just shut your eyes and burn the past away

Yesterday was my best birthday in memory :o)

My favorite part was when I wanted to have a bonfire at the beach. Neither my best friend nor I knew how to make those things, so he Googled it, and I trusted him. He ended up just buying a (singular) Duralog from the grocery store, and we walked half a mile trying to find some sort of grate thing to burn it on like it said in the instructions because otherwise, it warned we could combust or something crazy like that. All we found was that styrofoam rafty device again. (How in the hell does that keep popping up everywhere?!) So, we dropped the log on the sand anyway, crossed our fingers, and lit it. Only one side caught, and there was only the one log, so it warmed about 2 square inches immediately surrounding the flame and was virtually useless any farther away than that. And the funny thing was, there was already another group there about 50 yards off enjoying a roaring bonfire, but I was too chicken to walk over and be like the oblivious nerd who brings his mom's green jello to a Spin the Bottle party. Hey guys, look what I brought, a Duralog! Let's get this party started in here!

So D and I huddled and made do with our piddly sparks, and he gave me my present: a poster-sized collage of different pictures of us since we've known each other, set against the backdrop of a satellite view of the earth. It was really thoughtful and creative, and I'm sure it took a long time to prepare, so I was really touched. And there were photos on there I'd totally forgotten about, like the first picture he ever took of me when we met at the scam nonprofit in Etna, CA, back when I was doe-eyed with the idealism of youth instead of liver-poisoned with the alcoholism of adulthood.

When we got home, a few other friends came over with a homemade strawberry chocolate cake, and I made a 4th wish because I like to steal them in when I can get them. We ate and talked about Cheney 'accidentally' shooting someone and wondered if we were heartless desensitized bastards for laughing about our country's vice-president pelleting a poor 78-year-old in the face.