It happened a mere 36 years ago: I entered the world with a loud wail, and thus.. Big Calvin's wacky life began. I guess that means.. today is my birthday. Yikes. I must be getting old. How else can I explain all the grey hair. And no, I can't keep blaming the ladies beginners motorhome driving classes. I'm just plain getting older.
Birthday number 36 began quite uneventfully. It was a "work day", as my birthday can't seem to fall on a weekend every year. Oh well... must make a living. As I chronicled last year, my coworkers and I have a lot of fun.. decorating each other's work space for each others birthday. Last year, my team chose to really surprise me, not do anything for my birthday and wait for several weeks, just until I figured they forgot. Then Blam... they nuked my office with glitter. So this year, I entered with great trepidation, fearful of what I may find. (As it so happened, I took yesterday afternoon off to film volleyball and so my office was left, unguarded). I peeked around the corner into my department, and.. from a distance. It appeared all was well. No decorating. No hoopla. I assumed I was free and clear, let out a sigh of relief, continued towards my door, and that's when I saw.... her..
It was Hilary Clinton... And she was everywhere. Oh Joy...
Yup. My lovely co-workers had plastered my office walls with giant print outs of (oh please no..) Mrs. Power wannabe herself... Hilary. And what better way to start my birthday. When these two came in, I just had to shake my head. Creative? Yes! Annoying to look at all day, until I had time to pull it down? YES!!!! I think I need therapy after having to stare at her smiling face all day. Ug.
After work, it was time for the family celebration. With as much is going on right now as the volleyball season starts up, it is usually difficult to do too much to celebrate my birthday, but this year my day fell on a non-game night, so it was a bit easier to plan. I assumed we'd be spending a quiet evening at home. My wife had spent a frustrating day dealing with irritating car mechanics and claimed to "not have time to get my birthday dinner cooked, so we'd just have to go out to eat". I was fine with that and we headed out.
Ironically enough.. we went to the same place I threw my wife's surprise birthday party last year, a local restaurant owned by a friend of ours. And, as I suddenly figured out as we pulled up.. this wasn't a "oh let's just go to dinner" this was a planned event. She had pulled off a birthday surprise.
And so for the next 2 hours, we ate a nice (and delicious) Italian dinner with some of our close friends from the area. Being that it was the middle of the week, it was a small group, but very fun.. with some friends using excuses like.. oh.... PHD dissertation deadlines.. and bible study classes (Priorities.. people!!! Sheesh!!). Our friend Pam cooked us a great, multiple coarse meal. Little Calvin and some of his friends dressed as waiters and served the meal, doing a great job (and were even tipped).
In all, a very nice time and a great surprise... even with the Oregon Duck with a Beaver colored noose around it's neck gift... (You'll PAY for that.. you know who you are!!!)
By the time we got home, I had just enough time to open gifts (New Oregon Ducks shirt, Casino Royale, Star Wars Risk and new Pirate toys for my office) and then get Little Calvin off to bed.
Sooo, Happy Birthday to me. Lets see what year 36 holds...
