A perfect square which is the product of two other perfect squares
...but enough about my parentage, let's talk about my age. (Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week. Try the veal, it's extra cruel.)
Yesterday, I turned the age which is denoted above. It was, on balance, quite a good day. As regards presents, I got the customary check from my parents, which I have so far blown on some graphic novels (hooray for 20% off storewide sales at my local comic shop), music (some Destroyer, Ted Leo's old band Chisel, and Flight of the Conchords), and video games (Super Mario Galaxies, Mario Kart Wii, and Zack and Wiki, which was on sale for $20 and which got pretty good reviews). I also got a couple of excellent humor books from darwins_fox's parents (Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeney's Book of Lists and Our Dumb World from The Onion, both of which are hilarious), and Super Smash Brothers: Brawl from my sister. And d_f got me what is most likely the coolest and geekiest present I am ever likely to get: a Chameleon Arch pocketwatch. Now I have to start wearing waistcoats or something so I can carry it around with me.
Yesterday evening, d_f and I went out for dinner with a bunch of friends, and then had all and sundry around to our place for drinks, cake, ice cream, good conversation, and of course video games. (What, like I wasn't going to try out Mario Kart?) It's good to realize that while I miss my friends in the Valley, we have made friends here, and I'm looking forward to getting to spend more time with them over the summer. It's also gratifying to know that I can still throw a party and have it be well attended.
The downside of the day came from a conversation with my mother... Linda's condition is pretty dire, apparently. The cancer is aggressively invasive, and is spreading to her spine and brain. Linda's heretofore brave spirits are flagging. I might have to plan a trip to Maine in the near future, if only to say goodbye.
The sun is shining, and I have nothing terribly urgent on my agenda. Certainly nothing that can't be done in PJs, at least until dinnertime, when d_f and I go out for my Birthday Date. The world may be bittersweet, but the sweetness is love, and the bitterness wouldn't be bitter without love. I can't ask for much more than that.
Yesterday, I turned the age which is denoted above. It was, on balance, quite a good day. As regards presents, I got the customary check from my parents, which I have so far blown on some graphic novels (hooray for 20% off storewide sales at my local comic shop), music (some Destroyer, Ted Leo's old band Chisel, and Flight of the Conchords), and video games (Super Mario Galaxies, Mario Kart Wii, and Zack and Wiki, which was on sale for $20 and which got pretty good reviews). I also got a couple of excellent humor books from darwins_fox's parents (Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeney's Book of Lists and Our Dumb World from The Onion, both of which are hilarious), and Super Smash Brothers: Brawl from my sister. And d_f got me what is most likely the coolest and geekiest present I am ever likely to get: a Chameleon Arch pocketwatch. Now I have to start wearing waistcoats or something so I can carry it around with me.
Yesterday evening, d_f and I went out for dinner with a bunch of friends, and then had all and sundry around to our place for drinks, cake, ice cream, good conversation, and of course video games. (What, like I wasn't going to try out Mario Kart?) It's good to realize that while I miss my friends in the Valley, we have made friends here, and I'm looking forward to getting to spend more time with them over the summer. It's also gratifying to know that I can still throw a party and have it be well attended.
The downside of the day came from a conversation with my mother... Linda's condition is pretty dire, apparently. The cancer is aggressively invasive, and is spreading to her spine and brain. Linda's heretofore brave spirits are flagging. I might have to plan a trip to Maine in the near future, if only to say goodbye.
The sun is shining, and I have nothing terribly urgent on my agenda. Certainly nothing that can't be done in PJs, at least until dinnertime, when d_f and I go out for my Birthday Date. The world may be bittersweet, but the sweetness is love, and the bitterness wouldn't be bitter without love. I can't ask for much more than that.