Refuting Entropy

I had a lovely, relaxing day yesterday. I got to sleep in until 10:45...with only brief interruptions by my darling daughter (the morning person). I got a cute card from my sweetie. I got lots of birthday wishes from my friends here on LJ. I cooked us a tasty breakfast, while lounging around the house. Got a phone call from my Dad & Stepmom, who remembered it was my birthday around 4 am yesterday...they were most apologetic & I have been informed that my card & present (a check of some amount) is going out today. I finally got moving around 2 or so, took a shower, got dressed, & walked over to the apartment office with Jessica to get our pictures taken for this year's pool passes. While there, the dude in the office gave us a "guest" pass to use so we could go swimming without our permanent passes, which we hadn't been anticipating. In this vein, we elected to blow off the movie we were thinking about going to, and to rouse Tony from his afternoon siesta to go swimming with us.

Just before we went to the pool, I got surprised by my birthday present from Tony...a copy of The Lost Boys (one of my favorite movies), a fuzzy poster to color, and a LABEL MAKER. (You know, one of the really cool electronic ones with the keyboard & different color cartridges & everything.) I doubt I've ever mentioned my fascination with office supplies...it comes perilously close to a fetish...you should have seen my ultimate joy (I think somewhat camouflaged) at work when I was asked to take over the "task" of ordering supplies for our office. Rapture. ;) Anyway, I'm not even entirely sure what I'm going to use said label maker for, but it's MAGNIFICENT. :) Oh, and apparently he had the gift bag with my present "hidden" in the downstairs bathroom because I hardly ever use it...I used it TWICE yesterday while the present was still "hidden" and was non-observant enough that I didn't see it. :p

Spent an hour or so down at the pool, basking in the water & the sun. Came back, got dressed, & went to dinner at Red Lobster to indulge the seafood craving I've been having for some weeks now. Violated several forms of crustaceans, was given a piece of chocolate birthday cake by the waitress (in "exchange" for accidentally spilling my ice water on me...) and came home again.

Hung out watching most of Series of Unfortunate Events until I realized I was getting too tired & needed to go to bed since I have to work today. Fell asleep reading.

It was a great birthday...low key, but not (as usual) overshadowed by the convention. That's something that's always bothered me a little - even though my first convention was a birthday present - having my birthday overshadowed by the convention. I guess it's probably somewhat like having your birthday on Christmas or something...everyone genuinely CARES about the fact that it's your birthday, but their money & thoughts are also *elsewhere* and it becomes kind of "second fiddle" to the bigger event. It wasn't that way this year. That was nice. :)

So, I work today, then I'm off on vacation for a week...I don't have to worry about the convention (much) for the next day or so, then we're off to the races.

Thanks again to everyone who wished me a happy birthday visibly...and to those who I know *thought* it. :)

Time to get ready for work...at least we get a casual day. :)

Two more links.

I found this first one through metaquotes and is a link to the actual post, not the metaquotes entry:

Thoughts on political correctness and the war on Christian values. [Warning: Some bad language & a great deal of bitterness.] A quote: "What I care about is that this is getting ridiculous. Christians, you are not an oppressed minority. There is no war on your religious holiday which is the only religious holiday that is also a federal holiday. It's not even your holiday. You stole it from the pagans who celebrated the rebirth of the sun god Mithras on the winter solstice. The Christmas tree is a Teutonic pagan icon that was integrated into British culture during the reign of Queen Victoria on account of her German husband. But hey, if you want to claim it for yourself and call it the birthday of your lord and savior, fine. You do that.

All I ask. All any of us ask, really, is that you shut up about it already. Drink your nog, attend your service, give your gifts, do your thing, but stop cramming it down our throats."

The second one was posted in my friend syreene's journal, and I nicked it:

The Stranger and the Fox: A Christmas Fable. (As posted in "The Huffington Post".) A quote: " 'So some Palestinian walks into town - beard, sandals, looks like a terrorist, right? Says that God can be directly experienced by everyone, without rich, powerful clergymen or their politician buddies. And when folks want to exchange money at our convenient in-Temple banking centers - which is their God-given right - he calls it an abomination. He's part of the war on Passover! What can you do with a guy like that but string him up, right? I'm Bill O'Reilly and this is the No-Spin Zone.' "

What can I say, I'm getting political in my old age. *sigh*

This morning, as I was leaving for work, I looked up at the overcast sky. The clouds were almost *rippled*. It looked like someone had laid one of those cotton batting blankets (or the fake snow that goes under a Christmas tree) out with wrinkles in it, or waves. I'm not describing it well, but it was really really pretty. The colors were deep soft blue, gray, and white.

Lovely. Absolutely lovely. I wish I'd had the camera to get a picture. A nice way to start the day.