Birthday girl

26.

Mike and I spent the entire day around each other for the first time in months. It went okay. I was coaxed out from under the bed to answer two birthday phone calls, and our dance group toasted me twice over shots of scotch. I felt loved.

Ala Moana was busy with holiday shoppers. We looked for boots, stuffed into changing rooms to try on interview pants, and ate food court Thai food. I spent one of my three birthday gift cards, and we returned home with a sleeping boy over Mike's shoulder. While the kid napped, Mike and I got into the leftover liquor bottles abandoned by our Thanksgiving guests while I insisted on watching the stupidity of The Surreal Life because it was my birthday. My mother learned how to "bring it" like a diva, then Mike and I walked up to the store for peppermint sticks to decorate my cake. In the evening we went downtown for the RSCDS party.

We are beginning to worry about our Scottish dance society, as members have started fighting and quitting. My mother has been trying to solve the problem by bringing scotch to all our events. The real problem is our lack of unity; our parties used to be fun events with laughter, drinks, dancing, and food hosted in our homes. Now we meet at boxy churches and old dance studios and everyone sits around quietly like it's an extra class meetings. We have decided to try to bring some life back into our group by hosting a scotch tasting party at our house some time. We need younger members, but I don't know how to recruit. I've been dancing with these old goats since I was 12, I hate to see them falling apart.

 

Inventory

stayed up 3 days with my baby in the hospital
published my first book
submitted a second book to the publisher
started work on a third book
took 10 classes
started working weekends at Sinclair Library
wrote a 15 page term paper in 1 day
learned about stress-induced panic attacks
made 4 good friends
applied for 8 jobs
had 5 good interviews
bought a motorcycle
lost 7 sizes
had an unusual amount of relationship drama
ate the most crab I've had in years
developed a liking for kim chee
got back into art modeling
missed the bronze sculpture class for the first time in 4 years
spent half the year thinking I was already 26

 (how did I have time to do any of this? The year just flew by!)

Here's to year 27.