I entered my second decade today. My first thought, although by no means an unfamiliar one, was that I\’m rapidly running out of time to blame my ignorance and flaws on my youth. Age makes too convenient a scapegoat for many things. This happens to be one of the reasons why I resent ageist people, and yet I judge myself too harshly by where I think I should be as a person, based on how old I am.

My Siamese fighting fish of three years also chose this day of all days to die. R.I.P…

But maybe it\’s a good thing to be reminded of my own mortality right now, so things like ignorance and personal flaws don\’t seem as big of a deal. It\’s just life, after all. Maybe it\’s a long road, but it\’s sunny out today and I should be busy enjoying it.

On the other hand, today I received Mirror\’s Edge as a gift (Seriously, watch that trailer. Can I get a hell yes?). Past breakfast at Johnny G\’s in Cabbagetown and a brief walk in the morning sun, I\’ve been indoors and hopelessly glued to the XBOX. Who needs to hit a real roof today? Sitting on my couch at the controls, I\’ve been wallrunning on the electric-fenced summits of skyscrapers, ziplining through the gaping maws of bullet-riddled storm drains and jump-kicking machine guns out of SWATs\’ hands. My heart has been pounding since I started playing, and with the recent announcement that Mirror\’s Edge 2 is in the works, I\’d have to say I\’m going to be pretty happy for a pretty long time.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. Tonight, beer will flow!