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Jan 10, 2010

Yesterday it was my birthday. I hung one more year on the line.*


Some thoughts on turning 50....

My best present was the birth on Friday of my GREAT nephew, Benjamin Michael. Congratulations, Jake and Dee! I love all three of you so much - even though you couldn't wait until Saturday!

The best card I got was from my Mom who accidentally picked one up that said "Happy Birthday Mom" so she penned the word "From" between "Birthday" and "Mom". It reminded me of all the birthday cards I got from my Grandma Cox (God rest her soul) so many years ago when she would cross out words like "Son" and hand write "Granddaughter" in its place. I laughed until I cried. Then I cried until I laughed.

The biggest asshole in the world is Bill Gates. He reminds me of it every time I have to enter my birthday  on a website. I can remember when I didn't have to scroll down so far to find the year of my birth. And why is 2010 on the list anyway? Who the hell does he think is playing on his stupid computer? Asshole.

My wonderful husband told me the entire weekend was going to be about me. Oh boy, was it ever!

We started out on Friday evening after work, our normal pizza and beer night. First we went to The Wigwam for a drink. The crowd was a bit more subdued than the crowd we ran into a couple of weeks before Christmas - mostly golfers and an elderly couple sitting next to us. (I can still use the word "elderly" for a few more years.)

First and foremost, there was a piano player. It was almost surreal because I told Bill here I was the last night of being 49 and listening to the piano player made me feel like I was at my own funeral. BUT THEN the elderly woman next to me got into a conversation with the bar maid about how they had been married 47 years and how fast time goes and blah, blah, blah....and just when I thought it couldn't get any worse the Piano Man started playing "Imagine" and Bill said to me "Listen. He's playing dead guys now."

I asked Bill if we could just pick up a pizza and take it home. All I really wanted to do was get home and change into my sweats. We sat and drank a beer while we waited on the pizza. Meanwhile three REALLY young girls came in. One of them had that really pretty RED color on her hair. Not natural red but scarlet red. You know what I mean? Bill told me he thought that color was really cool. What a coincidence, I thought. I'm getting my hair colored tomorrow for my birthday so I asked him "Would you like me to get that color on my hair tomorrow?" to which he replied "It looks good on younger girls". End of party Friday night.

So, as I mentioned, I treated myself to a new hair color on my birthday. A few months ago I found this wonderful gal named Jessica who gave me the best hair cut I have had in years the very first time she cut my hair.  I soon learned that we had a lot in common. She works at a bank during the week like I had done for so many years when I was younger. She loves Marilyn Monroe, and collects anything about her. I think that's pretty cool that someone so young would be so fascinated by someone not named Britney or Hannah Montana. I had been kicking around the idea of getting my hair done and decided I was going to give that to myself for my birthday. When I walked in and told the girls it was my 50th they squealed with delight. "My Mom just turned 50 last November!" said Jessica. The gal next to her started talking about how her Dad would be turning 50 next November and she was going to give him a surprise party. What the heck. I still adore Jessica and her cute, young friends - even if they couldn't remember the day Dan Majerlie was drafted by the Phoenix Suns and got booed.

Bill walked up to me later in the day and said to me "I have a verbal birthday card for you":

You may be fifty,
but you still look nifty
And you'll probably look nifty
when you're sixty
I love you. Happy Birthday"

Wasn't that sweet? He must be a poet and not know it. He also must have not had time to pick up a real card. Ha. Seriously, I loved it; but quickly forgot about it when he mentioned on my Facebook page:

Thank you for letting me be a part of your life for these many years that seem like so few.

He's so not on my Friends list now.

Okay, so today the party's over - except I'm going to have a Sunday Champagne Brunch at the Wrigley Mansion. (You just KNOW I'm going to bore you with pictures of that.)

Yeah, being fifty ROCKS. Sorry for the long post. Am I fifty-one yet?

*"Have A Good Time" by Paul Simon

2 Passengers in the Car:

Nancy said...

That was great!! You write awesomely...is that a word? I love this post. I want to see your hair!! I think what Bill said was sweet. Your time together has just flown...you know like..."time flys when you're having fun"? I hope you truly enjoyed your birthday weekend!! Now we have to do that movie.

Cathi said...

It sounds like you had a fabulous weekend....and Bill is very sweet with what he said in his verbal poem and on Facebook...I'd keep him! :) Next weekend you will have an excellent adventure - we will see to that!! Love you! xxoo