:D

I was just thinking how at about this time last year I was house-sitting for my family friends and having a “Home Alone” worthy experience with their cats. Weird. That seems like another lifetime ago.

In fact, I was breaking down the themes of the last few years. 

2010: The Year of the Trainwreck

Reasons supporting this conclusion: I got a DUII and 4 traffic tickets (that should really seal the deal right there, actually) I was living with a musician 11 years older than myself and performing housekeeping services for him in lieu of paying rent until  he proposed and I moved out. Hmm.  I had a little too much rock and roll going on for an average 22 year old.

2011: The Year of Change

Reasons supporting this conclusion: I changed addresses 3 times. One from the musician’s house, back to my parents’ house, and then to my Upper West Side residence 3000 miles away. New job, sold the car, traveled a lot… 2011 was a really excellent year for growth.

2012: (Tentative theme, since we are still pretty fresh into it) The Year of the Perma-vacation

Reasons supporting this conclusion: I’m not going to lie- I love living in NYC. I love that I am busy and have something going on every single night and (selfishly) it’s all about ME! I don’t have pets to let out, kids to pick up, a significant other who has any expectations of me whatsoever. It’s amazing! I go to work, where my boss loves me and I get to see people be happy with their engagement rings. I go out to bars with cool people or amazing restaurants for dinner afterwards. I go to Broadway shows (For FREE) about once a week. AND my new roommate is awesome, my new apartment is awesome, and, honestly, the only thing I can even complain about in my life right now is the weather. Life is fucking amazing. 

That said- I have a birthday party with an “All You Can Drink” Cocktail situation going on in a couple of hours. What a way to kick off Memorial Day Weekend! Tomorrow I have brunch plans, followed by a Broadway show, and on Sunday I will be attending a Zombie themed pub crawl. Bring it on!

The Birthday Post

Well, today’s the day. Big birthday number 24. One foot in the grave. The last year that I can have ONE box of standard birthday candles on my cake where each represents ONE year. 

I spent the day trying to feel younger, or at least imagine I grow up to be as eternally youthful as Heidi Klum, who shares my birthday.

Fortunately, I live at home, which makes feeling younger much easier. Nothing makes you feel more like a child than having your mom pack your lunch in the morning, and my mom does! Around 10 am at work I went to the refrigerator to find a snack and when I opened my lunchbox, I found a little surprise. 

It was one of those foil-wrapped balloon weights that are usually popular at New Year’s parties. I wasn’t really sure what to do with it- no one at work had particularly acknowledged that it was my birthday. It seemed kind of silly to take my balloon weight (with no balloons) out of my lunchbox and set it on my desk for no particular reason. So I put it back in the refrigerator, which seemed like the only logical choice.

Foil-wrapped balloon weight

Later that evening I met up with my girlfriends at a restaurant downtown, enticed by the promise of party hats, which we all wore. People at the restaurant looked at us strangely, but let it go.

If there is one thing I love, it’s party hats. I can’t think of one thing that doesn’t look hilarious in one. Last year my ex-boyfriend texted me a picture of a dog in a party hat for my birthday. This year he sent me one of two chinchillas in party hats. I will say this for him: he definitely knows me well!

 One of my good friends got me a “Spinster Starter Kit” which included a bottle of wine shaped like a cat, a package of Easy-Mac, the fourth season of 30 Rock, and the latest book by Tina Fey. (Liz Lemon IS my idol.) I don’t think I could have asked for more! It was a great birthday.