Thanks to Facebook — this was certainly the most festive birthday I’ve ever had.
Last year, on my birthday, I had a Facebook account — but only one friend. I didn’t know how to use it and didn’t understand what it was. Then Sarah, my daughter, said to me in January: “How do you not know how to use Facebook?” So I started using it.
In realty, it was a rather quiet day. Alicia and Emma (wife and daughter) and I went to lunch and they sang me happy birthday.
Alicia then gave me some presents: a gray t-shirt, a pair of athletic shorts, and a new yoga mat. This is because I told her I’ve set a goal for the next year of my life. This year, I’d like to get younger. I aged way too much last year — so I want to undo some of the damage by returning, once again, to my daily yoga habit.
Then I did some work.
Sarah, who lives in Alaska, called me in the afternoon. That was nice. Except her dog is sick. That’s not so nice.
We’re going to visit Aaron, our son, in Asheville, tomorrow. I guess that’s why he didn’t call.
In the evening, Alicia acquired a Little Caesar’s hot-n-ready pizza and brought it to Mom’s house. She also had a cake and a lot of candles. There were four of us there.
Then, I had a couple of beers with Robert Jones and Cindy Graham. That’s a pretty nice birthday — but not a huge celebration.
However, because of Facebook friends and connections, it seemed like a really big party. All day, I enjoyed a stream of kind posts on my wall, wishing me happy birthday.
Appropriate for me, really. I’ve always spent an unhealthy amount of time online. Cyberspace is as real for me as anywhere.
Thanks so much for all the kind words. It was the best birthday I can remember.