May 6, 2013

Today was my birthday. And it was a pretty good day. I did decide to sleep an extra thirty minutes rather than exercise. I don't feel great about that decision but I can easily live with it.

My mom got to work before I did and somehow my birthday came up so the receptionists and the principal wished me a happy birthday when I walked in the office. That was nice. The rest of my morning was spent with two, back-to-back MAP tests. Always enjoyable.

After lunch when the fifth graders came to the lab, the para (who used to be my preschool teacher) went around and whispered something to all the kids. And then on the count of three they all said “Happy Birthday Mr....”. The first part was really strong but when they got to my name it really died out. They all call me something different, most of them not quite my name, but it was pretty funny.

Later on in the afternoon my mom came and got me and we went down to the kindergarten room. Right after I came in all the kids started singing “Happy Birthday”. I thought they were just going to say “Happy Birthday” but then the song kicked in and it was great. When they were done I sat down and put on the birthday hat before getting a cookie and tiny cupcake. The birthday hat is a big top hat, decorated like a cake, with candles on top. And because it was my birthday, I got to take the first bite when everyone had their cookie and cupcake. The last kid to get his kept telling me to hold on until he got his so I really slowly moved a piece of the cookie up to my mouth, building the excitement. It was a lot of fun.

Near the end of the day I helped one of the resource teachers figure out a weird Excel printing thing. She has a newer version of Excel which was frustrating because I knew what I needed to fix but couldn't find the things I needed to change. I eventually got it figured out, though, so it was worth all the clicking around.

A little while after that the mom who is working on the yearbook with me stopped by the lab to get the pictures that teachers have been collecting. We also talked about what needs to be finished and worked some of the kinks out. The end of the year is quickly approaching. No pressure.

After school I went to schedule a haircut and she had an opening when I walked in because my mom had canceled her appointment. That worked out quite nicely. With my last several haircuts I have waited at least a week longer than I should, probably two weeks, and this time was no exception, so it was nice finally getting it cut. And I need to enjoy it while it lasts considering how fast my hair seems to be leaving me.

Shortly after I got home my friend called and we ended up talking for about forty-five minutes. He is moving to California in July to start training new F-18 pilots so he said our other friend and I need to come out and visit him on the East Coast before he moves. I am totally up for that. I need a vacation. And I have never seen the beach in person. Not counting when I flew over it in the middle of the night. Hopefully something will come of this.

For dinner I went to a Chinese buffet with my mom and sister. It was a very sad buffet. The food had obviously been there awhile and they made no effort to refresh it. I can't blame them two much because we were the only people there for about an hour, but they could have done better. We just need to figure out when they bring out the food for dinner. I think the french fries had been out there since lunch.

After dinner we went over to my grandma's for birthday cake. We ate cake and talked for almost two hours and that is always a good time. The best story of the night was my grandma telling us about the time she walked into the glass door of the office at the church. People walking into glass doors is always funny. As long as they don't hurt themselves.

When we called it a night at my grandma's we came home and I opened my gifts. I got the Kindle, which I bought for myself and had my mom wrap. The case I got is supposed to be orange but it is really more of a red-orange, with an emphasis on red. The idea for the orange was so that I wouldn't lose it in my room, so the red-orange still works for that, and the color is growing on me. My sister made me her homemade hummus and pitas, and even though my stomach still hurt from the Chinese food and cake, I couldn't resist eating a bit more. It is addictive stuff. She also made me a totally badass Minecraft Creeper face out of yarn and then put it in a frame. It is really cool.

And now I am going to go to bed because it is way past my bedtime and I have been tired since nine o'clock. I foresee the morning being a tad rough. It'll be worth it though. Today was a good day. Definitely a good birthday.