All the News That's Fit to Blog

This has been a lovely weekend, which Thomas and I totally deserved after a really crappy week that included the air being let out of my tires, a red-light ticket in the mail, and way too little sleep, among other things.

We stayed in all weekend and rested and I am feeling much better than usual on a Sunday night. Though that might be due to the fact that I tried the new "invigorating" diet pepsi today. Bring on the caffeine, indeed.

Today we celebrated my little sister-in-law, Jessica's 15th birthday. Happy Birthday, Jessica! We gave her a huge holographic Harry Potter standee from the 5th movie. I had to touch it a lot before we gave it to her, and I think a little bit of my heart is still in Boiling Spring Lakes with it.

Thomas's brother Chris brought the first oysters of the season and they were delish.

I'm relishing the new NaBloPoMo site and totally gearing up for some serious posting come November. One of my favorite parts of the new site is that we can add friends--and I'm loving getting to friend some of the bloggers I met last November.

Obligatory novel discussion that you are welcome to start ignoring: Finished chapter 20 and got a good start on 21 this weekend. I'm now on page 288. I can hardly believe it. Things have taken a really excellent turn, and some plot threads that I had been having trouble wrapping up have figured themselves out nicely.

Ooh! In further good news, I finally found a decent bra. Since Hanes discontinued my life-long favorite this year, I've been struggling to find a concoction of wire, spandex and cotton that could contain my rather monstrous rack. Hooray for Fruit of the Loom for bucking tradition and making bras with both underwires and diagonal seams and for making them in colors other than white and peach.

Yay and Nay, Edition 1

Yay
Michael Stipe
Dogs
My friend Steve's 40th birthday
Space Ghost
Freshly dyed hair


Nay
The smell of freshly dyed hair
Hangovers
Pizza Hut buffet not being open on Saturdays
humidity


Last night, I went out with a bunch of people for Steve's 40th birthday. Happy birthday, Stevie! During the course of the evening, my friend Michelle was being hit on by some randoms, and when they asked her name she told them it was Heather. She then introduced me as Lisa. I've never done that before. No matter how annoyed or amused I was by some one's pick up attempt, I've never given anything but my real name. It was kind of liberating, but also kind of scary. I'm still Meg, right?

Also, I would like to report that Michelle broke the toilet in Lula's. She was on a drunken rampage. Or she was trying to fix it when the lid fell off and shattered into a million pieces.

Happy 33rd Birthday, Thomas!

The reason I look like there's a heavy object squashing me down in this picture is that the man who was taking it said that he couldn't see Jon behind me, and so I wanted to duck down without looking fat. As you can see, the results were excellent. Heh.
There, that's better.

I know every June/July my blog turns into Gilbert birthday picture extravaganza, but bear with me just a little longer so that I can wish my lovely husband a happy birthday. I love you, hon.

It's Togalicious

Please check out my new photo set to see my rocking 30th birthday party toga action.

A huge thank you to my awesome husband, Thomas, for the excellent party and cake. More thanks than I can express to Michelle, Jennifer, Kathy, Ali, Michelle, Mary, Alice, Steve, Will, Jackie, Jim, Bernie, Susan, Brian, Jon and Dragan for the best birthday any girl could ask for. You all spoiled me beyond reason. I love you.

The Best Birthday Present EVER

This was just presented to me by my two next door neighbors, Jack and Owen. They are 7 and 4.


Jack reports to me that I should not drink this because it has sleeping medicine in it. It also contains rosemary, flour, and sesame seeds, but not peanut butter.

As he left, he yelled, "Take it or leave it!" and then kindly reminded me to wash out and return the glass.

I love those two so much.

30 Years of Humiliation

And now for the moment we've all been waiting for...






I would just like to say that my husband, family and friends are more than any girl could ask for. I am filled with chocolate cake and my new iPod (thank you, Thomas!) is filled with songs. Hooray for 30! If I'd known it was going to be this good, I'd have done it a long time ago.

The Week in Review

Sorry for the sudden quiet over here: life was in full force this week. School started back up, which was actually pretty great. I feel, for the first time, that my vacation actually did what it was supposed to do. I went back refreshed and calm and patient. If I were a sim, the diamond over my head would be totally green. I added a student this week, bringing my total up to 26, same as last year at this time. Except last year I wanted to inflict bodily harm on the administration or perhaps myself, and this year, I just feel like, Oh well! The more the merrier! Which is, perhaps, an indication that the early daylight savings time has done me a lot of good, or that someone is drugging my diet pepsi.

My dad had a minor heart proceedure yesterday, which was scary, but he is ok. In fact, when I spoke to my mom about an hour after the surgery, he was already awake and eating hotdogs and right now he and my mom are en route to a toga party. I'm kind of jealous. I've never been to a toga party.

My stellar friend Michelle had a birthday and I ate Mexican food for the first time in almost 4 years. It ruled. I'm going to put a flickr photo up of her celebration some time this weekend. Happy Birthday, Michelle!

My dog, Gertie, who, since her tooth surgery, never stops chewing up sticks and things that she finds in the yard, ate part of citronella candle yesterday, nearly giving me heart failure and causing the vet to advise me to make her throw up by feeding her hydrogen peroxide.

Now it's Friday and despite all the action, I'm still filled with this awesome sense of peace. Hurray!

Day 3

Happy Birthday to my friend Bernie, with whom I raucously celebrated last evening. We all went out for Cuban food and then to Lula's where I really should learn to behave myself.

This morning I got up and planted about 100-150 of the seeds that I started in February--I'll probably do the rest tomorrow, weather permitting. Good luck, seeds!

Thomas and I watched Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny on Thursday night and I have to say that I love, love, loved it. Jack Black has been so dissapointing lately--I was not impressed with the Holiday, etc. But Tenacious D was hilarious, which is saying a lot, because I usually don't go in for that type of movie. It made me think that Kevin Smith and Jack Black need to team up and make something.

Suprise!

So, I am no longer a surprise party virgin. Yes, it's true, I attended my very first surprise party on Saturday night for my friend Mary's 30th birthday and I didn't even wreck the surprise!

Here are some great pictures of Mary freaking out:





Happy Birthday, Mary!


Here is my favorite video ever of surprise parties:

Happy Birthday Thomas!!

Happy Birthday to my lovely husband who is 32 today.

It's a lasagna festival!!

I'll post pictures of tonight's craziness tomorrow. But for now, our redone jukebox:

Last Evening's Debauchery

It all began innocently enough at Circa.



The first sign of things to come was when I decided to try to eat this entire creme brulee. I did not succeed.



My lovely girls



Notice how Tom Fleming keeps sneaking into these pictures. Quit it, Tom!!






Goodniiiiiight!

Why Squid Don't Have Surprise Parties

The awesome birthday card that Thomas gave me. Notice the use of the word "dude;" perhaps my favorite word ever.



Flowers that were kind enough to bloom for my birthday, including the elusive red sunflower.









My friend Jennifer gave me this here Big Daddy hydrangea.



We may adopt the stray previously mentioned in "This Cat is the Boss of Me." We have named him Orange Julius.

Happy Birthday to Jina (and me)

Hurrah! It's Thursday and I am home! Fridays at my work are half days with no patients seen, so I'm looking forward to that.

Today Jina, one of my oldest friends, is in town and it is her birthday. I've known Jina since we were 6 years old and we've always enjoyed that our birthdays were only 2 days apart, thinking, in the way that only little girls do, that this somehow made us like twins. We haven't gotten to celebrate together in about 15 years. We're going to the Little Dipper, which should be nice. The last time that we were there, we sat in the window, and randomly, about 6 people I knew walked by. I kept having to stop the conversation and wave. This made me look incredibly popular which made me happy. I think Jina actually said, "Do you, like, know everybody here?" Why yes; yes, I do.

My birthday is Saturday and I will be 29, which I am very happy about. I love to get older. It makes all the mistakes I've made seem further in the past and less insane.