THE DELI COUNTER

In a friend's basemeent in 2006? 2007? 2008? I turn 32 today - which means I'm basically 40, which means I'm basically 50, and it has me feeling kind of fucked up but also nostalgic. Growing up as a weird kid meant that society's expectations for my future always felt like threats: a heternormative nuclear family complete with a genetically abhorrent golden doodle, and a dumb desk job where I answer to a man less competent than me. I knew in my heart that those things were simply not in the cards for me. So I spent a lot of time carving out a niche for myself in the world, even as a young kid, and it seems to have paid off. I am forever indebted to the younger versions of myself who had the nerve (and frankly the energy) to find the longest, most winding road and to follow that path wherever it takes me. One thing about me is I'll take the hard road if the easy one puts me somewhere I'm not supposed to be. I feel I'm generally too old to be talking about my ...