Hey! Why not?

Being human is hard. There’s the DAILY thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to and that's even BEFORE I fire up the news sites to read about the ongoing Republi/Fascist crimes against humanity and the planet itself.

Given all this, I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t start celebrating my birthday today. Yeah sure, the big happy day is more than two weeks off (and I’m in NO rush to say that I’m a year older) BUT doesn’t it make sense to, at least, get in some practice at this jubilating shit? I’d hate to arrive on August 18th as a rank amateur. Ya know?

Think about it! There’re all kinds of birthday foods to revel in:

• roasted brussel sprouts AND asparagus
• Ten’s magnificently brill veg quiche (WITH vegan Italian sausage)

and, of course,

• CARROT CAKE!

Gotta make the tum tum ready to receive such awesomeness. Ya know?

Then there are birthday adult bevs waiting to be quaffed. I understand sherry pairs well with carrot cake but I’ve never been a sherry fan. My prep plan is to hit Saint Fratelli's, pick up a dozen cuppycakes and explore the possibilities. Will Prosecco be a good mate for my b-day cake? How ’bout sauvignon blanc? Would a limoncello “martini” complement those yummy, sweet carrots?

These are very important considerations, dammit!

Possibly even more important than the bevs and comestibles, is how I spend the day.

• NOT nagging myself to get to the gym, clean the kitchen, do laundry, organize my crap, etc., etc., ad infinitum.
• NOT worrying about work projects.
• NOT castigating myself for a zillion and one half errors (both real and imagined).
• A dawn walk on Nantasket.
• Sitting on my home beach, watching the tide roll in.
• Reading on the porch (whilst keeping an eye on that sneaky runaway tide).
• Starting a new painting.
• Cuddling with Coco.
• Cuddling with Ten.
• Din-din with the Valhallians (Jen, Oni, Ten, Coco, Skitter and the rest of our furry pals)

Frankly, this is a fine prescription for any and every day.

So yeah, Imma start practicing for the birthday today,