Birthday

Today’s my birthday so of course I think I should write a blog post about it.  This would work really well if my birthday were in, say, a month far removed from one with the birthday celebration of a major deity or a night spent imbibing the bubbly you bought after your daughter drank the champagne snow meter.  A month devoid of record breaking snowstorms and union rules that say you can’t take the day after school vacation off without a doctor’s note.  A month like, say, July.

I love July! It still holds the promise of summer without the overcooked excess of August.  I’d share my birthday with America because, as my sleepy students know when I yell at them to stand and “be citizens” every morning for the Pledge, I do love the USA.  My date with dark o’clock goes on hiatus; I can get up at noon if I want to and write code at 2 a.m. (really, the best time to write code for me).  Born in July, I’d be a Cancer not a Capricorn, a compassionate eccentric rather than workaholic adventurer.  In traditionally Gesin fashion, I could start the party on the Fourth of July at the shore, then fly down to Dallas for a family celebration.

You’d think at my age, this wouldn’t be such a big deal.  It is.  Birthdays are the only day that are yours, where everyone wishes you a good day, you can reflect on where you’ve been, and plan where you’re going. Presents aren’t bad either but these days food and wine tend to take precedence.

My kids are on vacation in the Caribbean for a week, I have to work on my birthday, and really, no one wants to head out to party on the Monday after the holidays.  Even my vegan birthday cake will have to wait! So my birthday will be delayed a bit, dinner on Wednesday with @mswas, family celebration next weekend, and a joint commisseration dinner with another January baby, @jmediamaven, later in the month.  I did say in an earlier post that I should value friends like Joanna more, and a dinner celebrating two fabulous January babies is a great way to start (ok, she’s not a Capricorn, but I forgive her … and really, two capricorns at one table is never a good thing).

So on my birthday, this workaholic adventurer will settle in for the long haul of teaching until Spring Break, plan her summer trip (more on that in another post), make herself dinner, enjoy some bubbly with no need to share, and look forward to the birthday celebrations to come in the next few weeks!

Advertisement