I set my alarm for 9:00am now every day, so I can be sure to call Eric while he’s at lunch. This morning, I woke up at 7:00am! Nothing woke me up, I just got up and I felt great – better than I have since I got back to SD! I looked out the window and the sun was shining. The rain and wind had stopped! I was very surprised, because I actually watched the weather last night (which I NEVER do) and they said it would let up by Wednesday afternoon.
I was so delighted that the sun was shining on my birthday. I decided I’d get an early start on the day. I had breakfast, and then started working on my latest project – the large bejeweled mirror for Marlene. It’s a VERY complicated and challenging job, because the mirror has a scalloped wood frame around it, then a 5” border, which I am completely covering with jewelry, and then a larger scalloped border around that.
What makes it so difficult is the fact that, since I have those two borders, I am greatly restricted. Usually, I can overlap each edge a little bit, but since these borders are raised, I have to make every single piece of jewelry fit in between. Suffice it to say, I think this is the most challenging piece I have done since the bejeweled tissue box (which Marlene bought!). It’s a different type of challenge, but challenging nonetheless!
At 9:00am I called Eric and he sang “Happy Birthday” to me. He said he felt so bad, because this is the first time since we met in 1982 that we have not been together on my birthday. I told him that it’s okay, and that we’ll make up for all the missed days when we are together again in the Spring.
After working on the mirror for a while, I jumped in the shower, got dressed and started three loads of laundry. Then, I got in the car and drove to STARBUCKS. As I drove, I kept glancing up at the sky, looking for my Clairemont Eagle. No such luck today.
When I reached the STARBUCKS drive-thru, I had the chutzpah to ask if they gave free drinks on your birthday (I already knew they didn’t). Hey, you can’t blame me for trying! I then got myself a Venti Peppermint Mocha Twist Frappuccino. If you’ve ever had a chocolate-mint Andes Candy, it tastes exactly the same!
After Starbucks I headed to the post office. The line was almost OUT THE DOOR. I never saw such a long line at this particular post office, but of course it IS the week before Christmas! There was a line of about 25 people waiting for help inside, and then a line of about 6 or 7 people waiting to use a machine. I saw people with boxes standing on the line, so I asked if you could weigh and mail a box using this machine. This young girl spoke up and told me you could, and you could also buy stamps. Fabulous! I immediately moved over to the shorter line.
As each person was weighing their package and answering all the questions the machine was asking, inserting their credit card, etc., this young woman was helping. Then, an older man in black pants, a red shirt and a Christmas tie, came over to help customers. I told him he should hire this woman, because she was helping everyone and was doing such a great job. He said things were so tight at the post office that they didn’t even hire temps this year. That’s unheard of, because they ALWAYS hire extra help at the holidays. Things really are bad all over.
Anyway, when it was my turn, I measured the box, using their rulers, the machine weighed it, told me my options for shipping, and then printed out the postage on a label, which I just had to put on the package and drop in a bin. Then, I also bought Christmas stamps. If you’ve purchased these new nutcracker holiday stamps, you must have noticed that they are the thinnest, cheapest stamps I’ve ever seen. Could they BE any cheaper? They’re super-thin and you have to be very careful when you peel them, or they’ll rip right in half!
When I was done at the post office, I went back to the apartment and put some stuff in the dryer and brought the rest up to hang on the line. I waited 40 minutes (working on my mirror and reading and writing emails) and then went down again. Some of it was still damp (there were a lot of towels), so I put in 3 more quarters for another 40 minutes and came back up.
Eric called me again. He had just gotten out of work and was heading down into the subway. He’s back working on 87th and 1st and he takes the express bus, then the subway and then walks a few blocks to work. Then reverses the process for the ride home. It’s a long commute and when he was all the way downtown he’d drive all the way in and then ride his bicycle from Chinatown to Exchange Street. It was a much faster commute, but he has to go where they send him!
Anyway, when the laundry was finally done, I went to CITIBANK to get some cash and, as I was leaving, there was a man getting on a Harley Davidson. He looked to be late 50s. I smiled as I passed and he asked if I had my helmet. I told him I didn’t, but thanks anyway! Then, as I’m walking towards my car, he calls after me and says, “I have an extra helmet!” I laughed and turned around. I said, “Today’s my birthday and you just made my day!” He said, “How old are you? 21? I said, “No – 51!” He said, “You must be kidding!” Which really made me feel good.
Then, he walked over to me and started talking to me. I told him I used to ride with my husband, but he had a bad accident in 1987 and neither of us has ridden a motorcycle since. He asked if my husband and I like boats. I told him no – we’re definitely not “water people” at all. I didn’t mention that I can hardly swim and that Eric doesn’t like the beach.
He told me he’s into yachting and photographs yacht races. He then told me to check out his website DA-WOODY.COM. Turns out he’s a wild and crazy guy who travels the world and drives an old woody car turned into a boat in Yacht races. Check it out: http://www.da-woody.com/DA-WOODY.HTML
After CITIBANK, I headed to COSTCO for gas and a few sundries. Here’s the best birthday present a girl could ask for: Gas at $1.55 a gallon!!!!!! I cannot believe I filled up my tank – 10.783 gallons for $16.70!!!! It’s a birthday miracle! That means, even on “E”, I could fill up the tank for under $20. Even 2 years ago, in NY, it was costing me $32 to fill up and, more recently, it went as high as $50! It really makes me happy, because cheaper gas means everything will be a little easier for people this season.
After parking the car, I walked inside the giant warehouse thinking, “Today’s my birthday, and I can buy anything I want!” The first thing I saw when I walked in the door was fleece bathrobes. I got myself an ANNE LEWIN lavender cozy fleece shawl collar 48” wrap robe. I just love feeling it. It’s SO soft!!!
The next thing I saw were slippers. I NEED new slippers! I got DEARFOAMS “special edition” black suede slippers with “plush cushioning” and “sure-grip soles.” They’re really like shoes, because they have a sole you can definitely wear outside, which I like, because this way I can wear them to the laundry room or mail box!
Next, I got AAA batteries, which I needed for the headset I use with my television. I originally got this way back in NY, because I used to stay up so much later than Eric when he was working and I had closed the shop. This way, I could watch TV and he could sleep and the TV wouldn't bother him.
I haven’t used them in a long time, but when I have the heat on in the apartment it goes off and on all the time. It’s a forced air system and when it’s on, it’s very loud, so I have to make the TV louder. Then, when it goes off, the TV is too loud, so I have to make the TV lower. It’s a process all night long and I have to hold the remote in my hand all the time. I figure if I use the headphones, I won’t have to adjust the volume, and I also won’t bother the people downstairs with my loud volume late at night. I have NO idea if I AM bothering them, but I know I can hear their TV when it’s quiet in the bedroom, so I’m assuming they can hear mine, too!
As I walked up and down the aisles I had a lovely lunch. You know all the food samples you can get at COSTCO (or BJ’s, or SAM’S, or any of those big warehouse stores). Well, I had some mini quiche, potstickers, mozzarella cheese, raspberry chipotle and cream cheese on a cracker, sweet and salty nuts, mini pizzas, and low-fat yogurt. It’s so funny, because everyone is walking around the store eating. I guess it keeps the customers happy! Some of the things I tried were SO good, I was tempted to buy them (the mini quiche were to die for), but I didn’t.
I DID pick up a tray of sushi for my birthday dinner. I also got balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, because I use a lot of that for cooking and salads. The last thing I picked up was a mat for the front door. I like to wipe my feet when I come in and leave my shoes on a mat, instead of on the floor or the rug. It’s a chocolate brown, which goes nicely with the light brown rug in the apartment. I didn’t see anything else I needed and had gotten everything I wanted, so I checked out and headed home.
After putting everything away, my phone rang. It was all the HR girls on speaker phone, singing Happy Birthday! We talked for a few minutes and they all said how much they missed me. I had emailed my agency this morning and told them they should try to find me work starting Monday, 12/22, and the woman I work with emailed back and said she had called the firm and asked if they needed me and they said no. So, I definitely won’t be going back there until 2009, if at all. Well, it was nice while it lasted and I DID make a lot of friends while I was there!
Speaking of friends, I’m having lunch with Tifney tomorrow – Conrad’s babysitter! She’s such a doll and we have a lot of fun together. She told me she loves my company, which made feel really great. I’m picking her up at 11:30am and we’re going back to SOUP PLANTATION. It’s her favorite place and it’s just about a mile from the office, so it’s very convenient.
I again plugged in the hot glue gun and worked on the mirror (as you can see, once I get started…). At around 4:30pm I decided to take a nap, before my yoga class. I often used to come home from work at 5:30pm and take a nap for an hour before class and it really revived me. Not so much tonight! When I woke up at 6:30pm, I just hit the alarm, rolled over, and went back to sleep. I really DID want to go to yoga tonight, because I haven’t been there in WEEKS, but the thought of staying home, working on the mirror and watching the season finale of THE BIGGEST LOSER was just too appealing.
I got up around 7:00pm, had some sushi, and then started work. I stopped at 8:30pm and watched TBL. I was SO worried that the evil, conniving, bitch Vicky would end up winning $250,000. I really wanted Michelle to win, because she's such a great girl. I wouldn’t have minded if Heba or Ed won, because they were a very sweet and cute couple, but I REALLY wanted Michelle to win.
Well, Heba ended up winning the $100,000 for losing the most weight for an eliminated contestant. Michelle ended up losing over 45% of her body weight and won the Grand Prize -- $250,000. And the Evil Vicky walked away with – nothing! Karma is a bitch!
After THE BIGGEST LOSER, I watched ELI STONE, which is one of my favorite shows. I’ve heard it’s been cancelled. Boo hoo! I really enjoy this one. It’s very spiritual, and touching, yet there are a lot of laughs and – my favorite thing – musical numbers! If you’ve never seen it, check it out!
So, tomorrow is my big day out. First, lunch with Tifney. Then, back to the apartment to change for DANCING WITH THE STARS! Rosemary is picking me up at 5:30pm and taking me to dinner. I can’t wait to see all the stars dancing in person. I know it will be a fantastic night!
I got a lot of birthday cards, emails, e-cards and phone calls, which really mean the world to me. The biggest surprise was an email from a couple Eric and I met while we were visiting Asheville last April. You may remember I wrote about Keith and Amy, the lovely couple who owned the Indie Coffee House in Brevard (Pisgah Forest), North Carolina, right outside Asheville. I am happy to report that their business is thriving, and they were kind enough to email me to wish me a happy birthday. I guess I must have filled out something for them, too! I'm always telling everyone my birthday -- Chicken of the Sea, Cold Stone Creamery, and the INDIE COFFEE HOUSE!
This was definitely not the most exciting, fun-filled birthday I’ve ever had, but walking outside on my birthday in just a shirt – no jacket – and turning my face to the sun to feel the warmth – well, that’s the best birthday gift I could have asked for. I know my next birthday will be back in NY and it will definitely be cold, but I’ll have my Eric to keep me warm!