hip pappy bithuthday to meeee! (part 1)

(somebody please tell me you recognize that quote...)

Well, my actual "bithuthday" is not til Thursday, but my favorite way to celebrate is all week long, so...

Friday

It all started unofficially on Friday, with Chinese food & a movie with our friends Betsy and David. I love them. They are the funniest people ever in the history of the universe. (I say "unofficially" because I was the only person who knew I was already celebrating my birthday. But I was.)

That was the night it got so hideously cold—according to this page, the temperature dropped from ten to zero while we were at dinner, and dropped again from zero to minus ten while we were in the movie theater.

So when we were walking to the door of the theater discussing the movie, the conversation went like this: "And I loved the part where—(door opens into arctic blast)—hoooo!" "Yow!" "Holy shit!" "OK bye see ya soon!" "Bye thanks it was fun!" and we all took off running toward our cars. (If you don't believe Loopy was running, you weren't outside Friday night).

What did we see? "Walk The Line," again, of course. I'd see it again—seriously—I really like that movie. One note, though: recent evidence suggests that Johnny Cash was the all-time king of the earworm. I won't prove it to you, and for that, you should thank me.

Saturday

Saturday was wonderful. Best birthday in a long time and it wasn't even my birthday yet.

First, Loopy stole my phone.

She was gonna get me a Blackberry, but she chickened out because it's so expensive (I'm kinda glad because I'm not sure about it—I might get a Trio instead. I dunno).

But it was such a sweet and thoughtful plan and she was so cute (she wrapped up my phone with all the Blackberry brochures!), and she was so adorably excited about it all ("I dreamed this up months ago and I've been scheming ever since!"), that I totally forgave her for the part where I was standing in the icy 3-degree wind calling her from a pay phone.

Then, I picked Loopy up from her office per her request.

I had been out on the east side and almost went to Maharaja (our favorite Indian restaurant) for lunch, but didn't have time, so when I picked Loopy up I suggested we go there for dinner. She appeared to consider this for a moment, and agreed somewhat reluctantly, it seemed to me.

When we arrived at Maharaja, I saw that jab, her friend B, Ang, and Shamus were there—coincidence, I thought, until I saw Loopy's happy face and the big pile of presents!

It was a surprise party! (I love those!) And I had conveniently picked the restaurant where it was!

I didn't suspect a thing, not for a second! (Although once I knew, all kinds of little weird moments suddenly made sense....I started up the inevitable refrain of "So when you said this...and when you said that..." with Loopy; "I've been lying for days!" she crowed gleefully.

I resisted the temptation to pull a Sally Field and pounced on my loot:

• a purple lava lamp for my car dashboard (ya think it'll stand up to Wisconsin temperatures??)
  
• a set of rose-scented soap (I love rose-scented anything, just ask anyone who knew me in college)
  
• a classical guitar CD which I'm enjoying right now
  
• a Putumayo world music sampler, and
  
• a subscription to Radical Teacher (which turned into a subscription to the magazine of my choice since I already get RT). Do these guys know me or what?

I then polished off an entire masala dosa, during which I attained a state of cosmic bliss.

The Maharaja guys know us (Shamus is concerned that they know too much about us, like our names and birthdays, but since we've been going there for birthdays for three years it's not too terribly surprising) and they do little extra things for us. So I'm convinced they made the dosa especially good somehow—it really did seem even better than usual, and when I said as much to the waiter, he said, "of course, it's your birthday!"

If you doubt that, get this: they improvised a birthday-cake-like dessert by piling a bunch of Indian desserts on a plate and sticking a candle in the middle (Shamus and Ang both took pictures—send me one and I'll put it up here). Two scoops of mango ice cream topped by maraschino cherries, looking exactly like breasts, were the centerpiece of this concoction; they were surrounded by literally piles of kulfi and gulub jamun. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Monday

So let's see...birthday week continued Monday night when Miri treated me to dinner at The Weary Traveler, which I love and Loopy doesn't—those are the best places to go when your wife is out of town.

We had a great conversation as always, and I luxuriated in (not literally) a big ol' bowl of my favorite vegan chili (with added steak tips & thick-sliced bacon, to make it un-vegan) and two big hunks of cornbread (one extra cuz I asked nicely). This satisfying repast helped me sleep through meditation.

Today

As if all this weren't already more than anyone deserves, my intermittently long-lost cousin called me up out of the blue to wish me a happy bday, and my dear (and never-lost) college roommate Amerina sent me some nifty things.

One of dear Amy's gifts, while perfect and delightful, is impossible to describe (see it here). The other is also delightful but easier to describe: "chicks rule" bath soap—smells wonderful. These goodies were wrapped in Edward Gorey paper, of course, and accompanied by a card wishing me a better year ahead... you can say that again...thank you dearie!!

Tomorrow I head down to Chicago by bus, then Thursday (the actual birthday) Loopy and I have a Loopy-Loopy fun day (location and activity TBD, suggestions welcome) before dining at my (current) favorite Chicago restaurant—this time we're gonna have the prix fixe, I can't wait!!!

I might tell you all about it or I might not. I've certainly babbled on long enough in this post.

And that's all I have to say, so far, about what is turning out to be a really wonderful birthday week.