I turn forty at the end of next week on August 23.
Just typing that made me raise my own eyebrows.
I was born in 1985, a year that, apparently, was quite a busy one for North American pop culture and elsewhere.
Key events from that year included the following:
Politics and World Affairs:
Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union.
President Nimeiri of Sudan was ousted from power.
The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace ship, was sunk by French intelligence agents.
The Achille Lauro cruise ship was seized by terrorists.
TWA Flight 847 was hijacked.
Vice President George H.W. Bush served as acting president for eight hours while President Reagan had colon surgery, according to Wikipedia.
Entertainment and Culture:
Back to the Future premiered in theaters, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year.
The Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia raised over £50,000,000 for famine relief in Ethiopia.
The song "Careless Whisper" by Wham! topped the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 chart.
Technology:
The first truly portable cell phone was introduced.
The first portable CD player was released.
The Commodore 128 personal computer was introduced.
Disasters:
Air India Flight 182 was bombed, killing all 329 people on board, in the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history.
Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted, causing a devastating mudslide that killed around 23,000 people.
An earthquake in Mexico City killed 45,000 people.
Other:
Reductions of up to 70% in the ozone layer over Antarctica were observed in the austral spring, according to Wikipedia.
Cabbage Patch Kids remained popular toys, with new additions like Cabbage Patch Twins and World Travelers dolls.
Man, what a year. Thanks, Wikipedia!
But of course, the greatest gift came on Friday, August 23 when yours truly was born.....
*GARBAGE IS RIGHTFULLY HURLED AT RUTTLE*
I'm kidding, of course. I'm certainly no better than you or anyone.
When I look back at all the years that have passed, and all the things I've done or written about, it becomes kind of a mixed bag because I can both believe and not believe that I'm about to turn the page and enter my forties.
I also can't help but look back at key events in my life that have helped shape me into the human being that I am today.
In 1995, I turned 10 years old. That fall I began my Grade 5 year at Conquest School, and when classes began for all of us that September, no one had even the slightest idea that by the time the year would end the following June, the school would be closing its doors after many, many years. This decision also affected the school down in Macrorie. Some people understood the decision, but for most of us, it almost felt like we were being robbed of our identity, do you know what I mean?
I especially hated the fact that my last year at Conquest School was being taken from me. It was a K-6 school and I just had my Grade 6 year left, but of course, things happened the way that they did, and I did one year at Outlook Elementary before walking a little bit to the right and entering Outlook High School. I didn't particularly enjoy going to classes at OES because it always felt to me like as if us Conquest and Macrorie kids were essentially treated like "baggage" that the teachers all had to deal with in addition to the Outlook students.
In 2005, I turned 20 years old. Funny enough, once again that fall would bring another big change to my life, or rather, my environment. I was accepted into a film production course at the Victoria Motion Picture School out in British Columbia. To say that it was a culture shock to my young, not-quite-a-full-adult, small-town-Saskatchewan self would be a massive understatement, but at the same time, I really, really enjoyed it. It was different, it was exciting, it was memorable, and it wasn't home. At that point in my life, I needed the change in scenery. I needed a place that wasn't just wheat and crop fields. I needed a drastic change to my immediate surroundings. Victoria provided that in spades. I was surrounded by the ocean, I had access to a vibrant nightlife whenever I wanted, and my course at film school provided me with a head and heart full of memories that I still hold dear today, nearly twenty years later.
Essentially half my life later.
In 2013, I turned 28 years old. The day after that particular birthday, I went and visited my dad down at the health centre in Dinsmore. I had no earthly idea, and yet maybe he did, that this specific day, at that specific time, would be the last time I would see and speak with my father. We watched the Rider game, we talked about everything going on at the time, and I wheeled him into the dining room so he could have supper with everyone else. He extended out his big, meaty hand, which even at the age of 80 was still quite a paw, and we shook hands.
I know I'm still a relatively young guy, but there's a lot of life behind the last 40 years of my life. Some of it's been good to great, and some of it's been sad to bad. But that's everybody, isn't it?
I don't know what I'll do for my 40th. I haven't heard of anything planned, so I think I'll just prepare a favorite meal, watch a favorite meal, and enjoy a favorite drink or two.
And just like I always do, I'll probably reflect.
Cheers, folks.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
