Forever young

I was going to write something about our youth-obsessed culture, etc., because I watched both My So-Called Life and The Girl Next Door this weekend. (Disturbing realization #1: I am Brian Krakow. #2. I actually enjoyed The Girl Next Door.) It worries me that I can't seem to get past adolescence, or at least my obsession with it. I'm going to be 29 soon (much too young to feel this damn old), and I wish it didn't make me upset. I don't want to be that girl -- you know, the one who desperately strives to maintain her youth and/or desperately seeks to partner herself off before 30. I'm actually pretty confident that I won't be that girl outwardly, but it disturbs me that I may be her on the inside. Are these things that I truly want or have I just been conditioned to want them? I'm fairly certain my burning desire to own more Crate & Barrel furniture is spurred by advertising, but I'm not so sure about the rest.