Monday, January 21, 2008

Birthdays

Happy birthday Dale but, sorry, this isn't about you at all.

Quite terrifyingly I turn thirty [I cannot even spell it on the first attempt [or attempt either] which surely says something about my feelings towards this age] later this year and it just keeps coming up. Being an end of year baby I don't normally think about my birthday in January or even birthday presents when half the Hunter Valley still sits around waiting to be drunk after my last birthday but, like I said, it keeps coming up. Am I having a party? When am I having a party? You're coming home or else [from my mother, she has a sweet habit of threatening, um..] and would J.[friends since we were 4] like to come? No, dammit, bring J.! And then when I say, no, no party planned, my mother wants me home [alas this means hideous relatives touching me], it's all let's all go to Queensland! Ugh, no, bad enough for me to go to FNQ in November - that's cyclone season you know and it's hot, really, really hot - without bringing a whole party along. I'll do family, or that part of the family there and friends things here [with the exception of J. who will probably be at both] if you really insist though, you know, my parties always turn out badly and I hate being the [geriatric] centre of attention. And anyway, it's January, it's all too early to think of it. Sorry, what would I like for my birthday that's in November and it's only January now...? Um. To tell the truth I've not much thought about it...

I could go on like this for quite some time but the thing is, the funny weird thing is that my mother just offered to upgrade my computer and I panicked and refused. It kinda felt like she was offering to take my baby away and give me this other shinier and prettier one in its place. Still, this is strangely generous for my mother. I must find a way to make this work to my advantage.

Update (The Firste) - I wonder if I can wrangle a plane ticket...to Europe.
Update (The Seconde) - I keep forgetting to mention it but I am trialling a flirtation with vegetarianism for the month of February. This simply means eating no animals. I'm happy to torture the little fuckers for the manifold beauties of dairy products. Piss easy recipes would be sweet.

8 comments:

DS said...

Thank you for the birthday wishes. Take the computer!

TimT said...

Being four months into my thirties, I'm here to tell you, it's not all that bad. I mean, apart from the space jellyfish that suddenly, inexplicably descended on my head the moment my thirtieth year rolled around and took over my power to make independent decisions.

Besides, it could be worse. Remember when we turned twenty seven?

Shelley said...

Or 28 and dead...? Ugh.

Were people going on at you about it for well over a year in advnce, Tim? I suppose it's what happens when you're the baby [that would be me] of the family - you turn thirty and everyone else suddenly realises how old they are. If only they'd shut up though.
I felt queasy enough this morning without that 27 thing. Goodness.

Dale, I'm not sure, might be able to get an even better deal.

Alexis, Baron von Harlot said...

Really Easy Vegetarian Recipes (not necessarily very healthy)

1. Boil lentils; fry up cauliflower florets and onion; chuck 'em in with the lentils; add dollop of tasty pre-made curry paste (e.g. Patak's coriander and lemon or whatever). Eat lentil business with boiled rice. (If you want to fancy this up a bit, you can toast almond flakes and sprinkle them on top, sprinkle chopped coriander on top, dollop plain yoghourt on top, squeeze lemon juice on top, etc.)

2. Go down to King St and get some cheap Thai basil & chilli tofu stir-fry. Analyse contents. Reproduce at home. (N.B. sesame seed oil, tamari/soy sauce, chilli, sugar, and lime juice make anything taste nice.)

3. Buy pack of tacos, taco seasoning mix, tin of kidney beans, parsley, salsa, avocado. Mash up kidney beans and seasoning mix over heat. Stuff 'em in toasted taco shells. Condimentify to taste.

4. Chocolate sauce.

5. Filo pastry, stuffed with things (asparagus, spinach, pine nuts, mushrooms, anything really), baked.

6. Tin of chickpeas, mixed with chopped continental parsley, capsicum, spanish onion, lots of crushed garlic, shards of fried lavosh/pita/Leb bread, toasted almond slivers, drizzled with lemon juice and plain yoghourt.

Maria said...

I turned 30 last year. Hmmm, no party really, but I did indulge in cake!

I must say, Alexis, some of those vegetarian recipes sound good, though I'm rather partial to my chocolate sauce with some things. Vanilla ice cream, strawberries, banana, an almond cookie?

I don't really think choc sauce on a steak sounds that appealing so it seems a very vegetarian condiment.

Maria said...

Besides, nailpolish, when I was 25 my friends started telling me I was over the hill. I've ben on the descent for a while now. I've got used to it.

TimT said...

Dad teased Mum about being over the hill when she turned fifty. I'm not sure about what to do when it happens to you and you're only twenty-five. Half the effort, and all of the reward! Suppose it's a good thing.

Shelley said...

Alexis, I'm with Maria - I'll take the chocolate sauce on, oh, everything please. Thanks for the ideas :)

Maria, I think my family [aside from my cousin who turns forty - I'm getting endless mileage out of that too] are much more interestein the whole thing than I am. Still, I'm only going to be thirty once or twice so I may as well cash in on the oh I am all grown up and need expensive alcohol to celebrate thing. Very expensive alcohol. Large amounts of..etc.
Pretty much eveyone is older than me - even if only by a few months.

Tim, a good thing how?