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jaeleslie at 05:16pm on 29/12/2002
jaeleslie at 05:16pm on 29/12/2002Because in Katroo, they sure know how to say Happy Birthday to you! as Dr. Suess observed. It's a really big deal.
Here in Madison we have a special pub meeting and party for the four of us fans here that are lined up with birthdays in the week between Xmas and New Years. It is usually on the Friday or sometimes the Saturday of the week. It has been going on for so many years it practically has traditions. For many years we would exchange the ceremonial complaints about what a terrible time of year this is to try to organize a birthday party. That is not really necessary anymore as we've all heard it so many times (and it has been the subject of two different Turboapa cover designs). We had to go to a new bar this year as the usual bar presented far too many hoops to jump through (reservations, advance orders).
We have never been able to get people to bring enough presents, but at least they pay their own bar and food bills and sometimes buy us drinks. (This Eeyore sort of attitude is rather strikingly common among all four of us. Look, I got a nice little box! and look, some useful string! and tissue paper! wow! this is great!) One of us brings birthday cards for the others, and one of us (a Tor editor) brings books, and I always bring the apas. (Must find new tradition, maybe gold or frankincense?) Now we seem to be going our separate ways to supplement this low-key celebration with personal dinners-out on our particular days. This is a great leap forward I think for Madison fandom, which tends to socialize in mobs with everyone invited Or Else.
Also I got a corsage, the first I've had since I was married (and that makes two). Tonight we are going to eat Thai food, at the place where I have forced my family to work our way through most of the menu this year. Yes, my favorite.
I have a Dutch friend who made a point of spending his fiftieth birthday doing what he wants to do the rest of his life, which is apparently a tradition there. (He arranged to play a concert of his favorite music to a small audience of his friends, and had the usual party afterwards.) It occurred to me this year that I could give some thought to how I would like to spend that day, which will be arriving in a couple years, since it could be difficult to arrange exactly what I would like to do for this time of year unless I get a jump on it. Then it occurred to me that it's a good thing to do on any birthday. In fact it's a good thing to do every day of your life. I realized I had been laying around a good part of the day, which is okay, and I went to the gym and had a good workout.
But then I thought I should paint a bit, and write a little something too. Just for luck. So here I am.
In Katroo every year on the day you were born, you start the day right in the bright early morn, when the birthday Honk-honker hikes high up Mount Zorn, and lets loose a blast on the big birthday horn! and the voice of the horn calls out loud as it plays, WAKE UP! for today is your day of all days!
Here in Madison we have a special pub meeting and party for the four of us fans here that are lined up with birthdays in the week between Xmas and New Years. It is usually on the Friday or sometimes the Saturday of the week. It has been going on for so many years it practically has traditions. For many years we would exchange the ceremonial complaints about what a terrible time of year this is to try to organize a birthday party. That is not really necessary anymore as we've all heard it so many times (and it has been the subject of two different Turboapa cover designs). We had to go to a new bar this year as the usual bar presented far too many hoops to jump through (reservations, advance orders).
We have never been able to get people to bring enough presents, but at least they pay their own bar and food bills and sometimes buy us drinks. (This Eeyore sort of attitude is rather strikingly common among all four of us. Look, I got a nice little box! and look, some useful string! and tissue paper! wow! this is great!) One of us brings birthday cards for the others, and one of us (a Tor editor) brings books, and I always bring the apas. (Must find new tradition, maybe gold or frankincense?) Now we seem to be going our separate ways to supplement this low-key celebration with personal dinners-out on our particular days. This is a great leap forward I think for Madison fandom, which tends to socialize in mobs with everyone invited Or Else.
Also I got a corsage, the first I've had since I was married (and that makes two). Tonight we are going to eat Thai food, at the place where I have forced my family to work our way through most of the menu this year. Yes, my favorite.
I have a Dutch friend who made a point of spending his fiftieth birthday doing what he wants to do the rest of his life, which is apparently a tradition there. (He arranged to play a concert of his favorite music to a small audience of his friends, and had the usual party afterwards.) It occurred to me this year that I could give some thought to how I would like to spend that day, which will be arriving in a couple years, since it could be difficult to arrange exactly what I would like to do for this time of year unless I get a jump on it. Then it occurred to me that it's a good thing to do on any birthday. In fact it's a good thing to do every day of your life. I realized I had been laying around a good part of the day, which is okay, and I went to the gym and had a good workout.
But then I thought I should paint a bit, and write a little something too. Just for luck. So here I am.
In Katroo every year on the day you were born, you start the day right in the bright early morn, when the birthday Honk-honker hikes high up Mount Zorn, and lets loose a blast on the big birthday horn! and the voice of the horn calls out loud as it plays, WAKE UP! for today is your day of all days!