Geeze. I am such an Eeyore when it comes to birthdays. I'm always convinced my family is going to forget. Or not get a cake. Or something. My idea of the Perfect Birthday is to be fussed over, from dawn until bedtime. And of course, that rarely happens.

Today should be reasonably okay . . . I have student conferences but no class, and I've arranged my life so that I can leave campus at about 2:30, which should put me home in time for a nice bike ride. (I should've brought a bike; I could then have ridden - and probably swum, given that it's going to be 75 degrees today - at Kensington on the way home.) And since I'm new at this job and people don't really know me (and my fanatical feelings about birthdays), I stopped at Zingerman's this morning and got some cinnamon rolls and chocolate croissants, which I brought in and cut up into multiple servings and left at the staff counter . . . then I could tell everyone it was my birthday and they were compelled to wish me many happy returns of the day . . .

I understand that we're going to celebrate as a family tonight after Em gets out of driver's ed, which will be 9:00 or so. (My birthday will be practically over by then!! That's a long time to sit with a hunny pot and a balloon, waiting for cake!!)

I am also considering calling my brother-in-law and seeing if he can sneak away for lunch downtown. I have some papers to grade before that can happen, though, and I'm not sure I'll get 'em done on time. At the very least I will take the Dahon for a small spin around downtown at lunchtime . . .

Next year my birthday falls on a Friday. Since we don't have classes on Fridays, I am already planning to be ill that day. Perhaps I will come down with some disease that requires the rarified air on Mackinac Island to cure it. (I've been fantasizing about spending a birthday weekend on Mackinac for years now; it never seems like a terribly good idea in actuality, because it wouldn't appeal to the kids at all, and I do think it's important for them to be part of the celebration . . . or at least not excluded from it . . . but soon they won't be home. And really, truth be told, I don't think they'd much care, even now. This insistence on family really comes from me, not them.)

On the bright side, I did get this card from Elaine, a former co-worker at the CoP, totally unexpectedly and out of the blue:

card

And everything will be fine by the end of the day, I'm sure. But until then, I'm in Eeyore mode . . . I've gotta come up with a new paradigm, I really do.