Thoughts on Birthdays...
Because, in fact, it is my birthday. Today. I am 24. Woo!Y’ever notice that birthdays are those holidays that you care about but you don’t. A summer baby means that you don’t bring donuts or cupcakes to elementary school on your birthday like everybody else. I couldn’t even do half birthdays because my half birthday is 12/23.
Sometimes it just seems like the most random holiday. Have cake and presents! Just because! Oh, and you have to wear a funny hat now.
And if you make a big deal out of your birthday, you feel silly because, I mean, it’s your birthday, it’s not like the world’s going to end or anything. Woo hoo, I’m 24. BFD. And then if you don’t make a big deal out of it, no one notices and then you’re sad inside. Cuz, gosh darn it, you wanted a free dinner and some cool stuff. And they forgot your birthday. Which obviously means your friends don’t love you and your parents wish they’d aborted you instead. Not that, you know, they forgot.
Most of my birthdays, after the goody bag and funny hats stage, have been non events. I turned 21 on vacation with my parents, my brothers, my aunt and a few Brazilian cousins out of the country, where the legal drinking age was old enough to see over a bar. When I was in high school, I had my birthday dinner three weeks after the fact at a restaurant where my parents had a coupon. I woke up in the middle of the night and was violently ill. Last year, my mother was in town, and I had dinner with her and my aunt at the Lebanese Taverna in Pentagon City.
Of course, when I was a camp aide for girl scout camp, I told my girls when my birthday was. I brought cupcakes, one of my camp counselors brought a cake and at close of the day, the entire camp sang happy birthday to Kestrel (my camp name). That was weird.
So, I’m making a big deal this year because, well, I feel like it. It’s MY BIRTHDAY, dammit! Today, I got "surprised" with pastry at work.... like other folks, I worked on my birthday. Y'all... in the future, when half the company is gathering in the lobby for no real reason and then tell me that N needs me downstairs when she hasn't even shown up yet? That's special. And I work in theatre, ladies and gentlemen.
Then I went out to dinner with Ms. Libby where we had Thai food and I had a chocolate martini (eh) and most of her Tom Collins (yum!) and on the way out we found a guy with parrots! We got a polaroid taken of us with PARROTS ON OUR HEADS! (It's a polaroid, so you have to wait for us to find a scanner) And I came home to find packages from friends back home (and let me tell you, opening the pagan books in front of my (tolerant) Catholic aunt and friends was a little awkward). These same "friends" are off seeing a preview of Serenity. Without me. The bastards. I don't care if they're in San Francisco and I'm in DC!!!! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! (Have you noticed that that is a great excuse for anything? 'Christina, I need this report in a hour.' 'It's my birthday!' 'OK, Monday's fine.')
Number of times happy birthday was sung: 5
Also, my friends at work made me wear a stupid hat all day.
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