Happy Birthday To Me!
On this day, twenty-eight years ago, I entered the world red-faced, dark-haired, naked and loopy from some pain-killers they gave my mom. Some babies are born squalling; I was not.
28 isn't a grand mile-marker like 18, 21 or 30. I'm not sure I'm ready to believe I'm now in my LATE twenties, whereas until midnight last night I could truthfully say I'm in my MID twenties...but that doesn't really matter. I'm 28 and I look it. I have some gray hairs on my temples and when I smile there are little wrinkles around my mouth and eyes, and I can usually be seen carrying around a small, squirmy child. I figure I've earned every single one of those gray hairs and wrinkles anyway. If you'd asked me five years ago where I would be today, I'm sure I wouldn't have said "Still in grad school, and with a baby," but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy with my lot in life. Quite the opposite, in fact.
What wisdom do I have to share with you on this day? What have I learned in my nearly three decades on this earth?
1. Always, ALWAYS wear rubber gloves when working with raw jalapeno peppers. I wish I could say one-trial learning took care of this for me, but I've ended up soaking my burning hands in cold water after making the mistake at least half a dozen times.
2. One should not chase a rolling basketball down the hallway when the length of one's pants exceed the end of one's foot. I acquired this little nugget of wisdom just last night. Ask me how.
3. A "four clubs" answer to a "2 no-trump" jump-shift is asking for aces according to the Gerber convention. If you don't play bridge, never mind.
4. Potty humor is always, ALWAYS funny.
5. I don't care what the books say, not all babies sleep 2-3 hours every afternoon. Some babies (ahem) think 40 minutes is quite sufficient.
6. A polyester potholder, when placed on a hot burner, indeed burns, despite its purpose to resist heat. I learned this secondhand from my brother.
7. A cookbook, when placed on a hot burner, indeed burns...this one I learned on my own.
8. The Ravel trio isn't impossible to play, but it's damn near it.
9. Collaborating with singers can be either the most rewarding, or least rewarding musical experience as a pianist.
10. A nearly 11mo child understands the word "nurse," necessitating that it be spelled when one wants to discuss but does not want to engage in said act.
28 isn't a grand mile-marker like 18, 21 or 30. I'm not sure I'm ready to believe I'm now in my LATE twenties, whereas until midnight last night I could truthfully say I'm in my MID twenties...but that doesn't really matter. I'm 28 and I look it. I have some gray hairs on my temples and when I smile there are little wrinkles around my mouth and eyes, and I can usually be seen carrying around a small, squirmy child. I figure I've earned every single one of those gray hairs and wrinkles anyway. If you'd asked me five years ago where I would be today, I'm sure I wouldn't have said "Still in grad school, and with a baby," but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy with my lot in life. Quite the opposite, in fact.
What wisdom do I have to share with you on this day? What have I learned in my nearly three decades on this earth?
1. Always, ALWAYS wear rubber gloves when working with raw jalapeno peppers. I wish I could say one-trial learning took care of this for me, but I've ended up soaking my burning hands in cold water after making the mistake at least half a dozen times.
2. One should not chase a rolling basketball down the hallway when the length of one's pants exceed the end of one's foot. I acquired this little nugget of wisdom just last night. Ask me how.
3. A "four clubs" answer to a "2 no-trump" jump-shift is asking for aces according to the Gerber convention. If you don't play bridge, never mind.
4. Potty humor is always, ALWAYS funny.
5. I don't care what the books say, not all babies sleep 2-3 hours every afternoon. Some babies (ahem) think 40 minutes is quite sufficient.
6. A polyester potholder, when placed on a hot burner, indeed burns, despite its purpose to resist heat. I learned this secondhand from my brother.
7. A cookbook, when placed on a hot burner, indeed burns...this one I learned on my own.
8. The Ravel trio isn't impossible to play, but it's damn near it.
9. Collaborating with singers can be either the most rewarding, or least rewarding musical experience as a pianist.
10. A nearly 11mo child understands the word "nurse," necessitating that it be spelled when one wants to discuss but does not want to engage in said act.
Comments
And re: #10 - Dude. That is. So. True. I didn't realize, before I had my kids, how early I'd need to start spelling things around them. Though we also indulge in a lot of Jeopardy! answer creation. "What do you say we go pick up some frozen dairy dessert, of the sort that's available at the place next to the library with a happy bovine on its sign?"
Big hugs! Happy B-day!
Oh, and just wait until not only does Daniel know how to spell, but also can figure out Jeopardy!esque questions. Talking in code gets more difficult the older they get!
Stuff like that defined my mid-twenties. Welcome to your right mind. =) Happy birthday, Suze.
Alton Brown, in his show on chilis, shared that he can't wear contacts after chopping jalapenos then rubbing his eyes.
And Happy Birthday! 28 was an odd age, but as I noted in an earlier, in turned out to be my favorite. And I check every morning for grey hairs and wrinkles, but haven't found any yet. I don't know where the grey is hiding, but a fat face can hide a multitude of crows' feet, I'm sure.