If it weren’t for Jennifer, great friends, great cats, my fun hobbies, my personal stream, my Macs and Austin (none in any particular order), the pandemic would’ve made this the worst birthday since 1985. Speaking of its 35th anniversary, I’ll bore you on why it’s the winner for sucking. It was the day we left Tampa to return to the dreary, boring “city” of Bloomington-Normal where I’d have to accept being enrolled with my sixth high school which would also be a Catholic prison. The day was tense, the drive back was tense, it felt like a humiliating defeat. I’m confident we had worn out our welcome at Uncle Chief’s because my mother isn’t always polite and I was a teenager, not exactly the most self-aware type to acknowledge when he’s being rude. The biggest sting of it all? Mom told me to keep my yap shut about it being my birthday (I turned 17) for she feared I could utilize the fact to garner pity or sympathy from my Tampa-based relatives.
However, despite the Pandemic, I am much happier. I got to choose where I wanted to live (finally). I lucked out on choosing Apple as my employer when many casted their doubts on the corporation’s viability in the Windows-dominated days. I am even doing way better than last year, when my 16-year marriage was crumbling right before my eyes. Well, I figure we were just going through another rough patch.
What is store for today? I only managed to get half of the day off; I didn’t have enough vacation time; this eliminates anything fun until work is over. I will kick off the morning with a blood draw at the Wellness Center, see how my LDL, blah blah levels are. Plus I give those results to my anxiety doctor. Then there’s a big gap of several hours to kill which I hope to spend at the comic-book store. Close up with a visit to review matters with my anxiety doctor! If it’s good news, we won’t meet again for six-to-eight weeks. After work, Jennifer will be having dinner together at a favorite chain, Maggiano’s. I know it’s not genuine Italian food but they do a pretty impressive chicken parmigiana. In closing, I have a really sweet surprise I’m not allowed to discuss until the main participant says it’s OK. Oh yeah, and I am supposed to receive a well-made Crow T Robot puppet.
Thanks for all your nice birthday wishes in advance.