Meander much?

Contemplating my stuffed belly from brunch and looking forward to supper with Grandpa this evening. I'm going to be 29 on Thursday, which is nothing to sneeze at. Grandpa is going to be 89 this June, and I'm grateful for every second I share with him. Turning 20 was a hard run for me, but I have few qualms about being so close to 30. I suspect everyone has an age they dread. Most people it's 30 or 40, and I suspect some people dread turning 50 as well. For me, it was 20, but 30 has no fears for me. Maybe it's just how I was raised - my dad doesn't have an age he dreads. It's a good way to live, I think. Anyway, I'm going to be 29 and I really don't have any idea what I want for my birthday. The family on my mom's side (Grandpa is on my dad's side) passed along envelopes with mushy greetings and cheques or gift cards today. All but the gift card will end up in the bank.
If I had more nerve, I would suggest donating that money to WorldVision or to Siloam Mission (the homeless need a whole lot more than I do). I guess I would have to be the one to make the effort, and then the rest might join in. Our family got a Wii, and that's where much of my free time has gone lately. That and reading. After a ton of effort, I finally worked my way through a very dull and dry tome called 'Dante, poet of the desert' by Guiseppe Mazzotta. I don't expect to want to read that book again. Not a most exciting experience, and whole chunks of it were either in Latin or Italian. My French and Spanish barely helped me at all with the Italian. Very little discussed in this book sparked my imagination any. Mazzotta's exploration of the Aeneid and the Illiad (based on Dante's character meeting the fallen heroes in those sagas) seemed to go off on a tangent at times.
His discussion on the suicides in Purgatory got me thinking, and Cato's rationale for ending his life did spark some interest. I think I should look into this figure more. Then again, I know I haven't read 'Divine Comedy' in a VERY long time, and I'm definitely overdue to read it. Especially the 'Purgatorio' segment of the saga. Purgatory is a source of boundless wonder and curiosity. Is it strictly a Christian invention to placate people who are neither Hell nor Heaven-bound? A Christian version of Limbo? These make for questions that I think are worth answering. By the time I pop back in for another round of gibbering, my birthday will be over. Maybe I'll have some deep thoughts for you then. BYE.