AS we all know, men are defined by the car they drive. It's a stereotype that I don't agree with but it made for a good lead in for me to talk about my new car.

I got a new car.

Yes, it's a Subaru and yes it's amazing to drive. It's a 1999 Outback with a few "comfortable old man features" such as leather seats and a CD player. But the car has a mere 43,000 miles on it, so I don't really mind having a comfortable old man car that I can put another 200K miles on, half of which will probably be in the snow or on unpaved roads. (this is me grinning.)

Along with the new car came "Another Hallmark of Adulthood." If you are unfamiliar with the term, recently invented by me, let me explain it. AHA can be anything that makes you feel old. Buying car insurance (which I did). Getting a steady paycheck (which I do). Getting your first piece of mail and it's a bill (yeah, that happened). Making a New Year's resolution to get a membership to the YMCA (just like everybody else).

Please, share your AHA moments and let's feel old together. In a very modern, over-the-Internet sort of way.

Ike -- who now has the Internet in his apartment, so he will be posting more often now