May 6th, 2010

Birthday

Song Info (from Beatlesongs):”Birthday” is on the White Album, and was 70% written by McCartney, 30% by Lennon.  Some sources say it was written for Patti Harrison, but Lennon said it “was written in the studio. Just made up on the spot.”  Harrison wore a glove during the session to avoid getting more blisters.  Lennon did not care for the song.

My BirthdayCourtesy of PBF Comics, which aren’t necessarily always something I’d recommend.

I discovered last year that my birthday is a good time to reflect on some of the stuff I did in the previous year.  Here’s the list for my 38th year.

  • Voluntarily went on a canoe trip
  • Rode two different horses on two separate occasions, one of them for about a half hour
  • Played in a softball league (and without serious injury!)
  • Replaced a kitchen light fixture (with Marshall’s help, but mostly by myself)
  • Rode a bike for the first time in who knows how long
  • Went to Cedar Point
  • Made a homemade pizza
  • Learned a couple of “signature dishes,” both made in the crockpot, both have teriyaki (albeit two different versions)
  • Got a new roommate after the first one moved out
  • Went to my first ever ballet – The Nutcracker – and enjoyed it
  • Started taking Tae Kwon Do lessons – I am currently an orange belt
  • Got engaged!
  • Started eating salads – my favorite one is Texas Roadhouse’s house salad with Caesar dressing and no onions
  • Stretched out Beatles Week longer than ever.  Someday Beatles Week will last all year.
  • Revamped the blog (with Brian‘s help)
  • Only posted 26 blog entries, one every fortnight. That, to quote Charles Barkley, is just “turrible.”
  • Went to see the Star Trek exhibit in Detroit
  • Saw The Beatles in concert!  …okay, so it was a tribute group, but it was still tons of fun
  • Saw Steve Martin in concert in Chicago — a banjo concert!
  • Hosted International Beatles Rock Band Day, with friends coming from Australia, Florida, New Mexico, Illinois, and around town here coming to play Beatles Rock Band and hang out all day.  Super sweet!
  • Was in Greg & Emily’s wedding
  • Played a lot of euchre, but not nearly enough
  • Watched more movies with other than people than I watched alone – this is a bigger thing than it sounds like
  • Played Jesus for the second time in our church’s Passion Play
  • Started going to a different ABF (like Sunday School, but for grown-ups), which has me missing friends from our previous one :/
  • Started to learn how to dance… but only a little.  Long way to go before the wedding…

All in all a good year.  I have much to be thankful for.

May 6th, 2009

Year In Review

My Birthday

Nertz to looking back on the previous year on New Year’s Eve. Makes more sense to do it on one’s birthday, I figure.

So what’d I do this year? In no particular order:

  • I bought a house.
  • I almost burned the house down because I don’t know how to work a fireplace.
  • I finally cancelled my World of Warcraft account. I hadn’t played in a long, long time and it was overdue.
  • I started doing some announcing for the improv group.
  • I got a new boss at work.
  • I started drinking soda again, mostly because I love root beer.
  • I got a new phone after two years with my Samsung Blackjack. The new one is an HTC Fuze and I’m already $500 in the hole in the solitaire game on it. Stupid Vegas rules.
  • I met a lot of new and wonderful people.
  • I sort of started playing the piano again, though after a quick burst I haven’t gotten back to it since.
  • I went to a midnight showing of The Dark Knight and realized I’m getting too old to go to midnight showings.
  • Weirdly, I only wrote 13 reviews this year.
  • I only wrote 48 blog entries, which is less than one per week. No wonder my readership numbers have dived.
  • I traveled a lot more than I usually do in a year.
  • I saw the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., for the first time.
  • I lost a year and a half’s worth of pictures when my hard drive crashed.
  • I played a lot of Scrabble.
  • I stopped wearing a watch.
  • I stretched Beatles Week out to ridiculous lengths.
  • I bought a grill.
  • I pulled my Achilles tendon while simply using a treadmill and it hurt for two months. This has been the biggest reminder to me that I’m getting older!
  • I threw up for the first time in 23 years.
  • I got a roommate.
  • I completed the Endless Setlist II on two separate occasions — with help, of course.
  • I tried some foods for either the first time or the first time in a while: mahi mahi, kiwi, guacamole, some others I can’t remember.
  • I co-taught a class on technology at church.
  • I played the role of Jesus in our church’s Passion Play.
  • I paid off all my debts (except for the house). This makes the third time in my life I’ve gotten to this point, and I’d like to keep from having to do it again if I can.
  • I was immensely blessed in many ways.
  • Oh, and I got this from my Aussie friend Carolyn.

Comic courtesy of PBF Comics, which aren’t necessarily always something I’d recommend.

May 7th, 2008

I Hope So, Too

My brother sent these cards along to me yesterday, drawn by my nephew (6 years old) and niece (4). As I understand the procedure, the kids draw and/or write, the results are scanned, and then the scanned pics are fiddled with in Photoshop according to the wishes of the specific kid.


This one is by my nephew, and he’s very aware of the cat situation at my place, i.e., that there are some. I believe the mouse is intended to be a gift to the cats for my birthday. The Photoshop filters used are his current favorites.

Natalie has chosen to write her birthday greetings to me, with translations by my brother. He swears these are word-for-word translations, and he’s pretty sure that the “I hope you deserve something” in the lower right corner means she wants me to get presents and isn’t some sort of judgment call on her part. William Munny would tell her “Deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it,” but I still appreciate her intent.

Thanks, kiddos!