It's the little things that make me happy

  [WARNING: Long, rambling post ahead]

Normally a birthday doesn't bother me, but for some reason this year has really been difficult for me. I mean, it can't be real. There's no possible way I'm...cough cough...30... cough cough. Although I feel it in every bone of my body (I have the hips of an 80-year-old and the back of a...well person with a bad back) and I was looking more forward to getting a new couch than actually going out for my birthday, it just doesn't seem right.

What have I done with my life these past 30 years? I've moved from state to state, job to job, and apartment to apartment. I graduated from college with a gpa much lower than I would have liked in a major I ended up hating. I've lost touch with some of my closest friends (although, sometimes for good reason). I see my family once or twice a year if I'm lucky, and even then usually it's not ALL of my family (that's me with my mom and dad way back in the '70s man!). And I'm broke and single. Very very single.

But regardless, I turned 30 on Labor Day this year. I guess I'm the only one who can change things if I don't want to be saying the same thing when I turn *gasp* 40. (That thought scares the shit out of me.) I guess I just need a kick in the ass. Or better drugs...which I'm sure I could get from my neighbors.

Seriously, I know it’s not really THAT bad. But still. OK, so happy things.

So every once in a while, when it rains I think about a movie I saw when I was really young. But for the life of me I’ve never been able to figure out what this damn movie was called! Basically, it’s set in the future on Venus and it rains there constantly. Every few years the sun comes out for 15 minutes and then it rains again for years and years and years. There’s a little girl who is from Earth and tells the kids in school about the sun and how great it is. The kids don’t believe her and so they make fun of her and lock her in a closet. And then the sun comes out, the kids go out to play, and they forget about the poor little girl from Earth so she doesn’t get to see the sun.

Sad, right? But I said happy things (actually, Milli Vanilli is a happy thing).

I figured out the movie! One of my coworker’s geeky friends knew the name of the video! It’s a short film called All Summer in a Day and it’s based on a short story by Ray Bradbury. I have got to get my hands on this movie! Ah memories.

Another happy thing. My BFF Patricia got me a cake from the Cupcake Café for my birthday! I seriously want to bathe in this cake! It is the best vanilla cake EVER! With raspberry filling and the best frosting EVER! I have so much of it leftover and I want to make it last! I’m going to have to figure out how to freeze this sucker. I should have taken pictures, but I just dove into that thing the second it was in front of me! Just picture the cake to the right with my name, 30 candles, and brightly colored frosting flowers. It was glorious.

And one more happy thing (I said this was going to be a long rambling post)!

I have been getting Daily Candy delivered to my inbox for the past couple years, but I have found a new love. The NYT Best Bets is just so much better! And you don’t have to live in NYC to enjoy them. The NYT offers a few more newsletters that are pretty good as well. Check em out! And I set up an email filter so all this junk goes straight to a special folder and doesn’t clog up my Inbox. Damn I’m smart.

So…who cares if I’ve moved 50 billion times, and changed jobs just as much? I really like my job now…the people are great, the work is challenging, and the pay isn’t bad. And I love living in the NYC area. I mean, I’d like it better if I lived in the City instead of the Ghetto, but I can deal with that cause I love my apartment. And as far as my gpa and major, who cares? I mean, I still have a great job…I’ve gotten myself to where I am today probably because of my major- it was just a kick start. And I had a GREAT time in college which is WHY my gpa was so low. As far as my friends…it’s probably not my fault I’ve lost touch with them. I mean, I do what I can, but if they don’t keep up their side of the friendSHIP that ship is going to  drown people! And for all of us being spread across the country I see my friends and family pretty often (but it would be nice to be able to hop in the car anytime just for a quick visit). It takes hours to get to the UES just to see Patricia! (That's Sara, me, Kelly and Patricia still drunk after flying back from Spring Break in '97)

Being single though…eh…I’m not going to touch that one right now. That’s a completely different topic that will take several bottles of wine to tackle. Hell, at least I know I've come a far way from poodle perms and star jumpers. Kenna has also progressed passed helmet hair and shoulder ruffles (I think pigtails were just a lapse in judgment). And JJ only wears curlers occasionally (I'll save that for a later post).

If you’ve made it this far, you’re a brave brave person. Thanks for reading my ramble! And have a swell week…me and my 30 years will be just fine.

Comments

[Kenna]

First off, I didn't steal pictures...I borrowed them for an undetermined amount of time. And the pigtails...they're hot.

And it's been awhile since you've written anything. Keep up. What, do you have another blog, or something?? ;)

[Mom]

30's not so bad!!! Try turning 49! All I keep thinking about is that I'll be 50 next year :-( By the time I was 30 I had three kids and two marriages. And by the way, did you steal the picture of the three of us from my photo album? I just found out recently that Kenna stole some pictures too. Nice bell bottoms I had on...can ya dig it?

[Annie]

30, I know how you feel, I hated turning 30, it was like " I will never be in my twenties again". My 20's I had two children, had built a new home and was starting on our 2nd home, and was working part time, when I turned 30. Now I am about to turn 47 this Friday, and I can tell you, turning 30 may have been bad, but turning 40 was the best thing, I think you are a bit more mature (I can pretend), and you don't seem to worry about if a hair is out of place, I think you are more content with the way you are/am. Well here I am rambling back at you.

I hope your birthday was great, that cake looked delicious, and enjoy the rest of your 30th birthday year.

And sometimes being married and with family isn't all it is cracked up to be, so whatever your life has in store for you, Just Enjoy It!.

[Patty]

Happy Birthday! That cake looks awesome. I bet it did taste great. It looks like the kind of cake that you just want to make up birthdays to have a piece off! Enjoy!

[Laura]

I'm sorry I'm a little late, but Happy Happy 30th birthday. I was single too when I turned 30. It's really not a bad thing. :)

(((Hugs)))