Wine and cheese

Thinking about my birthday and potential birthday plans. I remember when I was a kid my mother always threw the best birthday parties for me. We used to play games like Red Light, Green Light and Pick Up As Many Cotton Balls With a Serving Spoon As Possible While Blindfolded. Then we would eat mini hotdogs and delicious chocolate birthday cake. One time we went on a horse drawn carriage. One time we had a Valentine's day theme and gave everyone a rose. When my oldest brother stopped having birthday parties I couldn't believe it, or understand it.

Then I got older, maybe it was around grade 6, and finally I understood. You can't invite all the kids in your class when you get to that age. Invites become a major consideration and it's usually not worth the effort or the nervousness to consider who to invite, and to subject yourself to possible embarassment when people come over expecting to have a good time. Since then I have had a variety of birthday celebrations. I can't remember any of them.

For the last two years I have suffered heart break RIGHT before my birthday. Matt and I broke up two years ago on February 4th. So I spent my birthday packing and heading off to Cuba. That, I must admist, wasn't too bad. Last year Michael and I broke up on the 27th of January. I had a gathering of girlfriends join me for dinner at Pizza Hut; a good old fashioned birthday party complete with free dessert. My advice to you is to try not to break up with a boyfriend right before a special event. It certainly takes away from the pleasantries...

This year there has been no heart break, so I suppose there is double call for celebration. I'm considering my options. The day also falls on a Saturday, so that's convenient as nobody can get off with the excuse of having a midterm the next day.

That reminds me of another thing. I hate it when friends opt out of celebrating someone else's birthday for a reason that they could have controlled. Like a test or being really tired, or something dumb like that. Birthday's only come once a year and usually if people are asking you to come they really do want you to. It takes away from their day if nobody comes, and that's why kids stop having birthday parties at such a young age. Dammit!

Anyway, back to me. I'm thinking of having a gathering here at my apartment. Jordana and I were just discussing having a bake-off but perhaps that's asking too much, and isn't as fun as this idea: a wine and cheese tasting. Everyone can bring a different kind of wine and cheese and we can all taste it, or taste it all. Mmm mmm wine and cheese. Then we can get good and drunkenly full. I think it's a plan. Invitations will be sent out ASAP.