Well, of course it all turned out just fine.

I should mention that my family has never forgotten my birthday, never forgotten the cake, never even come close . . . and this would probably be true even if I hadn't been obsessively reminding them about my birthday for the past two weeks. Really. I have no doubt. This Eeyore thing is my head trip, unrelated to reality. I know this . . . especially now that everything's fine, I know it.

Anyhow, as it turned out, Em actually stayed home from driver's ed . . . She assured me that she could make up the class, and that she really wanted to be around to celebrate. And she really seemed to mean it, which was a gift right there. So we all got to eat together at a decent hour (as the last traces of light waned out of the sky) and have cake and time together . . .

As for the purchased presents, I have to say that the family outdid themselves this year. I got the infrared keyboard to go with my phone, which I'd asked for . . . and Charlie got me a CD called "#1 Opera Hits" or something, which is really fantastic. It's definitely a sort of "every person's guide to opera," but heck. That's me. And how can you go wrong with Pavarotti and music like the theme from Carmen, Flight of the Valkyries, and so on and so on? I love it. And he thought of it and paid for it himself, which is another gift.

Em got me Big Fish (and told me, "You saw the movie. You liked it" because I am notorious for forgetting the plots of movies). I do definitely remember Big Fish. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Basically, it's the story of a man coming to terms with his relationship with his father, and it's brilliant. I saw it soon after Jackie died, and it was just what I needed, and perfect. So I am definitely looking forward to the book. And I am extremely happy that Em has caught on to the idea that a book is a good gift if you're on a budget - or not, for that matter. I think a thoughtfully-chosen book is the absolute best present to get, and I don't care if it's new or used or tattered (or even if I like it, really), as long as it was chosen with care.

And Emil got me - this is so funny I can't stand it - a radar detector. I would be lying if I didn't say it was going to come in handy! (Now if they only made a Meter Maid detector I would be all set . . . )

After dinner and festivities, we watched Saved, which was a pretty good flick, too . . .

All in all, a nice evening. Not that I had any doubt it would be . . . (hrm).