Because I’m a lazy sod, I didn’t get around to writing the birthday recap entry until Monday afternoon. Therefore, you might want to read Lilith’s account of things first, then come back here for the rest. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Back again? Good.

So, about the not-quite-a-surprise dinner party. There’d been some speculation the week before, after Wendi insisted I give her Lilith’s and Mari’s phone numbers for a mysterious, unstated purpose. And then Wendi insisted that she’d contacted them but everyone had prior engagements.

Here’s the key part: I believed her. And yes, I have heard that the word “gullible” doesn’t appear in the dictionary. Thanks for helping.

Sadly, the secret was once again spilled (a bit of misunderstanding, actually, so no harm done) and I amused myself by watching as Wendi tried very, very hard to maintain the secrecy. She’s an absolute treasure sometimes, and I was torn between amusement and endearment all afternoon.

Case in point: I had second thoughts about the venue. I agonized over choosing a different restaurant for a while. Wendi stated her willingness to go along with my decision, even if it changed, but something in her voice sounded worried. Of course, once I realized what was up, I made a point of telling her that our original plan was “just fine.” The joy of relief practically lit up her face.

Dinner, then. We all ate ourselves into insensibility, as well you should when you’re paying that kind of money. Outback does make a pretty good steak, though. Yum.

A high point of dinner, for me, was when Mari started insisting to the waiter that they needed to sing Happy Birthday to me. He replied, “We don’t do that here. If they did, I wouldn’t work here.”

My response was, “You are a saint among men. Thank you!”

I didn’t turn down the free birthday dessert, though.

Presents. Mari picked up all three books of the Midori Snyder “Oran Queens” trilogy, though I really only needed the last one. She’s so cute when she’s exuberant. She also gave me the Fox dub-only DVD of “My Neighbor Totoro,” which is a Very Good Thing since our VHS copy is nearly worn out.

Side note: Wendi’s friends from church think Totoro is creepy. It’s okay, I like them anyway…

Lil’ and Geoffrey used my Amazon.com wishlist as a guide, yet somehow managed not to pick any of the anime material therein. That’s okay, though, since I now have the special fancy editions of Stargate and X-Men. Nicely done!

The other present came from The Kelseys in the form of (yet) another black sweater. Which, of course, I wore preppie-style over one of my white collared shirts. I’m such a geek. This provided some amusement during the early parts of Stargate. Whee.

After dinner, we all (Mari and Doug, Lilith and Geoffrey, Wendi and I) returned to the Kerezman abode for movie-watching and general hanging-out. Apparently Mari’s never seen Stargate, so that was enthusiastically selected. Too bad for her that we’re all a bunch of snarky bastards who can’t shut up. I’ll have to loan her the DVD some time, since in a way she still hasn’t really seen Stargate. The MST-style atmosphere did generate much laughter and good times, so it was far from a loss!

Sadly, the night had to end eventually. Doug had work to go to, and Lil’ and Geoffrey needed rest. Or at least the chance to enjoy a house emptied of demonspawn…

To all of my friends who were present, and to those who sent best wishes from afar, I give my sincerest thanks. It was absolutely one of the best birthdays ever.

I’d like to thank some automated system at Lycos for being among the first to wish me a happy birthday this morning.

Happy Birthday greyduck

The My Lycos team sincerely hopes you have a special and
wonderful day.

Check out these interesting facts related to your birthday…

And some of the facts include that I share a birthday with Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (the jurist son, not the author papa) and Alan Hale, Jr. (a.k.a. The Skipper). Insert “Hey, little buddy!” joke here. And what is it with the Juniors, eh? Oh, but it gets better!

1917 – Start of the February Revolution in Russia.
1948 – The Supreme Court ruled that religious instruction in public schools violated the Constitution.
1950 – The Soviet Union claimed to be in possession of the atomic bomb.
1965 – First U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam.
1983 – President Reagan called the USSR an “Evil Empire”.

What, no cool inventions? No signings of treaties or cessations of hostilities? Bah.

So, pretty much the only cool thing about the 8th of March is that it’s the date on which I entered the world. Take that, History Of Mankind! Neener, neener.

(Well, okay, that “religious instruction” thing isn’t so bad. But still. Sheesh.)

Update: Further research by way of the History Channel website adds that it was on this date in 1957 that Egypt opened the Suez Canal. I’ve also learned that I share a birthday with Lynn Redgrave, a Monkee and an Eagle. Yay! Oh wait, I don’t like the Monkees and I loathe the Eagles. That Redgrave chick ain’t bad, though.
This Day In History

Some time tomorrow I turn 31 years old. This is an earthshaking bit of news, to be sure. My plans currently include dinner at Outback Steakhouse tomorrow night and, er, not working Saturday or Sunday.

Yes, that’s it. I hasten to point out that this still beats any number of prior birthdays, thank you.

I was going to engage in some soul-searching, but I took a peek in there and realized that there’s nothing pretty to be found. So you’re all spared that agony. Count that among your blessings.

Here’s to another year survived, and a future twelve months of the same goofy crap I’ve filled my life with the past twelve.

Oh yeah: If by chance some rich person ends up here, I’d like to direct them to my Amazon.com Wishlist. Thank you.

Sunday was a blast, as it always is when Mari (and Doug) and Lilith (and Geoffrey) and I get together. Mari’s account covers most of the bases, so I’m just going to add a couple of tidbits.

The chair is indeed comfy. It also features a dizzying array of possible massage combinations, most of which I can’t imagine seriously using. (The alternating-sides mode is just wrong.)

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having your breakfast and lunch in one meal, provided it’s done tastily. I applaud Red Robin for offering a burger that includes a fried egg and several strips of bacon. Yum.

I’ve discovered what could be a problem for my photojournalism goal: I’m loath to snap pictures of people around me, especially family and friends. I know how much I hate being in front of the camera, so I naturally tend not to want to inflict that on others. Mari came to the rescue, however. If you can call it that.

We love the camera. The camera loves us. Yeah.

To finish up, let me state for the record that cheesecake abdomens are weird. Tasty, but weird. Thank you.