A quarter-century in: Life’s good.

I’m not a huge fan of the whole “celebrate my birthday” thing… I love celebrating other people’s birthdays, but was just never one to really like being in the middle of it all…

Still, I do think this may have been one of the best birthdays ever.(1) Now, I may not have a great track record(2), but I know good birthday when I see it… and this was a pretttty good birthday.

First thing first. Thanks for (almost) making my “triple-digit Facebook messages” dream a reality, the phone calls, text messages, and IM birthday wishes.(3) Thanks for brunch, Starbucks gift cards, cakes, and laughs. Oh… and tacos — definitely, thank you for the tacos. Thanks for mass birthday wishes via telephone from the most entertaining group of lushes I’ve ever met. I’m all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside — not to mention full(4) and caffeinated too.

A really, really special thanks to everybody who chipped in for the “Matt’s Photo Phund.” Thanks. I would name names here but I’m not sure how others would feel about that… Anyways, the 25 of you pushed me close enough to the goal that I have officially ordered a camera (and am picking it up tomorrow morning) so stay tuned for photos!(5) I can’t begin to tell you how awesome you all are and how much I appreciate you.

On top of all that love, what is a good birthday if it doesn’t include:

  1. An oreo cake (that reads, “Hapy Birthday With One P”),
  2. A no-arms-cake-eating-contest between two PhD candidates (one of whom has two Ivy League degrees),
  3. A late night taco run,
  4. Watching your coworkers put on Frankenstein masks,
  5. Some family (therefore, overeating),
  6. A cake in the shape of a kidney (yes, I really do believe I only have one kidney), and
  7. Studying for biostats?

Speaking of which… I should go do 7…

Thanks again. I love you.

Footnotes:
  1. It’s really a tossup between this birthday and my 12th birthday when we all played “spin the bottle” in my backyard… I think I was in quite an attractive 7th grade class. [↩]
  2. For example, I spent my 21st birthday at a Souplanation, ridiculously ill, taking anti-HIV medication (which made me even more sick), and under the impression that it was the last birthday I would ever experience. [↩]
  3. Especially from the people on the other side of the country… [↩]
  4. I’ve eaten birthday cake for breakfast two days in a row. [↩]
  5. I’m hoping to put up around 4-5 a week… [↩]