A few years back, when I was working in the marketing industry, one of my friends was turning 35. She was a little depressed about it because it meant she was no longer in the desired 18-34 demographic. She was, in marketing terms, becoming irrelevant to market trends. I turn 35 in a few days, and I haven't been relevant to market trends for years.

Last week, I was sitting in a waiting room while my car's fluids were replaced. There was a Details among the Newsweek and Sporting News magazines. I haven't even looked at one of these fashion for men magazines since the mid-90s, but I had time to kill and there was a teaser on the cover about how Gen Xers were becoming their worst nightmares: yuppies.

Now that we (in the big generational sense) have started to make way more money than it takes to eat and keep a roof above our heads (trust me, this was a struggle ten years ago), we are starting to buy a lot of shit we don't need. And, according to Details (which is a magazine about what kinds of things you need to buy to be and look cool), this is okay. Thanks guys, I needed that boost of self-esteem--oh wait, that's what buying all that stuff was for.

I didn't fit the profile too well, but I do own a Mac (which they say is spending way to much for a computer just to look cool...because PCs cost less), so I'm guilty of that one new yuppie sin. I don't own an SUV or one of those flat TVs. I don't own an iPod or a cell phone. I don't wear a watch or jewelry. I don't have tattoos, so there aren't any I need removed. I have found, however, that more expensive liquor goes down better (and makes the next day not as bad). I guess I'm not a Yuppie 2.0 yet.

There is another peculiarity about turning 35, at least in my world. I hardly ever see any people my age anymore. Not that people wear their ages on their sleeves or anything, but I don't seem to be hanging out with them. Maybe they are all married with kids or something. Everyone seems to be younger or older than me by a chunk of years.

Last night at the bar, after our band opened the night, I was talking to a friend from another band. I mentioned my birthday was coming up, and he asked how old I was gonna be. And then said I didn't look that old. I said it was because I'm still very immature. Of course, he's a few years younger than me, so he could look around and say I was way more mature than other people he knew. It's all relative, I guess.

Age hasn't really bothered me too much since I hit the 30s. During my mid to late 20s, there were thoughts that I needed to get things done and maybe life was passing too quickly and I'd pretty much screwed it all up. I haven't thought that in quite a while.

Because the Baby Boomers are getting up there (the oldest turned 60 last year, unless you revise the years like some writers I've read recently--1943, rather than 1946, was mentioned as a starting point in one article), there seem to be endless articles about how this generation is dealing with age. Not well seems to be the consensus. They don't have enough money to retire (because they're going to live forever). They have all kinds of health problems. They apparently really do ask their doctor about all those pills they advertise on TV. I read about one 53 year old who felt like he was running out of time, and he repeated the mantra of the truly desperate and delusional: live each day as if it is your last.

Of course, if we all lived this way, we'd be broke and wondering why yesterday wasn't our last day. Because we spent all of our money yesterday thinking that was it. Kind of like how the government does business each year.

I understand not letting life pass you by, but let's be realistic people. Most likely, today isn't your last. If it is then you win the lottery. You beat the odds that your relatively safe lifestyle helps you beat. But we all think we're gonna win the lottery, which is why we believe the most improbable things will happen to us--everyday. But most of us are set in our patterns, and these patterns insulate us, pretty much, from the worst things.

Age isn't just a number. We all have expiration dates somewhere in our bodies, but, like milk, you can push past that date to a certain extent. I like age. It keeps me humble. It reminds me where I've been. And sometimes it makes people surprised when I tell them the number, which always makes me smile.

So I'm not in the target market anymore. I'm nearing middle age. I'm defying expectations. I'm doing exactly what I want to do. And I don't think the sky is going to fall tomorrow. Seems like a good time to turn 35.

Matt Worley asks that, in lieu of sending flowers, please spend a day or two doing whatever the hell you want.