Thursday, May 24, 2007

Presents

If anyone is pondering what to get me for my birthday, this is awesome!
Patricia Walker is an amazing artist. Thanks to Dooce for the link.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Canine infedility

I love Dooce's dog!
I can never get Barry to wear things on his feet or balance things on his head.

Silly dog.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The good old days

I stumbled upon this article and was reminded of my own battles of having to clean up my room.

CNN - "Girl calls for police help over messy room"
Growing up, my bedroom was on the top floor of a Cape Cod style house. It was a big room, which meant that I had so much extra space to leave things: my clothes, books, tapes, and anything else a 13-year old know-it-all would have.

My mom was always on my case to clean my room, but I never saw the point because no one saw my room. It was upstairs away from any visitors. My mom didn't agree with my opinion.

One one particular sunny Spring day I ignored my mom's threats of 'throwing out my stuff if I didn't clean up my room.' Like what was she really going to do?

I was watching TV in the living room when I looked out the window and saw a pair of pants, a hat, a sock sailing by. I ran outside and saw my mom, with my bedroom window open, throwing everything that was laying on my bedroom floor out the window.

It was pretty humbling picking my underwear out of the azalea bushes.

Happy Birthday to me - Part 2

I was asked what I did for my birthday last night by one of my coworkers. We're casual acquaintances, not really close. But he's the kind of person who says hello to everyone and starts small talk.

I'm not that kind of person.

I find him slightly annoying.

Anyway, being that it was Monday night, and that I'm single, I didn't have anything exciting to day. And I don't know why, but I felt bad about that. Like I should have been flown to Key West buy my handsome, millionaire sugar daddy just to have cocktails on Mallory Square just as the sun sunk below the horizon.

But my life doesn't play like that.

Instead I went and bought myself a great birthday present. A new bike!

I was so excited to get my bike. A little bit of sticker shock because, man if you're not buying at Target or Toys 'R us, those things aren't cheap. I brought it home on my bike rack and immediately started pedaling around the parking lot to get a feel for it. I saw Barry looking longingly out the window, then I decided to take him for a run. I rode, he trotted alongside me.

After he got tired, I left him home and I went off wandering on my new wheels.

I love my new bike.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Happy Birthday to me

It's my birthday today. 34.

Notice that I'm not punctuating it with an exclamation point. As in "It's my birthday today! 34!"

It's feeling like a very Sixteen Candles like day. I feel like the entire world should recognize my special day and it would be something magical. But it's not. It's just a day where I have to go to work and pretend to be busy.

I'm not ungrateful, don't get me wrong. Saturday night I went out with my friends to dinner and a club at the shore. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed myself. We even made friends with some guys, one of which asked for my number, but I was not interested in him. Whatever.

Then yesterday, even though I was suffering from a cold, I was with my extended family and they all sang me "Happy Birthday" with a cake and candles and everything. But even all that doesn't seem like enough.

Part of me expects to wake up to a perfect day, fresh fruit breakfast, a closet full of brand new clothes, and an entire morning of spa treatments. Then in the afternoon I'd explore inspiring places: art museums, Tuscan landscapes, turquoise beaches, Parisian sidewalk cafes. And in the evening I'd have a moonlight picnic with dancing and cheesecake. And all of this would be with my very own Jake Ryan.

What is it about birthdays that bring me down? I guess that in my head I have my birthday built up to ridiculous proportions. It's the start of summer, a chance for a new beginning, an opportunity to be something more than what I was the year before.

Like I said, I'm not ungrateful. I've accomplished lots: I own my own house, I'm working towards my masters degree, I've traveled and have more trips planned, I have a great and supportive family, I'm healthy and not physically repulsive, I'm smart and don't have to worry about where my next meal is coming from. So in the grand scheme of things, I'm pretty well off. There isn't much for me to really complain about.

Yet I do.

I think of the times I've said "I love you." Some I wish I could take back because it was just dumb and naive of me. But there are those special few where I really meant it. And one in particular who could still make my knees week if he was to come back to Jersey.

But I have to believe that I'll say it again -- and mean it. It will be my birthday wish. That and my very own Jake Ryan t-shirt.