The Birthday Indulgences, 2011 Edition

In a few hours, I will be 35.  God.  How did that happen?

I'm sort of excited about this birthday.  It's weird.  Usually I get in a grim black funk about them or have a moment of introspection and move on, but for this one, I kind of want to go to a place that does the whole sombrero on the head thing and make them sing to me.  It's odd.

Thirty-five.  Half my life, realistically.  I should be in a navel-gazing cloud of despair over all I haven't done, over where I am now, blah-blah-blah, but instead, for no good reason, I'm sort of giggling and amused.  In four hours, I will quite officially "no longer be young," if ever I was.

Since I instituted the "Week of Senseless Indulgences" a few years ago to fend off birthday blues, I have carefully plotted and planned to make sure I have neat things near my birthday.  This year, I think I outdid myself. Of course, I have my earrings which were my big gift to myself this year, but I also went to the Eudora Welty conference Friday, something I always enjoy, and that intellectual stimulation made me feel like a person with a brain again instead of a dead teacher minion.

After the conference, I went to Target and just wandered up and down the aisles, on nobody's timetable but my own.  I bought myself my favorite type of pencil, the gravity-feed Dr. Grip (if you don't have one, you need one and can get one or at least take a look at the specs on one by clicking on the helpful Amazon box at the left....they're a little hard to find....), and a Beatles t-shirt.  I got a new scented candle for my classroom.  Little things.  Little things.

I finally remembered to return two movies to NetFlix that I've had forever, and I took the time to watch two more that I've wanted to see for a long time.  It's been nice to have something not a rerun to watch in the evenings.  

Today, I went back to Jackson to see my best friend for the first time since school started.  We went to MugShots and had big, unhealthy burgers laden with blue cheese.  We roamed around Pier1 and the Craftsmen's Guild Center.  It was a good day.  More little things.

Tomorrow, on the actual day, I think Mom and Dad are going to take me out to eat, and we'll get to spend time together.  Mom said something about going junkin', and there's a show at the Riley Center I might try to pick up a ticket for if I feel like it and there are any left.

Little things.  Little things.

Maybe I shouldn't keep all these little things bottled up for just this time in February. Maybe I should focus on trying to have every week, every month be filled with Senseless Indulgences.  Life would certainly be a lot more pleasant if I did....  Something to think about as I start the second half of my life, perhaps.