A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip.
~Author Unknown
Today I begin my 31st journey around the sun. What I find most disturbing, as I consider this, is how very spotty my memories are of the 30 other trips that I have taken. There are – undeniably – huge gaps in my recall. It is the celebration of the birthdays themselves that has made this painfully clear. I cannot, for example, remember any of my birthday celebrations – in any detail – before the age of 21. (And no – that one does NOT stand out for the reasons that you think it does.)
What the fruit? The more I think about this, the more feasible the possibility that I am actually an alien seems. Or perhaps I have undergone some sort of brain erasure/false memory implant procedure – like in Men In Black or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Hmmm. Actually, that second possibility is beginning to seem VERY likely. It would certainly explain why I am not independently wealthy right now, yet FEEL like I should be. If I am actually the rightful heir to a HUGE fortune, there would be a great many people who would want me to believe otherwise, and who would not only want me out of the picture, but would want to ENSURE that I stay distracted by this “other life.” Yes – I’m pretty sure I’m on to something here.
Tomorrow I shall have to hire an investigator to uncover my true past.
Since I can only remember a handful of my birthdays, it would stand to reason that in a fair and just universe those memories would be spectacular, to offset the disappointment of not having others. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. Here, in order, the birthdays that I can remember:
1 – 21st Birthday, Calvillo, Aguascalientes, Mexico
I was in a bar/restaurant in a tiny town in Mexico (population DEFINITELY under 1000.) I was the only female at a table full of young men, and was one of two white people in the entire town. The beverages offered consisted of cheap alcohol cut with random substances intended to “flavor” the drinks. Somehow I kept ending up with something called a “vampiro” (vampire, for those of you oblivious to obvious translations) which was – essentially – salsa mixed with tequila. Enough said.
2 – 29th Birthday, Hubbard Avenue, Middleton, WI
“Girls Night” (AKA “Adios Rigo” Party.) Hmmm. That sounds kind of awful, in retrospect. Really a celebration of the first 365-day trip – in many years - sans a testosterone-ridden companion. A lovely group of women in attendance – women who faithfully honor my birthday each and every year. It was – perhaps – the first year that I realized how much female friends enrich my life. (Not that male friends don’t – but one could NEVER ever argue that they are at all they same. If one did argue it, one would be an idiot. Or an antagonist. Or perhaps both. Regardless, one would annoy me and then I would not want to spend time with one. Undoubtedly this one would be a male. See my point?)
3 – 30th Birthday, Ginza’s, Madison, WI and Sweeney Dr., Middleton WI
A two-day blowout. Well, one evening and one day, actually. Hibachi and a giant flame-lit beverage (NOT my idea, and no – I did not drink the entire punchbowl as requested.) The following day I was honored with a visit from the parental units. Even here, you can see how my memory fails me… Seems as if a number of details are missing from my recount. Sigh.
4 – 31st Birthday, Various locations, Chicago, IL; The Great Dane, Madison, WI; and Various locations, Madison and Middleton, WI
A full-weekend affair. I have chosen to include Saturday in the equation, because then it means that I managed to see nearly ALL of my favorite people in the span of three days. (Parental units ARE included on the list of favorite people, and will be seen at a later date. There is NO need to call with accusations of ingratitude and/or lack of emotional investment. Also included: Anita, the Colorado resident who should REALLY move back to Madison.)
Day 1: Chicago – My favorite Chicago residents – Becca, Nick, and Finnegan. A lovely day, with lovely company. I will spend much of this next 365-day journey visiting with them. New resolution.
Day 2: The Great Dane. A roomful of lovely and generous friends, who I cannot thank enough for being so fabulous and thoughtful. (Note: I hope that some of us learned – from experience – that it really is not a good idea to take photos of someone from six inches away. That is all I will say on that subject.) (Note 2: See included photo that is an EXAMPLE of why it is not a good idea to take photos from six inches away.)
Thank you to: Laura for being lovely – as always, Cathy for being clever – especially with the cupcake card (What are the odds???), Tiffany for being so thoughtful and cute, Stacy for her boundless energy and enthusiasm, Rob for being Rob (a plug-in part of me, what would I do without him?), Michelle for being so sweet AND for squeezing past twelve chairs in her VERY pregnant condition to make it to the far side of the table, Ted for his unflappable good humor, OJ for giving up ice fishing to be there (HOLY CATS!!), Katy for her smile – one of my favorites, Britt for making me laugh, and laugh, and laugh (like always!!), Dan for… well, it might be easier to try to think of things to NOT thank him for… so we’ll just say “for being Dan” and for providing the MOST FABULOUS, beautiful and delicious cake that I have ever seen/eaten in my life, and Mike for being the evening’s photog and for managing to retain a good mood despite Stacy’s constant antagonistic behavior. Crap. This sounds like an awards-ceremony speech, and not even a good one. Plus it got really hard to think of different descriptors (that were all equally good) for everyone… especially since you’re ALL so great. I’m going to stop now, because I’m practically spewing Hallmark card. Seriously. I’m starting to think it may actually be a blessing that I can’t remember my other birthdays, because look at what happens when I do!!! Obviously a mind-safety mechanism, this memory failure. Some sort of release valve.
So, on to Day 3: Various locations – A day of leisure, which felt very, very natural. SUSPICIOUSLY natural. (Once again – this confirms my new theory that I am genetically INTENDED for a life of leisure.) Spent the morning having “bird time,” and then met another of my favorite people for coffee! Doing so much in one morning was exhausting, so I recovered by spending over an hour on the phone with an airline representative who had an interesting obsession with name pronunciations. I lost count of the number of times that I repeated my last name and she parroted it back to me, giggling and making comments about how she liked name pronunciations (as IF I could have missed that…) Wrapped the day up with a lovely, lovely dinner.
If these past three days are any indication of what the next 364 days of this particular trip will be like, then I am READY. Best of all, I’m taking the rest of you with me.
~Author Unknown
Today I begin my 31st journey around the sun. What I find most disturbing, as I consider this, is how very spotty my memories are of the 30 other trips that I have taken. There are – undeniably – huge gaps in my recall. It is the celebration of the birthdays themselves that has made this painfully clear. I cannot, for example, remember any of my birthday celebrations – in any detail – before the age of 21. (And no – that one does NOT stand out for the reasons that you think it does.)
What the fruit? The more I think about this, the more feasible the possibility that I am actually an alien seems. Or perhaps I have undergone some sort of brain erasure/false memory implant procedure – like in Men In Black or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Hmmm. Actually, that second possibility is beginning to seem VERY likely. It would certainly explain why I am not independently wealthy right now, yet FEEL like I should be. If I am actually the rightful heir to a HUGE fortune, there would be a great many people who would want me to believe otherwise, and who would not only want me out of the picture, but would want to ENSURE that I stay distracted by this “other life.” Yes – I’m pretty sure I’m on to something here.
Tomorrow I shall have to hire an investigator to uncover my true past.
Since I can only remember a handful of my birthdays, it would stand to reason that in a fair and just universe those memories would be spectacular, to offset the disappointment of not having others. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. Here, in order, the birthdays that I can remember:
1 – 21st Birthday, Calvillo, Aguascalientes, Mexico
I was in a bar/restaurant in a tiny town in Mexico (population DEFINITELY under 1000.) I was the only female at a table full of young men, and was one of two white people in the entire town. The beverages offered consisted of cheap alcohol cut with random substances intended to “flavor” the drinks. Somehow I kept ending up with something called a “vampiro” (vampire, for those of you oblivious to obvious translations) which was – essentially – salsa mixed with tequila. Enough said.
2 – 29th Birthday, Hubbard Avenue, Middleton, WI
“Girls Night” (AKA “Adios Rigo” Party.) Hmmm. That sounds kind of awful, in retrospect. Really a celebration of the first 365-day trip – in many years - sans a testosterone-ridden companion. A lovely group of women in attendance – women who faithfully honor my birthday each and every year. It was – perhaps – the first year that I realized how much female friends enrich my life. (Not that male friends don’t – but one could NEVER ever argue that they are at all they same. If one did argue it, one would be an idiot. Or an antagonist. Or perhaps both. Regardless, one would annoy me and then I would not want to spend time with one. Undoubtedly this one would be a male. See my point?)
3 – 30th Birthday, Ginza’s, Madison, WI and Sweeney Dr., Middleton WI
A two-day blowout. Well, one evening and one day, actually. Hibachi and a giant flame-lit beverage (NOT my idea, and no – I did not drink the entire punchbowl as requested.) The following day I was honored with a visit from the parental units. Even here, you can see how my memory fails me… Seems as if a number of details are missing from my recount. Sigh.
4 – 31st Birthday, Various locations, Chicago, IL; The Great Dane, Madison, WI; and Various locations, Madison and Middleton, WI
A full-weekend affair. I have chosen to include Saturday in the equation, because then it means that I managed to see nearly ALL of my favorite people in the span of three days. (Parental units ARE included on the list of favorite people, and will be seen at a later date. There is NO need to call with accusations of ingratitude and/or lack of emotional investment. Also included: Anita, the Colorado resident who should REALLY move back to Madison.)
Day 1: Chicago – My favorite Chicago residents – Becca, Nick, and Finnegan. A lovely day, with lovely company. I will spend much of this next 365-day journey visiting with them. New resolution.
Day 2: The Great Dane. A roomful of lovely and generous friends, who I cannot thank enough for being so fabulous and thoughtful. (Note: I hope that some of us learned – from experience – that it really is not a good idea to take photos of someone from six inches away. That is all I will say on that subject.) (Note 2: See included photo that is an EXAMPLE of why it is not a good idea to take photos from six inches away.)
Thank you to: Laura for being lovely – as always, Cathy for being clever – especially with the cupcake card (What are the odds???), Tiffany for being so thoughtful and cute, Stacy for her boundless energy and enthusiasm, Rob for being Rob (a plug-in part of me, what would I do without him?), Michelle for being so sweet AND for squeezing past twelve chairs in her VERY pregnant condition to make it to the far side of the table, Ted for his unflappable good humor, OJ for giving up ice fishing to be there (HOLY CATS!!), Katy for her smile – one of my favorites, Britt for making me laugh, and laugh, and laugh (like always!!), Dan for… well, it might be easier to try to think of things to NOT thank him for… so we’ll just say “for being Dan” and for providing the MOST FABULOUS, beautiful and delicious cake that I have ever seen/eaten in my life, and Mike for being the evening’s photog and for managing to retain a good mood despite Stacy’s constant antagonistic behavior. Crap. This sounds like an awards-ceremony speech, and not even a good one. Plus it got really hard to think of different descriptors (that were all equally good) for everyone… especially since you’re ALL so great. I’m going to stop now, because I’m practically spewing Hallmark card. Seriously. I’m starting to think it may actually be a blessing that I can’t remember my other birthdays, because look at what happens when I do!!! Obviously a mind-safety mechanism, this memory failure. Some sort of release valve.
So, on to Day 3: Various locations – A day of leisure, which felt very, very natural. SUSPICIOUSLY natural. (Once again – this confirms my new theory that I am genetically INTENDED for a life of leisure.) Spent the morning having “bird time,” and then met another of my favorite people for coffee! Doing so much in one morning was exhausting, so I recovered by spending over an hour on the phone with an airline representative who had an interesting obsession with name pronunciations. I lost count of the number of times that I repeated my last name and she parroted it back to me, giggling and making comments about how she liked name pronunciations (as IF I could have missed that…) Wrapped the day up with a lovely, lovely dinner.
If these past three days are any indication of what the next 364 days of this particular trip will be like, then I am READY. Best of all, I’m taking the rest of you with me.
Look at that cake!!!
And here we have it... THIS is why we generally position ourselves some distance AWAY from the subjects of the photos.
Undeniably a great success.
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