a very decent birthday

Since I've been in Israel, and particularly since I've been married to a guy who grew up with almost no family birthday tradition, I've either been depressed by the lack of birthday fanfare or simply made sure I took care of myself and ignored the sound of crickets.

Even a year ago, I was pretty much a birthday Scrooge. I just read what I wrote back then, and this year there is significant improvement, thanks both to the employment factor and to my daughter being old enough now to make her mark on the occasion.

Strangely, two of my siblings (10 and 7 time zones away, respectively) bookended the day by phoning to sing happy birthday too early in the morning and then too late at night, thus waking me up from sound sleep twice. Thanks, you guys! I know you love me, but just send money next time, ok? ;P

My boss organized a small collection from several people and they surprised me, late morning, with a fudgy/creamy store-bought cake, a balloon, and a beautiful pair of earrings. Then OB (office boyfriend -- doesn't every girl have one?) took me out for lunch and gave me a silver necklace from the same store the earrings came from. (No, he doesn't expect anything in return -- just continues to hope.) After lunch, I brought out the cake I had made (chocolate with Grand Marnier-flavored butter icing) and invited my office mates to partake. It was like throwing a party without most of the work, and I got lots of warm-fuzzies and "mazal tov"s out of it. In the evening, more food: Mr. Squarepeg and the young Ms. took me out for Chinese dinner at a classy place and gave me an iPod as a gift. She also wrote a crazy little poem, which started, "Some have ideas; others have the cash" -- referring to herself as the creative genius and her father as the patron of the arts, as it were. "Some go to school/Others you will find at work. You have a birthday today/ And we don't." And finally, concluding in her free-verse style of oxymoronic couplets, was "Happy birthday Mom and Wife/We hope that you enjoy your life" which made me snort the beer I was drinking. And then the footnote: "***We love you even when we fight!!!!" My 13-year-old is coming along nicely.

However, this iPod thing is a bit problematic, being much more of a gadget than I actually wanted. My daughter has become an iPod freak and I think she talked daddy into buying it because she has designs on it. Right away she started in with maybe I'd like to trade with her (she's had a mini iPod since the summer, but the minute she bought it she already wanted an upgrade). Actually, all I wanted was a basic mp3 player to listen conveniently to a series of lectures I have on CDs. The iPod may end up being pretty much wasted on me, but I was dumb enough to open the package right away (the kid wanted to see it and was insisting) so there's no way it's returnable. It was very generous of the mister to spring for such an expensive toy, when something half the price would have done me fine, but I'm a little uncomfortable about it. Although, who knows? Maybe I'll start listening to music more because of it. It really does have amazing sound, nothing like listening to a discman. I hardly ever listen to my music now, because of all the noise I live with (two very noisy individuals who need radio/tv/computer sounds on all the time), but maybe I'll just go into my own little iPod nanoworld and bliss out...

In any case, the "big day" felt very satisfying for a change. Score one more point for the world of work.