So We've Come This Far

Today was the first day of classes for this semester. We sure hit the ground running, lol. As I was talking to some old friends over the Winter Break, I found it kind of unbelievable how far we've come.

So over the Winter Break I met up with two old friends, JR-M and JS-M. I suppose for the purposes of this (and future) post I'll refer to them as John R and Jake S, respectively. I've known both of them since elementary school; John R was my next-door neighbor for at least half of my childhood and Jake S was a good friend throughout elementary school.

I first met John R for a really late lunch. We got caught up on each other's lives a bit. For a long time I considered him one of my best friends and definitely still one of my closest friends, though physical distances between us over the years has caused some drifting apart. He graduated last year with his B.A. in communications and film studies. He wants to get into the film industry and eventually become a director one day. Alas, in this economy work is hard to come by for him. So in the mean time he's going to this "film school" to learn more about being a cameraman and such things. I hope he catches a break and gets his foot in the door, because he's one of the most creative people I know and passionate at what he does. I've read and seen some of his stuff, and I think they're quite good.

He also updated me on one of his older brothers (he has 2), Tom R. So Tom R also graduated last year (I think) with his degree in public policy, and is currently working in some kind of social work with their mom. He doesn't really like it anymore, lol. He wants to get into public administration of some kind. He'll probably continue working for a couple years before going back to school for his Master's in some program.

The following day, I met Jake S for yet another late lunch. We had gone to the same elementary school and middle school, before I moved. Then we met up again briefly in high school. We ended up going to the same university for undergrad, though it was such a large place that we never got to hang out much - a little bit freshman year as he lived in the dorm across the street from mine. He's currently a first-year dental student back at my alma mater. He's looking to go into oral surgery or something. He also updated me on some other old friends from our hometown - several people are in med school or will be entering med school next year.

My dad commented how our little 4th grade soccer team has come quite far. Several of us had played soccer together in elementary school - Tom R, Jake S, others and me. A few of us are on the med school track, Jake S is on the dentistry track, and Tom R in public policy. It's pretty impressive I must say. We each arrived at our destinations through very different routes and at different times and places. One day I'll call these old friends my colleagues as well. We're growing up. ::shudders::
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All this introspection has me wondering. I've come this far in blogging. This year my blog would turn 3. Woah, that's like the Methuselah of blogs! I mean, Courage of A Beautiful Addiction is leaving, Mirrorboy of Mirrorboy's Blog is leaving, and Jay of Sun in my Face is already gone without so much as a goodbye!!

So I wonder, now that I've come this far, how much farther is there to walk? How much longer will I be blogging? Do all blogs have a "shelf life" as it were? I wonder if mine's nearing its expiration date. And if so, what then? It's not as though I feel like I've made any critical contributes to the blogosphere, which is fine as it wasn't my original intention anyway. And it's not like many people would miss me (though there are a handful of you out there, I'm sure).

Food for thought. No plans of closing my blog as of yet. But I do wonder what direction (if any) I want to take this blog in 2010. And most other blogs as old as mine are already long gone. Hmmm.