Twilight has broken, like the first... twilight?

On the 22nd I turn 21. This is pretty exciting, since it means I'll be able to buy alcohol. But it's not that exciting. As I've gotten older, my birthdays have meant less and less. So it is with most kids.

Unfortunately, this birthday is beginning to take on a whole new meaning. This is the first birthday that I recall feeling old. Or, rather, that age is finally beginning to turn me into the broken form that lots of adults complain of being. My back twinges now. It never used to. The twinging (twingeing?) started when I worked at Pappadeaux, thanks to many hours of carrying things and walking around and bending and generally being a waiter. The twinges rarely hurt, they just tingled and felt weak, like they needed to be stretched. These days the twinges are worse: I'm no longer a waiter, but for the past week or two, I experience random pinpricks and numb spots in my back, often for no particular reason. Often this is followed by pain, and I think I'm getting used to what having an old back must feel like.

Also, and this is an unconfirmed report, I fear that I'm getting pudgy again. Not really as pudgy as I was three years ago, but more round than I was a couple of months ago. I could certainly stand to gain some weight, I know, but the problem is how the weight gain comes. Since I'm a relatively sedentary being and designed similarly to my father, all of my excess fat concentrates in my face and tummy, creating an image of myself that I quite dislike. Of course, it's impossible to be sure if I'm just imagining this or if it's real, but it's still rather unpleasant to feel this way around your birthday. I've always felt youthful and vigorous, and while part of me will never lose those qualities, I worry that some of the physical goodness that has contributed to this feeling will soon be going away. I never considered what it would be like to become older. And I don't like it.

So I really need to start learning some back exercises. And maybe I should be slightly more vigilant about exercise in general. Being thrust into physical adulthood this way is just wrong.

Finally, just because words that start with tw are awesome: twit twat twaddle, twain, twang, tweak, tweed, twelve, twirl, twerp. What's your favorite tw word?