And the beat goes on

10 Reasons why I'm feeling old today, or, at the very least, my age:

(1) It's easier for me to get up at 5:30 than it is for me to stay up until 10:00. Of course, I know this might be a case of which came first, the chicken or the egg. Speaking of which, I feel pretty confident that it was the chicken, because someone had to take care of that egg, the one that wakes up at 5:30, calling to you for orange juice, cereal, and cartoons. Now, if it's which woke up first, the chicken or the egg, I'm going with the egg. And here we are, come full circle, to the reason the chicken needs to go to bed before 10:00. Thus I have contradicted myself. The chicken wouldn't need to go to bed so early if it weren't for the existence of the early-rising egg. Not that I would ever exchange said egg for all the lazy mornings in the world.

(2) Phrases such as "which came first, the chicken or the egg" actually go through my mind, and, even worse, cause me some bit of thought.

(3) The most amount of brain effort I put in during a day is worrying about the answer to such age-old questions. Not sure whether that's age or the fact that I'm so sleep deprived. Either way, I can legitimately trace it back to not being 22 anymore.

(4) I realized the other day that I've been driving for 22 years now, which is more years than most of the drivers here in Doha have been alive.

(5) Qatar didn't even become an independent nation until I was 2 years old. I'm older than independence itself.

(6) The thought of being older than independence itself makes me think about one of my favorite movies, "1776," which isn't just a movie. It's a musical that has nothing to do with high school or Disney or anything resembling teen idols. And I find that knowledge oddly comforting.

(7) I use phrases such as "teen idol." And when I do, I think of "Tiger Beat" magazine . . . and Ralph Macchio and Scott Baio and other names I'm too embarrassed to repeat.

(8) Okay, I'm not too embarrassed. After all, if I can say those two, how much more embarrassing can it get? The fact is I can't remember any other names from that far back. And I was an avid "Tiger Beat" fan. I even had posters on my wall, for crying out loud.

(9) Just remembered one: Duran Duran. I know it's a group, but does it count? John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor, and Simon Le Bon. That was my first concert. Two women--friends of my family--volunteered to take me when they saw how badly I wanted to go. I was 14, and thought those women were so old. I've since done the math. They were the same age I am now.

(10) It's almost 9 p.m. and bleary eyes are taking over. And there it is, that segue I thought wouldn't show up. My 5-year-old daughter told me the other day that I had too much eyeshadow on. I don't know what's worse: the fact that my 5-year-old has an opinion on makeup (and thinks there's such a thing as too much). Or the fact that I listened to her and wiped some of it off without even looking in the mirror.