30

As I start typing this I'm nine minutes into my thirties. This probably won't be a long post as I'm clearly getting old and should probably get some sleep soon. It's been an excessive few days, as predicted, but having spent the last few months analysing where my life is heading, what I should have achieved, what I haven't achieved, I've actually realised something - I should probably bloody well stop moaning and actually get on with it. I had a brief chat today with a friend about where we all were 10 years ago - Paul Richards at 20 was probably only earning only about six grand a year less than he is now, so with inflation, I've probably gone a bit backwards there. I've got more friends now than I did back then (and a fair few of them are the same, which I'm happy about), but then again life isn't a popularity contest and besides - in ten years you can meet a lot of people, I'd be worried if I didn't. Back then I lived with my parents, I now rent the smallest flat in the world, it's not a huge leap of progress and I still can't cook. On paper, you could argue not a lot has really changed - I'm still undecided about whether to have long or short hair, to be shaven or unshaven, if I'm the kind of guy that should be wearing a suit jacket all the time or scruffy t-shirt and ripped jeans. But a lot has changed. The area in which I have clearly progressed in is the creative stuff - the Paul Richards at 30 differs from Paul Richards at 20 because of the Edinburgh Fringe shows, the many gigs, the experience and knowledge and skills developed as a playwright and drummer. I probably thought I had them back then, but I really didn't.

I had a great time at my slightly early birthday bash on Friday; Flaming June, Helen Arney, Aidy and Eureka Stockade all played and several people enjoyed the jam session afterwards. I got stupidly drunk on Jaggerbombs and can't remember the last two hours, that's a bit alarming, but it was okay I think. That's done with now, the 30 year-old Paul is a focused character, I've spent the last three months wrapped up in thoughts and my productivity has gone down a lot (okay, so I still wrote a play, which has now opened in Cambridge with me in the lead role, played some gigs and did some recording, but that's nothing...). No more deliberating, my list of things to do looks very exciting. First thing on the list - stop talking about it so much and crack on. After I've had my sleep, of course.