happy birthday to me, me, & me

The big two-four was on Friday, but obviously the birthday celebration lasts the whole week.

Last Wednesday was birthday-in-class, for which Sasha made a delicious white cake with lemon frosting FROM SCRATCH and everyone got to sing.

Friday night was Shabbat Club birthday dinner. What a success!!! We had eleven people: me, Abbey, Miriam, Naomi #1, Naomi #2, Ezra, BJ, Amanda, Ben, Dana, and Rebecca. The dishes included: hummus/Turkish salad/vedgie chopped liver (Israeli), Bartenura Moscato (Israeli, and of which I drank three glasses that shit is so good), make-your-own eggrolls (Vietnamese), challah (Jewish), stewed vegies (Moroccan), Arroz de la Cubana (Peruvian/Cuban), peanut noodles (Thai), and various desserts including a three layer chocolate coffee cake with cream cheese frosting baked by none other than the Daughter of the Caterer (Abbey). After dinner we played Poor Man's Taboo, which is where the participants create their own Taboo cards and there are no forbidden words. The only rule is that your word/phrase has to conceivably have an entry in Wikipedia. Highlights included: Erotic Playing Cards; Aish; fava beans ("the thing you eat with brains that makes you fart"); Dance 360; Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret; Intelligent Design; strategery; Slap Bracelets; low-fat cottage cheese; and Best Week Ever. Quote of the night: "I don't know who this girl is, but her first name is like the girl from Saved-by-the-Bell and her last name is a color." Answer: kelly green.

Saturday night was all about the liquor and skank at Carbon. The kids from school came, as well as my Camp crew and the roommies, and of course, Sierra. Ardina and Cathy got me to drink A LOT. After BJ's Appletini, I had a Lemon Drop shot and then Jerm's Cosmo and then another Lemon Drop. They wanted to do body shots, but the bar didn't have sugar dispensers, so we just smeared the sugar from our shot glass rims on our chests and licked away. Chris the Wasp was simply adorable and I definitely have the biggest crush on him, like the kind of crush you get on your professors and know that nothing will come of it but think about them all the time in random situations like what they dressed up as on Halloween. Also Judd was adorable as he bounced around dancing in his own little world. Jerm was obviously adorable but WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AND HOW COME I HAVE NO IDEA?!?!?!? The perfect night came to a head when one of those low tables got knocked over and some glasses broke and a piece of glass cut my friend Ana's foot and she was bleeding all over the place and they called an ambulance and took her to the emergency room and she had to get stitches! She's ok now, but on crutches. I guess at least she will always remember by birthday. ("That bitch, she's the reason I can't walk.")

Sunday morning (noon) was Family Birthday lunch (breakfast) at Natalie Thai. My family only goes to two restaurants for celebrations: CPK or Thai. I either get BBQ Chopped Chicked Salad With No Chicken Extra BBQ Sauce or Pad Thai. The brothers get BBQ Salad and Sun-Dried Tomato Fusilli or Pad Thai. Today Aaron was a bit daring and got Pad Seeyu. Daddy also walked on the edge by ordering Thai iced coffee instead of the usual iced tea. We discussed our upcoming non-Thanksgiving pre-Thanksgiving dinner on the seventeenth. My mom is going to be in Providence with her sisters for the holiday, so we are celebrating the week before with a big dinner and Will & Grace DVDs. We sorted out jobs today at lunch: Daddy cooks the bird, Mummy makes salad, Benja does decor (sets the table), I will make an apple crisp, and Aaron...shows up. With girlfriend Rachel. Highlight of Family Birthday was when a noodle went up my nose and the discomfort compounded by the allergies threatened my sanity for near twenty minutes. On the other hand, Family Birthday Gift might be a digi cam!!!!!!

This upcoming Wednesday will be birthday party number four when the Jew Crew gets together for Lost and apple pie a la mode...