debboamerik

Late summer is a strange time. The weather is more like Los Angeles than the Mid-Atlantic. Days are warm. Nights are cool, breezy, and relatively dry. Some of the trees are just starting to change - including the very top of one maple. I'm worried about my life and the months ahead.

I just received a wonderful email full of great advice from a friend. We've worked together in the past. We have similar backgrounds. I'm amazed that people can see me in such a positive light. I'm grateful to be liked so much as well.

Last night, for reasons that I don't understand, I was overcome with terror when I got off the Metro. I could hardly stand to walk home, and walked as quickly as possible. When I told her about it, papertigers offered to meet me at White Flint when I get off work tonight. That wouldn't have even occurred to me.

I am lucky to be surrounded by thoughtful people.

My original intention was to record this Christmas season in its entirety here, but that proved difficult this weekend. Yesterday, we rinsed the henna out of my hair. My hair looks amazing. It's got a rich reddish brown color instead of the dull brown that it had turned because it's been going grey for the past several years. It's also very soft. papertigers and A. were happy with their work.

We finished watching Swing Time, which contains a pretty horrifying blackface sequence. (A. and I fast-forwarded through the worst of it, but not all - F.A. retains the blackface after the performance sequence is over, since in the plot he rushes straight from the stage into a situation he's trying to avoid). After that, we picked S. up in Gaithersburg and went to the mall to get presents for A., her sister, scooterbird, and efbq. We waited to take A. with us because we wanted her to choose something for herself. Teenagers, after all...

I also had my first experience with Rita's, which was fantastic. A. chose my flavor - a mixture of black cherry ice and vanilla custard. Yum.

We then took S. to have linner with fafou and her newish girlfriend at The Cheesecake Factory. The newish girlfriend is cute and shy and has a sense of humor, and we all rather liked her. We had a relaxed and funny waitress who also made the evening fun. We took S. home after that, and scooterbird came to pick A. up and bring her home. We gave him his present at that point, which he liked, and we all opened Christmas crackers.

Today, after church, we set the house up for a small but lively group of children. Our guests were: papertigers's niece E., who is just 6; my nieces A., 12, and L., 8; my nephew D., 11; and J. (3) and H. (1), who are the daughters of some good friends of mine whom I have known for almost a decade. We gave the kids snacks - apples, carrots, spinach dip, cheese, crackers, and corn chips - and talked for a while. Then the kids got to cut out and decorate gingerbread cookies. As usual, we were left with a lot of leftover cookies; the kids always make more than they actually want to take home. They wreaked destruction in the guest room (Legos really do go everywhere) and cleaned it up very nicely. We gave them each a Christmas cracker (they swapped the toys until each kid was satisfied) and sent them home happy and tired. It was fun.

Yesterday was the Actual Day... my birthday. papertigers gave me the gentlest wakeup ever, covering my face with kisses before heading out the door. I had my favorite cereal (Cap'n Crunch) for breakfast. Then I went to work... where one of my coworkers offered to take me out for coffee or a drink or something in celebration, because she's a very nice person. However, I couldn't go because I had arranged to meet my friend I. for coffee.

We had coffee near his work (he is the parish administrator for a local Episcopal church), talked, and then he gave me a tour of the church, which was built in 1913 and is really beautiful. It is small, with gorgeous stained-glass windows, a European-style choir, and walls and ceilings of dark polished wood.

I did some shopping and then went home, where I cleaned the house a bit. papertigers came home, bringing with her: dindin; a bouquet of hybrid calla lillies; and a bag of veggie Pirate's Booty. She proceeded to make mojitos (with a little help from me) and fajitas (with even less help from me). After dinner, we ate the red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that she made from scratch. I opened presents from my maternal grandparents ($25 and a Target gift card), paternal grandfather (the usual $100), and parents (Trader Joe's gift card and a wonderful surprise). We listened to Revolver while taking dindin home. papertigers cuddled me to sleep.

My birthday continues until the Renaissance Festival on Sunday. Today, I got (from papertigersvolume 2 of a 2-volume set of children's literature that I'd gotten as a kid from my Uncle Jim, who owned a bookstore. Volume 2 had been lost some time ago, and I had been sad, since it was by far the better volume of the two. Now it is restored to its rightful place on the bookshelves. I have a thoughtful girlfriend.

A pleasing birthday overall.