Birthday Blues

This is a few days late, but what the heck. I've always been wicked big on birthdays. Why? Not so sure, perhaps a result of youngest child syndrome when both brothers pretty much cover the bases in excelling in all fields of life thus leaving the day of my birth as the one thing that was totally mine. Who knows? I'm feeling all of those psychology classes coming back to me now about the pitfalls of every birth order position. Anywho, for someone who enjoys birthdays so much I feel like i haven't had the best of luck when it comes to them. My family has surely tried, I even remember my brothers putting on magic shows at my early birthdays. And wilingly entertaining my friends during my 'tween' years. Year 13 wasn't so bad, but that's probably due to the extravaganza that only a Bat Mitzvah can bring. Sweet sixteen? Well my mom and best friend made a valiant effort. But unfortunately I did not and still do not surround myself with people who are very good secret agents. Thus resulting in the Surprise! factor not really existing. It started when i went to get a drink out of my friend's fridge and noticed my mom's work number on a stickie. Very odd, i didn't have her mom's work number on my fridge. A decent attempt at a cover up and i was still fairly unaware. Then a few days later another non secret agent started asking what cd's she should bring to.....and then faded out as she realized I was standing there. DING DING DING I think we have a party. Further evidence? My dad actually wanted to take me shopping on the day of the party because he needed help picking something out for mom. Dad wants to shop? Needless to say there was little surprise to this party.
While I was in college i became friendly with a guy who had a birthday they day after mine. Our sophomore year I desperately tried to plan something for his birthday and tried to get some help from mutual friends. I became increasingly angry as my calls and emails were ignored but they had no problem talking to my roommate about it. I got so angry about the whole thing that I ultimately forced her to reveal to me that i wasn't being ignored but that everyone had decided to try and plan something for the both of us and wanted it to be a surprise. Whoops! I was always torn in college where to spend bday time since it was that awkward time of year when my friends were pretty evenly divided between being at school and being in the dirty nat.
Senior year...year 22 rocked. It was the festival of Taryn. A seven day long party that started with a impromptu wine and oreo party with the roomies and a few guests. It extended into dinner at a mexican place and continued and corresponded with graduation activities. ALso the baddest ass party ever thrown in my honor. Seriously there were people I hadn't seen since Freshmen year and they showed up. It was rad. My bud Vivek and I were the only sober ones in thurston 3 years earlier and we knocked back some drinks remembering the day. Then the fam bam including brothers came to town which involved more partaying. My brother's best bud Jon and his always fun fiancee Angie came down to enjoy as well. So much fun was had that were doubts I'd show up to my school ceremony the next day. Alas, I made the brothers proud by not only showing up, but showed up lacking any signs of a hangover. Then the black tie celebration for gw. Totally awesome....totally unfortunate cause it meant that nothing would ever live up to it.
The next year was kinda lame. Chose a restuarant based on ease of access not taste of food. Some people didn't come cause they didn't like other people. And a drunk ass popped a balloon of mine with his ciggie on my walk home. Almost resulting in an altercation with my roomie who took issue with that (rightfully so) then I got a royally bad sun burn setting up commencement resulting in a bout of sun poisioning ruining the actual birthday night festivities. Though some very nice friends came over anyway so i wouldn't be alone. Bust
Year 24 will go down as the most disappointing. I invited tons of my nearest and dearest and I was done with finals, but apparently I was the only one. Only my grad school buddies, Jordan and Vdez showed up to the club for dancing and drinks. Maggie happened to be in town and made an appearance but I was kinda bummed with the turnout. Don't get me wrong the TA's were fun and Jordan always gives a good time and Vdez? Shoot can't do much better than that but I was still sad. Then I got the bright idea to say hi to one of my athlete friends on the way home. Little did I know he had previously gotten in a bar fight and wasn't in a good mood. He and another of my friends got into some bizzaro macho bullshit and I wound up getting shoved pretty hard out of the way while they postured against each other. I fled home in tears at this turn of events.

this year? Well let's see, it happened to be raining which no pun intended rained on my parade. It was like the 2nd straight week of this rain something I thought I left behind when I left dc. Couldn't get appointments for my day of beauty because all of the people i currently see have decided that they don't do Fridays anymore (or saturdays for that matter). Got a mani/pedi but i hated the way my hands came out. Couldn't go where i wanted for dinner because of the weather so my parents took me where mi madre wanted to go. Big bro wasn't around because his fiancee's sis was getting married the next day. Other big bro was in sunny cali. Next day had an engagement party to attend where many people who every Thanksgiving like to tell me how they remember the day i was born couldn't really remember the actual date. Which was a little sad for me. Lucky Cheryl was there, can't be down when Cheryl is around. Oh and to top it off the aunt and grandparents forgot. As of June 1, still no card. SInce this was the last milestone birthday for another 5 years I guess I'll have plenty of time to stop caring so much about one day a year.