Just CARD me.

Since two days ago I alluded to having personal experience with a hangover, and am about to write about going to a bar, I feel the need to reassure you that I am not some kind of alcoholic party animal. Last night I took my good friend Sarah out to celebrate her 30th birthday, and we happened to sit belly up to the bar for dessert because the restaurant was full.  And we had a really fun time. Happy Birthday Sarah!

I recently turned 29 years old. I see the same face in the mirror today that I did ten years ago. Is it because the changes are so very gradual that I don't feel that I have aged? Will I feel the same when when I turn 39 or 49? When do you look in the mirror and not feel 19 years old anymore? 

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission mandates that servers check ID for any individual who looks under 26 years of age. And it's not uncommon to see signs posted in establishments announcing that they card anyone under 35. So how do you think it makes me feel when you don't card me, huh?!?

It's not so much that I am offended by not getting carded. After all, I occasionally got away with hanging out with my older friends in bars when I was 18. If some bartenders thought I was old enough to be there back then, perhaps it's only logical that I have a naturally "mature" appearance. But I am genuinely curious about how old I look to a stranger and why. Last night I came home and scrutinized my face in the mirror: pushing and stretching and trying to figure out what has changed in the last decade. I don't see crow's feet or bags. My smile lines don't seem overly defined. So what gives, Stupid Bartender? 

It's all but impossible to find two photos with exactly the same expression/angle/lighting/haircut for a truly accurate comparison, but here's the closest I came up with after a quick hunt through the archives. I went with my hair back in the recent photo to more closely match the short 'do from my younger days. 

   

2 days after my 21st birthday 

  

   

2 weeks before my 29th birthday

Have I really aged enough to be un-cardable? There are definitely darker creases under my eyes...or is that a matter of different lighting? Does anyone else experience the same odd sensation of being blind to your own degeneration? I don't like getting old. Especially when I don't even realize it's happening.