Check your belt. Adjust the mirror. We're going from zero to 50 at the speed of life.
People like to make lists. The following is more of a hybrid - call it list meets stream of consciousness.
Ten pounds, seven ounces. Last of five brothers; a sister to follow. Ike. Fall off front porch, break left arm. Lefty becomes a righty. Catholic school. Uniforms. Tie. "Yes, Sister."
Working class family. Working class challenges.
New England. Fall foliage, winter gray, spring (none too soon) and summer mugginess. Gnats. Clambakes. Sweet corn from a roadside stand. Shea Stadium. Madison Square Garden. Giants Stadium. Yankee Stadium. Bedlam at a Yanks-Red Sox game.
High school. Vietnam War ends. Great friends. Girls. Basketball team captain. 93 in Geometry; 67 in Algebra. A's in history. Graduation.
College. One year playing basketball. First trip on an airliner. Rome. Ancient. Wine. Calamari. Vesuvius. Amalfi Coast. North to Venice. Back home. Transfer to another school. Women. College paper. Great friends. First car: '69 Bug. Food stamps. A monthly check from Social Security. A's in history; 67 in math. Springsteen. Graduation. 21.
First job out of school. General assignment reporter at hometown paper. Wanderlust. Basketball. Take on a second job. Julie. '74 Dodge Dart. Six months without a day off. Time to go.
Road trip with college roommate. I-70 from east to west. Rockies. Sports editor. '74 Honda Civic. Meet John Hinckley (Senior). Editor. A hard life ends for my Dad. Home to New England and back. Vail. '78 Jeep CJ 7. Editor again. Meet James Brady. Three-day ski lesson. Season pass. Basketball. Editor another time. '88 Chevy Metro. 30. England. Ancient. Ancient pubs. London. Newcastle, my wife's hometown. Lake District. Scotland. Back to Vail. Meet Jerry Ford. Take on a second job. Time to go.
I-70 to I-80 east to west. Sierra Nevada. Truckee. Editor again. General Manager. Publisher. Basketball. Marriage is hard work. So am I. A house. Mother-in-law. Sierra cement. Four-foot snowfalls in one day. Wood stove. Driveway berms. Shovel roof to prevent house from collapsing. Collapse onto the couch when done. Ski. Basketball. '96 Geo Tracker. Meet former Vice President Dan Quayle in men's room queue. Christmas present for Julie: A yellow Lab (trouble). No kids. Hawaii (and a helicopter ride over an active volcano). Mom follows Dad. Home to New England and back. Lake Tahoe. Sunsets. Wildflowers. Fire. Good friends. 40. San Francisco. Sonoma. Time to go.
Carson Valley. Publisher. Second Lab (trouble squared). Four-inch snowfalls. France. Parisian sidewalk cafes. Mona Lisa. Friendly hotel bartender. Learn how to order champagne in French. Back to work. '97 Ford Explorer. Basketball. '91 Miata. Work.
Carson City. Nevada Appeal. A career. Many hats. Travel. Italy again. Como, Milan, Cinque Terre. Back to work. 2004 Explorer. The Internet. Mobile Smartphone. Another trip. Switzerland. Geneva. Alps. Back again. Meet Hillary and Joe Biden. Obama elected. Connected 24/7. Basketball. Three-mile runs. Twitter. Facebook. The economy. Multi-task.
Today, 18,264 days later, with the unopened mail from AARP on the kitchen counter, I turn 50.
Time to add to the list.
• Peter Kostes is regional editorial director of Sierra Nevada Media Group and executive editor of the Nevada Appeal. In dog years he is 343 years old.