Not 40 yet party a successful kick-off to my “birthday week”

One thing that I regret from my “not 40 yet” birthday party last night was I forgot to get out my digital camera and snap some picts. Just as well I suppose, since the crowd that was here last night, mostly fellow faculty members and teachers at EMU, isn’t exactly the kind of people who like to have pictures of themselves partying circulating out in the blog-o-sphere or in places like MySpace or Facebook.

Though as an aside, wouldn’t that be kind of funny? I’m telling ya, if parents out there scared of MySpace of Facebook or whatever really want to stop the kids from using those things, the smartest thing they could do is start posting stuff there themselves. Because once the “grown-ups” start using those things, it is so un-cool.

Anyway, we had a great time. A few memories/thoughts/recollections in no particular order:

  • My friends from way WAY back in the day, Troy and Lisa, were able to make it all the way from Chicago. Well, they were actually coming from Lansing, where they were visiting family, and we were kind of a convenient pit-stop. But it was fantastic that they were able to make it. I’ve known Troy since seventh grade, I’ve known Lisa since high school, I was the best man at their wedding, etc., etc. Good times, and it was great they could be here.
  • Lots and lots and LOTS of food, too much food, it turned out. Spinach pie, jalepeno poppers, onion fritters, cheeses, veggies, sushi, dips, chips, cookies, etc., etc., etc.
  • I got a few cool gifts, even though I wasn’t asking for any. Carol and Clayton gave me a lovely picture book/poetry book; Cheryl gave me a nice plant; a number of people gave me various alcoholic beverages (I’m not sure exactly what that’s supposed to say).
  • I got a few fun/funny/goofy gifts, too. Laura gave me this old inspirational/advice book from the 1930s called Life Begins at Forty. Oddly, there appears to have been a movie made of this book. Christine H. gave me some cards, which she informed me were a “re-gifting” item, and she also gave me some sort of Asian dried food product in a bag that she thought was attractive. The food product served as a fine party game at the end of the evening. Everyone left tried one in order to guess what it was; this morning, sober and in better light, it seems to me like they are some sort of date. I thought they tasted vaguely like petroleum.
  • Rachel brought a cake that she baked. It was quite yummy, and I was able to cut it up and distribute it and avoid the singing of “Happy Birthday.”
  • The kids, sent to their own “party” in the basement, broke into a stash of fruit roll-ups. Rather amusing.
  • I drank plenty and had lots of fun, but to tell the truth, I am more “tired” than hung-0ver from my excess. Which is good.
  • Without sounding all hokey about it all, nights like last night give me comfort in that Annette and Will and I have a lot of good friends.

Like I said, an excellent start to birthday week. I say “birthday week” because it seems to me that one day is not nearly enough time to celebrate a birthday. Frankly, I would prefer a “birthday month” (Lisa told me at brunch this morning that a friend of hers was trying to advance the concept of the “birthday year” celebration– that might be going too far), but Annette wasn’t going for that, so a week seems like a fair compromise.

And practically-speaking, it really is a “birthday week.” I’m going to be at a conference from Tuesday to Friday of next week, and much of that adventure will basically be a party, and I’m hoping to celebrate my “real” birthday on Saturday with the family here. That’s a week right there.

3 Replies to “Not 40 yet party a successful kick-off to my “birthday week””

  1. Happy Birthday Steve. You’re still a kid to me. Thanks for inviting to share your non-birthday, a sort of modern Alice (Alix?) in wonderland party.

  2. I wish we could have stayed longer. We all went home and just crashed. Such party-poopers. Oh well, can’t be the life of the party everytime.

  3. You misspelled my name. I am CarYl not Carol, but hey, many do it. Glad to have been part of one of the many events.

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