Happy birthday to me!
Yup, this day marks another years end on this planet. My 32nd. Wow, writing it out like hat makes me feel old! Truth is, I feel much like I did in my early twenties, except that I can’t drink as much and I complain more. A trend that is sure to continue. lol. Nothing too special planned for the day, I’ll probably bake myself a cake - chocolate with cream cheese icing. I’m a bit unsure about that mixture, but I’m sure it will taste fine since it’s loaded with sugar! Oh, that reminds me, must get my coffee before I get into this. Judging by the length of my last post, I’m going to need it!
OK, coffee in hand, I wanted to write a bit about birthdays gone by. I haven’t had too many really memorable birthdays, but I usually celebrate them in some fashion.
John Abbott College: This dates back to a period then birthdays were not a singular event, but a week-long party! When I moved away to college in Montreal, I was lucky enough to attend the same college as many from my graduating high school class. In fact, my first year away from home, I lived in the same building with 8 of my fellow graduates, many of whom I had known since kindergarten. And out of these people, 4 of us had birthdays between Sept 29 and October 4th. What a time we had! The local bars were in the tradition of giving out a free pitcher of beer on your birthday. And given the tight budget we were all on at the time, we visited many bars in an evening - all along Lakeshore road around Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec. Lots of fun with some really cool people. 
McGill: There was always a party or get together going on while I was at McGill, so it’s not surprising that my birthdays don’t stand out that much. However there is one particular birthday that I remember. It’s probably the best surprise birthday party I never had! lol. At the time I was living with Kim and Sandy, leading a bit of a double life socializing with them and the rest of the department, but also a smaller group of friends (Erin, Laurie, Jeff). Well, I had been dropping hints about my birthday for a few days and heard nothing about a party. I was a bit bummed and I think Erin, who was out of town, got wind of that and convinced Laurie and Jeff to have me over for the night. I went straight there after school and had a good time. Late in the evening, I returned home to what could only have been the remnants of a huge birthday party! lol. Kim and Sandy had arranged a surprise party and invited ALL my friends from the department. This is the typical kind of misfortune that afflicts me - great things happen, and I hear about them after the fact! It was really nice to know that they all came over to wish me a good day - I’m sure they were a little annoyed and surprised that I never came home!
Notre Dame: This one was a biggy. Not only my 30th birthday, but also a graduation party of sorts. Friends went overboard on this one, but it was fun. Rented a hall at one of the apartment complexes, decorated it to the max, and had me over. Festivities complete with a showing of Logan’s Run … and George insisted that I wear a little red gem in the palm of my hand, only figured out why after the movie. hehe. I got a bunch of memorable gifts. A little stuffed doggie signed by the whole gang. A singing gerbil. Some great DVD’s for my collection. A cane with a little horn attached to it. lol. And, very unexpectantly, a bottle of Lagavulin highland scotch … which I still enjoy a taste of every now and again (thanks Andrew!).
Cheers!
