The Week in Review

Usually I celebrate my birthday for the entire month of July. I convince every friend and family member to take me out separately. That tactic maximizes my alcohol and cake intake. But this year was different. It was a big one. One of those decade celebrations. My friends call it the "f-word," but in another ten years I'll really know what the f-word is. This year, I only turned forty.

So we had a good party with my family and my best friends. Nobody got me a male stripper, but we did have this confetti zombie:

That's what happens when you get hit by those safe "non-explosive" fireworks. Safety? Who needs it? We like to live on the edge, and despite dire warning labels, we reloaded and shot those things all night long.

And then my favorite 80's band came. Well, okay, they didn't actually come to my party. But they came three days later to the Mountain Winery which is about six miles from my house. Close enough. And they were awesome:



(YouTube video)

That's somebody else's video of the show. Wish we had that view. Our seats were about 50 feet back and way off to the side of the stage. The staff had to squeeze us in after inadvertently "upgrading" our wheelchair accessible seats to non-accessible seats. Long story, but we're getting three free tickets to a show of my choosing this season... which is the nicest possible way that the incompetent GM could say "don't sue us."

The next night was my actual birthday and I went out to dinner with my friends Diane and John. No singing or clapping or horns blaring. But I got a brownie with a candle in it. It was a trick candle of course. I swear it was a trick candle! They say it wasn't. But every candle is a trick candle to me. You think I'm long winded? Well, maybe only in this blog.

It was a good week.

Weekend Adventures

Things didn't go exactly as planned this weekend. On Friday my sister had organized a big family barbecue at her house, but my mom had been having headaches all week. About an hour before the party my mom checked her blood pressure and decided she needed to go to emergency. So my dad took her to the hospital, and the rest of us went on with the barbecue. Of course, all I could do was sit there and worry, because worrying is what I'm good at.

The doctors ended up admitting my mother to the hospital that night, and she is still there now. They got her BP stabilized, but they are still running tests. They think her headaches might be coming from arthritis in her neck, but they are also going to run some tests on her eyes tomorrow. Then maybe she can come home.

Last night I went to the San Jose Improv with some friends and family. It was MadTV Stand Up with Michael McDonald and Nicole Parker. We bought the tickets months ago and planned it as an early birthday celebration for me. But anyway, if you have a chance to see MadTV Stand Up, don't bother. It wasn't really BAD, but I've seen better. I was hoping they'd do some of their MadTV characters, but no... both comedians did a regular stand up routine that was kind of weak.

Nicole Parker did a lot of jokes about a lot of TV shows I don't even watch. I guess I really am following my New Year's resolution to ignore entertainment news, but there is a down side when I don't know who the hell everybody is talking about.

I don't remember any of the jokes Michael McDonald made, but by that time I had a bit of alcohol in me. So I enjoyed it anyway.

My friend Mike gave me a new Wii game -- MySims. It's kind of cute, but not at all like a true Sims game. Ever wonder what games they won't be making for the Wii? (Click here if video doesn't load.)



Hopefully I'll get back into a better blogging schedule by mid week... unless of course I keep celebrating my birthday for an entire week which I have been known to do... who wants to take me out next? :)