Happy birthday to me. I got a bunch of answers to the birthday quiz but I haven't coordinated with Wellsie yet so we don't have a winner declared. I will say that almost no one knew my eye color. I can't blame you for not having picked up on the fun fact that my eyes are blue with a distinctive ring of yellow which makes them appear blue, green, or hazel depending on what I'm wearing. It's not something I discuss in the journal. Blue is the basic color, though. Goes with the ivory skin. Yes, I was a very blonde baby. Currently I'm sporting Coastal Dune as a haircolor. Translate this as dark ash blonde (who comes up with these haircolor descriptons?). I think the "dune" part didn't take, I don't see any blonde there at all.
Kymm phoned to say she's sending my birthday present when she gets paid which means she'll probably be getting her present about the time I get mine; her birthday is exactly a week after mine. Then we sat and yakked for twenty minutes about her visit in December and the big party I'm giving her (Bay Area journalers alert!). Sei sweetly mentioned my birthday in her journal today, but what she didn't mention was she sent me flowers at work. Dozens of readers sent birthday greetings and electronic cards. What good friends I have. Thank you.
From my folks I received two extremely thoughtful gifts: a pair of gardening kneepads which I have been wanting for a long time, and some good plasticized gloves. My three pets gave me The Portable Dorothy Parker and a book on the women associated with the Lake Poets called Passionate Sisters. They're pretty good at ordering from amazon.com considering they don't have opposable thumbs. John gave me a lava lamp. Actually, it's a Peace Lamp but it has the requisite blobs of wax floating in oil and it's really, really groovy. I don't know how I got along without one for so long. I'm not a fan of the sixties in general, but I do like this lamp. Notice I'm giving you all the quiz answers? Maybe I should give you the rest.
What is my online nickname used at MUDs and MOOs? Felix
What city was I born in? San Francisco
How many pets do I have? Three
How many times have I renamed my online journal? Never
What's the color of my eyes? Blue
Leos are what elemental? Fire
Name one cat that I own. Natasha and Keiko
Do I run a web ring? Name it. Archipelago
Do I run a burb? Name it. I don't run a burb
Would I rather don bellbottoms and a dashiki, or burn them gleefully? Burn, baby, burn
I've *never* gone the route of internet dating, true or false? True
I have designed a logo for the Mighty Kymm, true or false? I was one of the very first to do so
The words identified with me are luminous being (a recent entry), travel agent (my job), mousetail plant (a plant I searched for desperately), Seattle (where I grew up), rubber stamps (which I collect - 300+), Anything But Pink (my garden journal), science fiction (favorite genre, source of my social life), Weird Al (my next husband), opera (a recent passion), and volleyball (I have season tickets to Stanford's women's team). Bookstore fooled everyone, I guess because I buy a lot of books, but Wellsie works in a bookstore so it is more properly associated with her.
It seems a little strange to think of myself as 43 years old, but I feel no angst over this birthday. It's a far cry from the black depression of 25 when I confronted my own inertia and ended by moving from Seattle to San Francisco. I'm not panicky about middle age any more, though I can't say I'm completely at ease with it. On the other hand, I earned my equilibrium and I'm enjoying the comfort of knowing myself very, very well. I shaped my life into what suits me best through hard work, flexibility, experimentation, and a dollop of luck. I'm surrounded by a loving family, adorable pets, and great friends. I live in the place I love best, I have plenty of money and free time, and I'm in good health. What's not to like? I'm a happy gal.
Okay, not when I think about taking Intermediate Algebra this fall, but other than that life is officially excellent. Here's to the next 43.
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