I like to fancy that I will have a job as a professional scientist of some sort; although many people ask if I desire to be an artist or writer when I grow up, the sad fact is that those are jobs that often bring in enough income only for starvation rations. I would only be able to do such jobs on the side of my main, more vital to my lifestyle career. Those creative activities will probably become what I do in my leisure time, as well as forming websites and roleplaying.

I like to hope that as I grow older I will become steadily wiser and better able to see the reasons for what myself and others do. Every year, even now, I gain enough insight that I can look back and feel that I did many things wrong the past years. I hope to gain peace with myself and others.

Unfortunately, growing up may mean that I have to part with my dearest friends and family. Eventually, my parents will die and my friends will move away or I will, and we will lose touch. I don't think there is anything I can do except to burn myself out in kamikaze full-throttle relationships in which I give everything I can, while I can. It is either that or distance myself from contact with others.

The good thing is, though, that I can look ahead and say that I don't exactly dread growing up. By the time this year is out, I will have improved even more than I have now in my art, and I suspect that as an adult I will be a very exceptional scientist, will have sold and commissioned artwork, and will have published at least one book.

I'd have to say that the best gift I've ever gotten was my former pet rat Sara, who died when she was nearly two years old in relation to a tumor. The best gift I ever gave was to my friend Emma. She had been thinking about this movie she really loved, but she couldn't find it anywhere. I was originally going to find it for her birthday, which is in November, and looked for it around on major internet sellers. In none of the places was it to be found in stock, for one of the main voice actors taking part in its making had died and therefore it was in high demand. Her birthday came and went. Finally, though, my saint of a mother found it for me and the movie, Flight of Dragons, came literally on Christman Eve. She was very happy.

Our family traditions are never anything much. For Easter, we make some sort of attempt at hiding candy; on Christmas, everyone goes to Grandma Jane's on Christmas Eve, then we of our own house go home that night and open our own, personal presents, rather than wait until morning. On Thanksgiving, several members of the Folk family will come to our house and eat turkey, mashed potatoes and the like, picking the food up onto their plates in a conveyer-belt fashion along the counter. On Halloween it's Dad that normally deals candy, and I'm the only one that ever has a costume. However, I'm quitting going around and showing off this year.

My best birthdays have been these past years in which I have just invited a few friends over to watch a movie, talk, and spend the night. It is very inexpensive, thanks to the few numbers of people, and very fun when we get around to talking and joking with late-night hyperactivity. One of the last times, there was a large thunderstorm that we stopped to watch.

My family works a lot, so we pretty much never go out on vacation (I can only remember going on vacation one time) or do anything grand. We don't commit anything to the holidays except fun, good food, and precise celebration. Halloween is a time of my showing off my hand-made costume and laughing with friends, and that's about it. The most we've ever done for the fourth of July was going out on the lake to watch the fireworks, and we can't even do that anymore.

I can't really remember individual things from my childhood. I can remember some of my first vaccines, but I can't remember the best Christmas or my first bicycle ride or anything. I live in the present, with only my stupid mistakes, funny scenes, and horrorable terrors ever coming back to my mind.