Happy Birthday. I am blessed.

I am one of those crazy adults who still think birthdays count for something. I don't know why. But every year I look forward to and try to make the most of my birthday.

July 29. Best little day of the whole year.

Last year, it was a bit of a dicey day. I'd fairly recently split from a relationship. I'd been laid off. I was up for a new job. I was living with a roommate. I was waitressing (again). I had no way of knowing how or what the Universe had planned for me. I remember wondering how, why and what. I remember feeling utterly lonely and - sadly - very sad.

This week I made the wonderous decision to take a vacation from work and just stay home. And how many ways it has paid off. I am fully and totally realizing how wonderfully blessed I am. And it's not even the Big Day yet.

To whit:

I spent a weekend with a wonderful woman and her son who are intelligent, insightful, centered, witty, kind, caring and thoughtful. She strategically hid a birthday card and present - which was sweet enough in itself. Even sweeter? She quoted my favorite line from my favorite book. She rocks.

My wonderously talented friend came up today and treated me to a decadent day at the beach. Champagne from plastic cups, lazy floating in the ocean and an indulgence of my rambling (okay, buzzy) tales.

At least three random people told me I was glowing. True, it might be the sunburn. But it might be the inner joy.

GoodBuddy called to tell me, "I wanted to, but am not gonna, be able to stay awake another hour and a half to be the first person to wish you a happy birthday."

I have three days left of peaceful vacationing bliss. Many of these will be spent surrounded by people who are becoming a valued and vital part of my life. Yes, life changes. And we never know what is around the corner. But if we trust in The Universe I do believe we will find out that It's All Good.

Staycation

The term staycation means a little bit more to me...

I've been travelling so much this past year - officially a full year on 29 July - that having a week to not leave my island is heaven. In fact, the only reason I'm not currently dipping my toes in the sand is because the polish on them is currently drying. Green, in case you're wondering.

I am really going to challenge myself to not check the blackberry or stress out at all during the week. Yes, there are a few work projects I actually need to do. File expenses for one - which is partly about meeting month-end deadlines and partly about recouping the hundreds of dollars I front for good ole jobby job. But I really - really - am going to do my best not to get wrapped up in CBL's anxiety.

Because, while I was hanging out with wonderful friend YogaGirl this weekend, she said something so brilliant, so insightful - SO FRIGGIN SIMPLE - it stunned me. I made the mistake of checking the BB on Saturday night at 11 pm. Right before bed. And saw a bunch of emails that started, "I know you're on vacation, but..." And I cried. And YogaGirl's advice? "It's not your job to fix her. If she's stressing out on a Saturday night, that's her. It's not you. You're not her mom or her therapist or her boss or even her friend. Put the blackberry down and go to bed."

She's right.

So, this week, my job is to relax, make a permanent me-shaped dent in the sand, do some yoga, watch some waves, and just enjoy.

I'll post about the exhaustive weekend with amazing YogaGirl and son later. Stay tuned for pearls of wisdom from a six-year old.

Today's Horoscope

No lie... This is too good to be true

Plans for working at home at least part of the time might be firming up for you. Your mind is very much right now on home and family, and so you might be thinking in terms of leaving the rat race of the city and creating your own office. Success is highly indicated, so it's well worth going for. If you start planning today, you might have it worked out in no time.

How to make the front desk staff laugh uncomfortably

when checking into a hotel.

When they ask you, "How are you today, Ms. Smith?" just look at them for a really long minute. And then, very slowly, say this in reply.

"I'd be better if the book I'd picked up as 'light and fluffy airplane reading' didn't start off with 50 pages about dying of ovarian cancer. Thanks for asking though. Do you have a tissue I can use?"

It's a decent read, btw. Just not exactly light. Or fluffy. More like overwrought and melodramitic. But unfortunately, pushing all my right buttons. I do love this review of it though:

These reviews fill my shriveled, black heart with redemption and affirmation..., By Laurel F. Armar (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews I am so glad to see that I am not the only one who thinks Radish is a tad melodramatic. Is she trying to write the Next Great Sentence? Katherine hasn't even finished her phone call to Laura and I want to chuck this book. And dude, just let the bra go. I am not against chick-lit. I am against really bad, poorly written, poorly edited, contrived, overwrought chick-lit. I am against this book.

Activate the technology blocker

I think that I am emitting some strange electromagnetic signal. Because last week, while I was in Baltimore 1) my hard drive ate itself 2) my Blackberry died 3) the wireless card (external, thank you very much) on my very ancient, very heavy personal laptop shit the bed.

It was a very technologically challenged week.

It was also a very exhausting week.

In addition to the 10 hour days I was pulling in the video studio working on film edits, I had the evenings full of requisite "normal" work - including the thousands of CBL mails.

I kid you not - I got this while I was on the plane:

"Subject: Need to know how to use your fax machine. Please call me ASAP."

Now, instead of reading the instruction book that is right next to the machine or asking the receptionist at the front desk how to use the main fax or asking any one of the 200 other employees in the building how to use any of the other of dozens of fax machines ... she waited for me to call her back. When I finally did - around 4:45 - I got an earful about how the form was due by five and she was really cutting it close now. Um, excuse, I thought cellphones were still against airplane policy....?

Anyway, the massive hours of work combined with the 30 minute hike each way with the aforementioned ancient laptop on my back and I was exhausted. That coupled with my EMP superpowers disabling all technology, meant no posting.

Please accept my humble apologies.

If you'd like to submit a complaint, I can show you how to use a fax machine.