A post in which it is my BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!

So it just started off like an ordinary day.  It was a quiet morning.  I had my coffee and laid around taking in an Absolutely Fabulous marathon on Logo.  Eventually I ran to the store.  I had been trying to decide what to make for lunches, and then remembered that I had all that squash cut up in the freezer from a week or so ago.  I had found yet another squash casserole recipe I wanted to try - it was a recipe from a restaurant in Charlotte that had closed and there had been some hue and cry about the squash recipe to the point that they got the recipe and published it in the paper.  Anyway.  Since I can't find a recipe I like I was going to give this one a shot. 

Now since it had been so revered, I wasn't going to mess with it, but when I read over it I remembered why I hadn't made it before.  You were supposed to start off by covering the squash an onions with water, boiling them until soft, and then draining them.  Now when you do that, you pour off most of any remaining vitamins and most of the flavor, which has leached out into the water.  I don't know why southerners are so determined to boil all their veggies to death, but it seems to be a cultural thing.  Not to mention that squash has plenty of water in it to cook in already in the skin.  Additionally, I had stuff to do today. 

So I took out my squash and threw them in the crockpot with the onion and a bit of left-over celery, poured a bit of white wine over it with some salt, pepper, a bit of hot sauce (which makes everything better), a single crushed clove of garlic, and a couple of ounces of canned milk (the recipe called for only a cup in the casserole, so I just threw what would have been left-over into the crock pot - this was a mistake, because the wine immediately made the milk separate, but I digress).  So right off the bat, I had just totally changed the recipe.  The idea was that in the crock pot, I could cook the squash an onion slowly in it's own juices, and reduce it down rather than pour all that flavor off.  Also, it would cook on it's own so I didn't have to babysit.  It seemed good like a good idea in theory.

That accomplished, I headed for the shop to get my hair cut.  Rhonda had said she would go with me, but then cancelled out - bummer - and when I got to the shop, Dana wasn't there either.  The was a Carolina game on today and she was home watching the Gamecocks.  I had kind of thought that Russ wouldn't put me to work since it was my birthday, but um yeah I was wrong about that.  He always has me shampoo out Miss Kat when we're there at the same time.  Not that I mind that, but I had one of my favorite shirts on, and couldn't strip down to do it because the shop was open.  I put on a smock and sucked it up.

We didn't get to watch the Carolina game.  The new barber he has in the shop is a big Clemson fan, so we had to keep turning the TV back over to the Clemson game, and then Russ forgot to change it back.  I got my hair cut, and it did look much better - I had been looking rather unkempt of late.  I shampooed out Miss Kat, who very patiently listened to me blurt out the whole latest Cindy episode with true grace under fire.  She could have ordered me to silence after all.  I can't get it off my mind because I know the whole thing will be re-played at my birthday brunch tomorrow (and indeed for the next several weeks).  Miss Kat was very nice about listening to me though, as she invariably is.

While I was there, Russ announced that we were going to dinner at 6pm.  I thought that was pretty early, but then he said he wanted to go even earlier!  He wanted to go at 5pm, and I'm thinking Really? This is how it starts?  What are we doing, catching the early bird special at Denny's or something?  But Russ doesn't like Irashiai, and they would be busy tonight, and he 'didn't want to be there all night'.  So I was like whatever.  Russ is given to caprices from time to time, and it's generally easier to just go along to get along.  Which I was willing to do, but it did rankle just a tad that we were arranging my birthday schedule to suit his schedule. 

I went home and had a lie down.  I wanted a nap, but couldn't sleep.  When I got up to get dressed, I noticed that I had a big streak of brown hair dye down the back of one of my favorite shirts.  God only knows how it got on there,  but the shirt was most surely ruined.  I put on another shirt, resignedly threw that one in the washer, and went to get Rhonda to go to dinner.

So I got to Rhonda's house in full whiny bitch mode.  She, as usual, listened with the patience of Job, commiserated, and told me it would all be OK, and that I was fully justified in whining like spoiled 5-year-old.  Sometimes I think I'm gonna wear out her patience. I bucked up because tonight would be fun.  I would have a lovely dinner (if a tad early, so what?), and I would be with friends.

We went on to the restaurant, which as it happens doesn't open until 5:30.  Then it started to rain.  Buckets.  Fortunately the door was unlocked, and the folks at the restaurant kind of know who I am because I've been in there so much.   They told us we could wait at the bar.  The bartender came in, dried off, and nicely made me a drink.  The boys got there about that time, we were seated, and I proceeded to eat 400lbs of sushi.  It was delicious!  Russ found a roll from Iraishiai that he really liked, so he was happy too - and even better that means we can go get sushi there again.  So it was a capital meal.  Over dinner, I told them my plans.  I wanted to eat sushi - check.  Then I wanted to relax on the smoking porch for a bit and watch movies.  I had brought Heavy Metal with me.  I haven't seen it in a long time, and Logan had never seen it.

We all agreed, loaded up, and headed to RBL's to continue the festivities.  When I walked in the door though, the whole gang was there!!  Rhonda had arranged a surprise party for me!  I was COMPLETELY surprised.  I have always wanted a surprise party, but this was the first one I've ever really had.  And so many of the Kindred were there!  Marty and Petal had come up from Augusta, and stopped to pick up Wilenda.  Jo Ann and Rob were there all the way from Savannah.  JP and Lori were there.  Lady Beth and Michael came for a while, despite her continuing problems.  I was so happy that she came - indeed that everyone came!  Billy had made two birthday cakes.  There was a regular cake, and then because pineapple upside-down cake is one of my favorites, he had made one from scratch - it was gorgeously delicious.  They had decorated the house, and there were presents and everything.  It was SO wonderful.  It got to me for a minute.  This was the birthday that I didn't know if I would have or not - my bonus birthday.  Here I was, healthy, surrounded by people who love me.  I felt like the luckiest guy alive, truly.  It was a wonderful, wonderful evening.

I had lovely presents from everyone.  Rhonda had been watching the blog and had elfing.  She clued Marty and Petal in, and Marty went to William-Sonoma himself to pick out my dish towels.  I was tickled to death with them.  They also gave me a book about dreams, a dreamcatcher, all wrapped up in a one-of-a-kind tie-died shirt and arranged in a pretty gift basket. Rob and Jo Ann had given me two movies, a CD, and an assortment of gourmet goat cheese - really way too much.  Russ and Billy had given me a t-shirt and a gift card to Whole Foods (yay!), and Logan had given me a copy of an early Miyazaki movie that I didn't already have called The Castle of Cagliostro.  Lady Beth and Michael had given me a host set of canape trays made out of some kind of shell like mother-of-pearl, but tinted green with a heavy varnish - they were very unique, and most like very expensive.  Wilenda gave me a really nice back scrubbing brush.  JP and Lori gave me an Amazon gift card so I could go shopping - Huzzah! 

Russ had perfected the pineapple upside-down cake drinks from last weekend, and they were telish.  We adjourned to the smoking porch to drink in style and repose.  When Petal found out that I had Heavy Metal with me she was tickled.  Apparently she and Marty love that movie too.  We all ended up gathered in the living room to watch the it on RBL's big-screen TV to finish off the evening.  It was a wonderful night, and truly the best birthday I have ever had.  I went home a very happy boy.  I am truly blessed to have so many people who love me.