Diaries I Read:
Today is my birthday! Woo hoo! Happy birthday to ME!
You know what�s cool? Today�s my dad�s birthday too!
And you know what�s even cooler than that? Today I am exactly half of my dad�s age. Which means that I�m exactly the age that he was on the day I was born.
Actually, that�s sorta weird. That my dad was my age when I was born.
Anyway, B made me breakfast in bed this morning. It was very, very sweet of him. But I have to say that, at 6:30 in the morning when you�ve JUST woken up and are dying to press snooze one more time, ham and eggs just aren�t all that appealing. I�m not so much of a ham-and-eggs girl as it is, and it was just a little too much first thing in the morning. But it�s the thought that counts, and I definitely appreciated it.
(I think next year my birthday will be on a Saturday. I think breakfast in bed would be perfect then, when you can eat and then roll over and snuggle with your husband and go back to sleep.)
So. 29. I�m 29 today. My girlfriend at work asked if I felt older. Nope. I feel pretty much the same as I did yesterday.
Am I supposed to feel different? Am I supposed to start feeling like a grown-up? Or does that not happen til you�re 30? Will I feel older when I�m 30? It sounds older.
So, since everyone seems to think 29 is a big deal � the last year of my 20s � I suppose now is the time to take stock of my life.
There seems to be a lot of stock-taking going on these days, what with the new year and making resolutions and everything. I guess it�s time for me to do it, since I didn�t at the beginning of the year.
The thing is, though, taking stock of your life and making resolutions and what-not all seems to point toward changing things about yourself. They seem to suggest that there�s something you�re not happy with. And, frankly, I�m happy.
I have a husband I�m madly in love with, two pets that I adore, a supportive and loving family including a mom who�s my best friend, a good job working with people I like, a beautiful new house, a body that gets out of bed and through the day relatively problem-free, friends who care about me despite my lack of effort to keep in regular touch, and a trampoline in the backyard to boot.
What do I have to complain about?
As I read through others� journals, I notice that a lot of them are filled with whining and complaining and voicing annoyances. I�m not bagging on anyone, just stating a fact. And I think the reason for this phenomenon is twofold. First, journals are a tool for voicing our feelings, and there�s just generally a lot of stuff to feel crappy about. A lot of people use journals to sort through the crappiness of life (believe me, I have volumes and volumes of journals from my high school, college, and post-college-looking-for-love days).
The other reason for the somewhat negative tone in a lot of journal entries out there is that we know that�s what other people want to read about. I think it�s human nature � just look at how we revel in news of tragedy and movies about murder and �reality� shows that glorify cat-fights and angst. We are drawn to it. So complaining about other people, work, school, or just annoying things in general is entertaining. We know it. We want to entertain. So we write it.
So maybe that�s why I haven�t felt like I have anything to put in my journal lately. I know no one wants to hear about my wonderful � or even somewhat pleasant � day. How is that interesting? I have to have drama � catastrophe, humiliation, bad luck, turmoil!
I guess my life just isn�t all that dramatic lately. Sorry to bore you.
But happy birthday to me! So far, I had breakfast in bed, then bagels and cake at our staff meeting, then a massage during lunch (with a gift certificate from my department), and, to be completely honest, I�ve done very little work today. I think we�re gonna leave a little early and go get a beer (or two) after work.
Then, I think B has something planned for us this evening. I also think my birthday gift is tickets to something. The reason I think that is because a week or so ago, I came across a newspaper on the counter with a note scribbled on it that said �2 tickets, February 21, 22.� (I could be wrong about the dates.) I asked B what he�d gotten tickets for, and he ignored me. I asked again and he said �What?� like I was completely bonkers. I told him he�d written a note about two tickets, and again he looked at me like I was out of my mind. I had already suspected that it was something for my birthday, so I let it go. I didn�t want to ruin any surprise he might be planning. But if it turns out that he didn�t get tickets for something and he was just blowing me off and not listening to me, I�m going to be annoyed. (See, there�s some annoyance expressed for you, bored readers!)
I don�t know what he has planned for tonight. I hope it�s something fun. It doesn�t have to be a big deal, just something fun. All I ask on my birthday is that it�s somewhat different from every other day in my life. Just make it different, B. Make it exciting.
So I have something to write about next week.
Working at home - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004
Toronto - Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
On the way to Toronto... - Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2004
A Good Day - Monday, Nov. 08, 2004
Another letter - Thursday, Nov. 04, 2004