the day is to have lunch with my supervisor and her immediate colleague. Second, I am turning 26. What kind of a number is that?

Google tells me that I'm not the only one feeling this way. 26-year-old Unmarried Cosmo Girl Worries About Becoming a Cougar. Half Of 26-Year-Old's Memories Nintendo-Related. China's richest person is 26-year old woman. 26-year-old girl wants to date 300 guys. Craig David: 'let me be a 26-year-old who’s making music'. A 26-year-old woman was found stabbed to death in her apartment in Tachikawa City, Tokyo. Jason’s 26 Year Old Bjork-Shiley Mechanical Valve Stays Put.

There's a definite melancholy about turning 26. 25 was a milestone and 27 almost seems younger than 26 because of the rock star associations, whereas 26 is somewhere in between, where you are older than a quarter of a century but not quite old enough to despair about your age and worry about the wrinkles. Yet, something seems to be missing.

I went to Amazon to fill that hole by buying books that I would never get around to reading, but even Amazon.com's "Recommended For You" seems more contemplative than usual.

1. Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters: Defending the Earth with Ultraman, Godzilla, and Friends in the Golden Age of Japanese Science Fiction Film
2. Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting
/--- bunch of other technical books---/
28. Things I have learned in my life so far
189. Just Who Will You Be?: Big Question. Little Book. Answer Within.

I might just have to buy that book.

Vancouver continues to be wonderful and amazing in very many different ways. I love walking around East Vancouver, peeking into people's windows, walking past pubs and coffee shops and grabbing a cup at the Continental. After a couple of violently sweaty weeks, the weather's been toned down and the air is becoming increasingly crisp. It reminds me of going to school in Estonia in September, which was something I had looked for all summer. Fall brings back memories of fresh notebooks, information, belonging and coziness. I can't wait for the rainy season to start so we can fire up our fireplace and cuddle up to watch House.