My Birthday
14/03/07 22:02
What would usually be an uneventful birthday (early
30's) turned out to be especially memorable because
of the people I shared it with. In previous years a
birthday falling on a friday would be an extra bonus
because you can go out to wild bars and clubs with
all your friends and demand drinks from them all
night.
This year, however, I decided to take the day off and do some of things that are simply not possible for someone with a 9-5. Having had a leisurely lay in I took my little princess to her play-group and met all of her friends. I was the only guy there when I arrived and consequently got approving looks from all the mums but was joined by a couple of other dads a little later. So while I was glad for the initial attention I was pleased that there were others who looked as out of place as me. Millie, as usual, was her playful self upstaging everyone with shrieks of laughter and boundless energy. I took her for a full scamper around the room (my poor knees) and played with all her favorite toys.
After an hour or so Amelia and I left to meet Amity in Kingston to have a nice lunch together. After perusing a few pubs and restaurants by the river we settled on a small Mexican place tucked away down a side alley. It was completely deserted, usually not a good sign, but on this occasion it meant we could make as much noise as we liked and had the undivided attention of the rather bored looking waitress. We each opted for a fairly simple snack but were actually blown away by what we were served. Chicken, avocado, crispy bacon and salsa in a mexican style roll. Try it sometime, you'll thank me for it.
I'm a terrible person to buy gifts for. If there's something small that I want I always buy it for myself the moment I think of it. The other things I want I generally can't afford so asking someone else to buy it for me is a bit of stretch. None-the-less, gift shopping we went. Of course I ended up buying more items for Amity and Amelia than myself but I still managed to get some nice chocs, a book and a silly key-ring.
In the evening we went round to my folks for dinner to see them, my brother, his fiance and her mother. Quite a family gathering. My parents served all my favorite food and drinks and we chatted away until late while Amelia slept upstairs in her home from home.
The following day I embraced some not so father-of-the-year activities; 8 hours in front of the TV watching sports and drinking beers with my buddies. I think Amity and Amelia understood and were very forgiving.
This year, however, I decided to take the day off and do some of things that are simply not possible for someone with a 9-5. Having had a leisurely lay in I took my little princess to her play-group and met all of her friends. I was the only guy there when I arrived and consequently got approving looks from all the mums but was joined by a couple of other dads a little later. So while I was glad for the initial attention I was pleased that there were others who looked as out of place as me. Millie, as usual, was her playful self upstaging everyone with shrieks of laughter and boundless energy. I took her for a full scamper around the room (my poor knees) and played with all her favorite toys.
After an hour or so Amelia and I left to meet Amity in Kingston to have a nice lunch together. After perusing a few pubs and restaurants by the river we settled on a small Mexican place tucked away down a side alley. It was completely deserted, usually not a good sign, but on this occasion it meant we could make as much noise as we liked and had the undivided attention of the rather bored looking waitress. We each opted for a fairly simple snack but were actually blown away by what we were served. Chicken, avocado, crispy bacon and salsa in a mexican style roll. Try it sometime, you'll thank me for it.
I'm a terrible person to buy gifts for. If there's something small that I want I always buy it for myself the moment I think of it. The other things I want I generally can't afford so asking someone else to buy it for me is a bit of stretch. None-the-less, gift shopping we went. Of course I ended up buying more items for Amity and Amelia than myself but I still managed to get some nice chocs, a book and a silly key-ring.
In the evening we went round to my folks for dinner to see them, my brother, his fiance and her mother. Quite a family gathering. My parents served all my favorite food and drinks and we chatted away until late while Amelia slept upstairs in her home from home.
The following day I embraced some not so father-of-the-year activities; 8 hours in front of the TV watching sports and drinking beers with my buddies. I think Amity and Amelia understood and were very forgiving.