I love Facebook.  People who I know, sorta know, and don’t really know offer birthday thanks. It’s awesome. Thank you all so much!

I turned 48 today, which is kind of weird because I don’t really feel at all like I’m 48. When I was a child, 48 seemed like Aqua-net, moth-ball, smelly-uncle old.  But after going to my 25th college and 30th high school reunions I realize that not only have most of my peers NOT ever “grown up” as far as seriousness is concerned, most appear to have stopped trying.

To recap the birthdays of yesteryear…

At 8, I didn’t like birthdays because I had a summer birthday and never got a party!

At 18, I just wanted three more so that I could legally buy a beer, although I rarely had trouble if I wanted to get one because Americans aren’t great at judging Asians’ age, I guess.

At 28, age was completely abstract. Didn’t feel old, and didn’t feel young.

At 38, I didn’t feel young and was about to age a lot because my father was diagnosed with brain cancer and I was in full metabolic syndrome with gray hair, 210lbs, hypertension, high cholesterol, and a fatty liver.  I would watch my diet and still gained weight after whiffing a french fry.

At 40, I started taking a telomerase activator and lost 15 lbs without dieting or exercise.  That’s when I resumed a “see-food” diet to my delight.  My telomeres were 9100, I believe because of many years of great sleep from CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) usage that gave me efficient, effortless, and uninterrupted sleep.

Now, at 48, I eat whatever I want, have no medical problems, and appear to be generally fit. My mind feels young and I just sent my 12-yo into depression for schooling him in a series of Mortal Kombat duels. My telomeres are around 9500, or roughly the average for a 6-year-old.

At 48, I probably get ‘carded’ for alcohol more than at 18, which is not at all flattering and actually just annoying.  I have to restrain myself from saying “I was buying alcohol before you were born” because it is pointless and rude.

There is really not much of a point to this blog posting, except to say that I don’t believe I’m getting any older (no grey hairs and no functional impairment).  And guess what?  That doesn’t feel strange, crazy, or phenomenal. It feels like 28, when age was just an abstraction. To read about what the existential doldrums feel like, check out this blog about being a Phil Conners versus a Truman Burbank.

To learn why I believe that cellular senescence is at the heart of obesity, visceral fat accumulation, and higher cholesterol, watch this video.