Just a very bad wizard.

My birthday was nice, but today I am wiped out. After work yesterday I went out for drinks with a few friends, which was lovely, and then at about 8:30 met my family at Blue Ribbon for my birthday dinner. It took an hour and a half to get a table, which was not surprising to me, since BR doesn't do reservations for groups less than 5 (too bad I didn't think of it last year when Nathan was here). I had only had a martini, but was in "rare form" as my mom would say. While we waited for our table I had a beer and some oysters, which were quite nice. When we were seated I immediately ordered what I had come to BR for -- the beef marrow with oxtail marmalade. It was delicious, but it was intensely rich. They also gave us a complimentary dish of escargots cooked in a very rich dark sauce (which they made the mistake of plonking down in front of my mother, who just about had a fit because she won't eat snails :p). Both dishes were delicious and had a complex combination of flavors. I think maybe though it was too late in the evening to be eating that way, or maybe I had just eaten so decadently all day long (donuts, cupcakes, etc) that there was just no room left. When my main course came out (catfish with mashed potatoes and collards) I could hardly touch it. The collards were more butter than vegetable. Delicious but too much! I had it wrapped up. There was no way I could manage dessert. My mother wanted it though (all she had was a salad and some chicken wings from the pu pu platter -- she's a very picky eater) so we had to watch her eat ice cream with berries while I was just sitting there trying not to barf. They must have overheard us talking about it being my birthday because they brought out a scoop of lemon sorbet for me with a candle in it. That was nice because it gave my family the opportunity to sing happy birthday to me, and I managed a couple spoonfuls, but that was it. I did not feel at all well leaving the restaurant, which I feel bad about since I know the food there is great and for whatever the reason, late hour, pre-dinner cocktails, I was not able to fully appreciate it. In the end I went to sleep and did not yak, which is good, but oy, I feel like I need to fast or at least take a break from solid foods today! Then maybe, just maybe tonight I can attempt to eat my leftovers from last night. :b I also have several cupcakes left from the batch of Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes I brought to work yesterday. They came out amazingly good. Maybe if I avoid food today I can have one later! Ha ha.

I know I didn't post here yesterday but thanks to everyone who conveyed birthday wishes via Facebook or e-mail (or otherwise). :)

Last night I went out bowling with my work team (the Viagra team). I stink at bowling and it frustrates me but I still enjoy it. It's also a perfect team activity. We consumed much alcohol and fried food. Then we went to nearby bar and got kicked out for no good reason other than that the bouncer seemed to not like us. Apparently we were being too loud. In a BAR. Wtf? Whatever, a good time was had by all, and I only paid for 2 of my drinks.



To be honest though, as the copy editor, I sort of feel left out of a lot of the team bonding. The creatives (art and copy) and account execs work together a lot more closely, and as a result they know each other better. I had fun last night, but looking at the (100+) pictures one of the AEs posted this morning, I am in only 3 of them. Makes me feel kind of left out, but oh well. It was still fun.

Tonight is the Cribs show at Mercury! This is going to be like the 8th or 9th time I'm seeing the Cribs, but it should be different this time because they have a new album coming out and should play some new material. It will be fun I'm sure. I'm kind of amazed they're still playing Mercury Lounge when they've played the main stage at Reading and Leeds and opened for Franz and Death Cab at Hammerstein. So much the better for us fans though. :)

I haven't decided what to do after work, whether I should stay here and work or go home and go back out later. If I go home, the main reason will be to install my DSL. Yup, I'm finally moving into the 21st century. I was starting to feel like one of the last people to still use dial-up at home.

I don't know if I injured myself bowling or sleeping but my sciatic nerve in my left leg is suddenly acting up today. I haven't had problems with it in awhile, but maybe my roller skating injury is still haunting me.

Arctic Monkeys were AWESOME. Quite a change from my review of the Mercury Lounge show in November, I know. But this time their show was everything it was hyped up to be, IMO.

I can't believe I even bought a t-shirt. :p

And then we went to Tiswas where there were guest DJs from England, according to albauk. And as she said in her entry, they were the Best.DJs.Evarr.

AND I ran into Ilya Magazinin from high school. Ha.

We danced till the early morning hours. Spent a little too much money, but damn, it was worth it!

I've seen love go by my door
It's never been this close before
Never been so easy or so slow.
Been shooting in the dark too long
When something's not right it's wrong
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Dragon clouds so high above
I've only known careless love,
It always has hit me from below.
But this time 'round it's more correct
Right on target, so direct,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Purple clover, Queen Anne lace,
Crimson hair across your face,
You could make me cry if you don't know.
Can't remember what I was thinkin' of
You might be spoilin' me too much, love,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Flowers on the hillside, bloomin' crazy,
Crickets talkin' back and forth in rhyme,
Blue river runnin' slow and lazy,
I could stay with you forever
And never realize the time.

Situations have ended sad,
Relationships have all been bad.
Mine've been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud.
But there's no way I can compare
All them scenes to this affair,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

You're gonna make me wonder what I'm doin',
Stayin' far behind without you.
You're gonna make me wonder what I'm sayin',
You're gonna make me give myself a good talkin' to.

I'll look for you in old Honolulu,
San Francisco, Ashtabula,
You're gonna have to leave me now, I know.
But I'll see you in the sky above,
In the tall grass, in the ones I love,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

-Bob Dylan

( Pictures )