Friday, August 8, 2014

Almost Birthday

Tomorrow marks a whole 29 years of me crawling/walking/stumbling around the Earth.
I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE celebrating my birthday. I have actually had consistently terrible birthdays since my teens with a few decent ones peppered in to get my hopes up. This is something I have made peace with and I generally try to spend my day holed up, avoiding contact with the outside world.
 
Facebook is the beign of my existence that day. I appreciate that the FB lets everyone know when your birthday is in case they didn't know/forgot/whatev. Given the fact that most of us store everything electronically instead of taking the time to commit things to memory (phone numbers, birthdays, events, etc), it makes sense to gently nudge ourselves with information we may not recall easily. Good on ya, FB. A fair ammount of people I am friends with on the site are not people I see often but still enjoy being in contact with. A smaller margin is family and friends or coworkers I see on teh regular. A slightly higher percent are people I added in the area when I was working for a local business and trying to expand our customer base. I never unfriended them. I thought it was rude. Some of these people I knew from highschool and don't even like (I was commited to getting more foot traffic. What can I say? I am a loyal employee.).
 
For some reason, people that have never liked you (and vice versa) or don't actually know you feel compelled to wish you a happy birthday because it is popped up on the side bar. As well as people who legitimately only speak to you once a year, when they wish you a happy birthday on facebook. My phone blows up with alerts. Its overwhelming, slightly touching, and weird all at the same time. I suppose it is similar to when you are talking to someone you just met and realize a life event just happened and you congratulate them/wish them well or what have you. You have no connection but it is the social norm to do so. No one wants to look like that asshole who avoids this construct in our culture.
 
It's nice that in our busy world, we stop to wish these people in our lives-however peripherally-a happy day. It's some faith in humanity restored. Unless they are someone you have known issues with. Then I think it looks like a bit of one-uppsmanship.
 
I plan on laying a little low. Getting some lunch and then going shopping with The Husband. Nothing overwhelming, aside from the influx of wall posts.
 
There is a wee tradition at work where the day closest to or day of your birthday (at least on my side of the office) where your desk gets decorated. Since I am not in tomorrow, I got decorated today. Last year was filled with epic hand made signs and drawings of Hello Kitty and Pinke Pie (adorbs!). This year is just as nice. Thanks, co-workers! Its just enough celebration for me :)
 
 
So many drinks at my desk 
 
 
Here's to cute clothes, tasty food, and most people I know being at Boston Comic Con-hopefully too busy to drain my phone of all of it's battery. :)

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