Happy Birthday To Me...

Even though all 4 or 5 readers are my friends and one family member...I'm sure you're sick of me talking about my birthday. Maybe it's selfish but it's me me me! (Ab Fab Reference)

I opened a few more presents today, had cookies for breakfast (and afternoon snack including 3 I totally stole from my officemate because he was gone and didn't know someone had left us cookies so he won't know I stole them.). They were good.

I usually think of how the last year has been, but I've had to think so much in the last year that I'm not spending too much time taking stock this year. Pretty clear on the changes (acquired a kid, second house, 50mile commute, lost a gall bladder, my privacy, and quite a bit of cash).

But I do want to pick a new skill to acquire. I just found out that this woman at work is living my dream. She has a crappy house on an acreage with a horse, a llama, chickens and stuff. She knows how to spin and felt wool. I'm going to try to get her to show me how to card and spin wool. I hope we can find some time for that. Those are very good frugality and voluntary simplicity skills.

One tiny thing about my birthday: It's wierd to have it on D-Day every year. This year I didn't even think about that (for once) until my friend Nancy e-mailed me just now saying that if this is the day we foisted democracy onto the shores of Europe then I must be a year older. Thanks. It's odd to notice each year that thousands of people died horrible deaths on your birthday and that many a movie has been made of it. Oddly, my brother's birthday is Victory in Japan day. I think my sister managed to avoid any particularly famous battle on her birthday. She does have the honor of having it listed wrong on her baptismal certificate. It may have gotten fixed.

Well, back to watching the Catherine Tate Show DVD for my birthday (it's from Netflix, not a purchase..that wouldn't be frugal).

Holy Mole

OK, this has been too many posts in a row about food. But with the recent removal of my gall bladder, food is no longer a threat. I hadn't been able to eat fatty food, or any delicious food really, for years. So the past few weeks have been an adventure finding out what I can eat.

I met a friend for lunch today and had enchiladas mole with rice and olla beans. OMG! It was delicious. I meant to be good and eat half and bring the rest home. But, alas, I sucked it all down along with a basket of chips and some salsa. Wow. I'm going to be a blimp soon. But a happy blimp.

Lunch was with my friend Nancy who's been off doing research for most of a year so we had lots to catch up on. She is perhaps the world's best storyteller. Nancy is one of the few people I enjoy listening to when she's gossiping about people I've never met. The stories are simply fabulous. And for the most part, they are true. Or as Amy Sedaris says of her brother's work, "True enough."