How to wish SallyKitt a Happy Birthday Jan 16th!

"I am flattered and encouraged by all the wonderful messages I received today!"

This is from an entry I made over on the goal-setting site, 43Things. I was invited onto the team to wish myself a happy birthday today! This is my report on how to do it for oneself.

How I did it: Signed up for the goal. Responded to everyone who wrote to me.

Had a very productive day at work, which felt good.

Offline, I didn't get bummed out that we might not feel up to celebrating on my birthday. Good thing, because it turned out that we went to our favorite sushi bar for a wonderful dinner. Tried several new rolls, drank hot sake, chatted with others at the sushi bar a bit. Hydra told them it was my birthday so our chef made me a really gorgeous tempura ice cream dessert, and everyone sang happy birthday. There were more calls of happy birthday as we left.

Lessons & tips:

Don't focus on what you haven't done by your Nth birthday. What good's that? (And there are the hours between midnight and dawn for that anyway!)

If you are a bit of a regular at a restaurant, consider going there rather than a new place for your birthday meal. It really was nice to have the sushi chefs who have made us great meals all year long celebrate along with us.

Don't set the bar for satisfaction too high. Really enjoy everything that comes your way.

Tell people it's your birthday if it matters to you. Pouting about no one noticing is no fun for anyone!

Resources:

My husband, my mother, my sister and brothers, my online friends at 43T and Facebook, my co-workers, my brick-and-mortar friends who called or emailed or sent cards.

It took me 1 day.

It made me Happy & warm

If you're interested, you can see how we celebrate on 43 Things..by sending virtual gifts!

See more progress on: Wish SallyKitt a Happy Birthday Jan 16th!

Oh, and yes! That's Hydra's gift to me. The new Photoshop Elements/Adobe Premiere 7 software...which I used to enhance the photo, of course!

There's Got to Be a Morning After - Sunday 5/18/2008

Yeah, we stayed up late last night talking with our friends after the celebration was over. And then went to our own room at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Arcadia.

They had all kinds of cute little notes like this around the room.




This is part of the courtyard within the hotel. We enjoyed the complementary breakfast served on the other side of the pond in the company of our friends and their family. Really lovely way to start the day.

This ramp was the scene of an interesting bit of playfulness with B's wheelchair (she's recovering from another foot surgery months after her car accident.) B's husband and previously married son were involved, and that's all I'm saying!



We said our goodbyes and headed homeward.


Yeah, that's a helicopter landing next to Angeles Forest Highway. A motorcyclist went down around an inside curve. We saw the helicopter going in for a landing and waited with a few other drivers while they loaded the rider up and flew him out.

Another rider, who hadn't been with the group that included the downed rider said, "Why do we see so many Harleys wrecked?" They weren't riding Harleys.


The guy was really lucky that he was riding with others who could call in the accident, and that there was a landing pad right there.

Happy Anniversary! - Wednesday 8/8/2007

We went to Vincent Hill Station in Acton to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Yikes. It's astonishing to think we have towels that are older than Lindsay Lohan. Thank goodness they are better behaved.


Don't judge! These crab stuffed mushrooms were actually much better than they look. In fact, they were the best part of the meal.

Vincent Hill Station looks better in the dark when the interior glows with firelight, which it has been when we've gone there before, for my birthday. The service was actually very disappointing and the food was just okay.

I think the combination of the France trip and watching Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (which is miles and miles superior to his trashy Fox-TV series Hell's Kitchen) have spoiled us for prepackaged or frozen foods at high prices.


The flowers Hydra brought home with him. Cheery!

Pre-Peepapalooza Excitment Abounds - Thursday 4/5/2007

Momalisa brought in cute plastic bunnies stuffed with mini-M&Ms and Peeps sucker-rigns for each of us! She's been off sweets for lent, but that doesn't stop her from spreading the joy.

My friend TorontoM started Peepapolooza years ago, when she worked side by side with the rest of us, before moving to the new office in Toronto. It involves capturing unsuspecting Peeps, gathering coworkers and ritualistically microwaving the Peeps into utter sugary submission.

Seriously, you have not lived until you've consumed a hot Peep.

I will be posting the results of our own Peepapolooza sometime after we actually do it on Monday. Until then, if you want to experience it for yourself, here are instructions. (I like that "How to clean a microwave" is a related link on this page!)

Dude! When I went looking, I discovered Peep Jousting on Wikipedia. This truly twisted event must be added to Monday's event schedule!

Rose Parade : Part 2 - Monday 1/1/2007

Light in leaves on the side street in Pasadena where B&J parked their car. A resident assured us that we could leave it there while we went to view the floats. What a pleasant town.



I got a kick out of seeing this on the sidewalk. Yeah, I get a kick out of odd things sometimes. But you see this used in various motifs in the Craftsman architecture and decor that is so prominent in Pasadena. Like, in ceramic tile patterns or as newel posts.


I like this one because it has easily recognizable components. Limes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, beans, etc. This is from the viewing area at Pasadena High School.


Up close and personal with a Native American headdress.


The sky was so gorgeous that day!

Rose Parade: Part 1 - Monday 1/1/2007

We went to the Rose Parade! It took our friends, B&J coming from Indiana to get us to go. They treated us to bleacher seats, a program, and tickets to the viewing afterward. We drove to Union Station and took the Gold Line from there. Very smooth.

B pointed out that Mother Nature was a little scary. Guess all those hurricanes, etc., have put us off her a bit!



This one's for Ween! See? I told you I thought of you and Blue!


My personal favorite. A Dino Rock band. This guy's hair moved in the coolest way as the float moved down the street. All the dinos on this one were great.



The dog of Hydra's youth was a bulldog. I thought the cat's expression was pretty terrific on this one.

Yes, that was the party that was. Out with the old year, in with the new!


B told us that when they arrived just before dawn, there were still fires going... Logs burning right on the street! But everything went very calmly and people were 99.9 % thoughtful and friendly.

Christmas Cards and Way Deep Thoughts - Sunday, 12/24/2006

I love putting up the Christmas cards we receive. This year Hydra and I wrapped the pantry door with gold paper as a background.

Neither of us is religious, but we both love Christmas.

Most cultures set aside days upon which to celebrate things that they deem spiritually or socially valuable. There are reasons why we tend to do these things around the same times of the year, because all our roots spring from the natural cycles of the earth.

We mark the season in which the sun begins to return to us because even in warmer climes, we are happier in the light. When the days begin to grow longer, it's a sign that the planet is still working correctly on its most basic levels.

For me, the season between winter solstice and the changing of the calendar year (in my part of the world) is a time for reflection, assessement and sustaining connections. I write to people I haven't written to in a year, but whom I still hold dear. I think about the things I hoped for in the past year, and take a look at how I rose to the challenges, or didn't. I look ahead to the coming year with hope, and renewed energy, and sometimes a little trepidation.

I hope everyone finds her or his time of the year to stop and look at what you're up to, and be sure to give yourself credit for what you have done that has provoked some thought or provided some joy.

Dance a little jig for the movement of the moon and stars. Do it when no one can see you.

It might just make you stupid happy, and that might be just what you need.