Birthdays

For as long as I can remember, birthdays have been a strange thing for me. It's true that there were years when I was much, much younger that I bought into them just like every other kid, having my parents throw parties for the whole class and generally viewing the whole affair as, well, as a birthright. But those days are long past.

At some point I started seeing things differently. I was uncomfortable receiving all of the attention that came with birthdays, and I certainly didn't know how to accept the gifts with any grace. I didn't understand the tradition, and all I could think was "Why the heck are people giving me all of this stuff?" And in retrospect, I never really found an answer to that question. I never really DID anything to deserve the gifts, and even though it may be the anniversary of my birth, I could never understand why anyone else would be particularly excited about that. It was my birth, after all, not theirs.

The fact is that I couldn't accept that the people in my life would, sincerely or otherwise, feel obligated to pay some sort of tribute to me in honor of my mere existence. The parties, the presents, and the well-wishes are wonderful, but they're entirely inappropriate.

Should we celebrate birthdays? Hell yes, we should. But this is the anniversary of my birth, of my life, and I've been so incredibly fortunate to be included in the lives of those who have made such a difference to me. It's not your responsibility to commemorate my life, it's mine, and I want to take the opportunity to show my appreciation to you for being a part of it.

Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today. Thank you.

Speaking of Giant Rabbits...

Happy Easter.

Best Birthday Present Ever?

Today, as Facebook reminds us, is my birthday. November 23. The date really is pretty unremarkable, except that - at least by some counts - it is the first day of Sagittarius, and occasionally falls on Thanksgiving (my actual date of birth being such an example. O' the irony!).

In any case I'm not a big fan of the idea, celebrating one's birthday. The celebration is fine, but with it comes the gifts and the special treatment and the fuss, all for being born. If anything, I feel, one should celebrate their birthday by GIVING gifts as a token of their thankfulness for having been born in the first place. I will say, though, that several years ago I recieved a gift unlike any other. (Note: right click and save as to view the file. While this is a sketchy way to share anything, it will have to do until I take the time to better present it here.)

It's really quite incredible, what can be done with a bit of free time, bouncy music, and an internet handle.

Taking Flight

Four hours from now, I am set to take flight.

Rather, I've booked a ride in an engineless glider plane this afternoon. I've been intrigued by the thought of unpowered flight for awhile, and have been considering the pursuit of a hobbyist pilot's license. Of course, I'll never be able to afford such a hobby, but who wouldn't want the bragging rights? You never know when you'll need to fly a plane to escape a secret military installation.

Seriously, though; this is some cool shit.

Glider Aerobatics

Oh, and happy May Day, you yanks.

Christmas Excuses

Christmas is drawing closer with every passing hour, and the stresses of presents and cards and family have seen their welcomes worn. It's been a busy month, and I intend to apologize for the lack of content, but I'll be on a plane late this afternoon, so it will have to wait.

Below are a couple of photographs from this past summer. Keep your eyes out for a full album containing these photos in early January.

These photographs were taken during my time spent last summer on the road from Florida to Maine. The first photograph was taken in Newport, Rhode Island along the cliff walk there. The second two photos were taken in Hampden, Maine and Richmond, Virginia, respectively. The last picture was taken at a shiplock in Richmond. The photograph at the top was taken in Tavernier, FL, and features a Monroe County Police Officer and a man with conviction.

December 5th is Repeal Day!

December 5, 1933 was the day that state conventions ratified the Twenty-First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, effectively ending prohibition and becoming the first and only amendment to constitutionalize a pleasurable activity. Jeffrey Morgenthaler has long been an advocate of officializing the celebration of Repeal Day, and it seems that Dewar's Scotch Whiskey has taken a shining to the idea as well.

Celebrate Repeal Day!

A Pleasant Surprise, and Thanksgiving Treats

Exactly how I found it, I can't really say. All I know is that I have absolutely fallen in love with Elise Bauer's food blog. Simply Recipes is a nice, clean, online index of recipes taken straight from the culinary scribblings of Elise's family and friends and organized by category. The recipe list is by no means extensive. Instead, we are treated to a diverse selection of family favorites not unlike the recipe collection our grandmothers might have have treated us to.

It's only two days from Thanksgiving, and I've been extended the privilege of sharing a family meal with some close friends. I've decided to bring along a loaf of banana bread, the recipe for which is delightfully more simple than my own; and some seasonal baked acorn squash, seeing that they are particularly hearty this time of year.