Three Dozen Plus One

Today is my birthday.

I’m not afraid of coming birthdays, and I don’t intend to stop the count-up. Despite all of its challenges (living with teenagers, IRS tax audit, five year old with pneumonia), through the mud and the stars, life on the whole is pretty good.

So today is MY day, the one day a year that I book solidly to do whatever I want (sans Fiji, of course). And because this is the last year I’ll have a five year old in tow, I plan to have some silly fun.

To start the day properly, we’re off to Isles Bun & Coffee. I just want to live there for twenty minutes and watch them roll and bake and smear the living daylights out of the best sticky buns on the planet. Jake goes in for the puppy-dog tails.

Then we’ll stop at the Walker, where we like to look at stuff. Truthfully, Jake likes to imagine that we’re in a space ship and run up and down the halls more than actually ponder significant pieces. We wager on who could duplicate the art better from our home craft-bucket.

Next, it’s off to Wild Rumpus, because by law you have to pet an odd-looking chicken on your birthday. Look it up, I swear.

Before we go to lunch, we must have our dessert. Just a quick cup at Sebastian Joe’s. For me it’s the triple threat of Pavarotti, Oreo and Raspberry Chocolate that brings me back to my heady twenties. Sharing a house-apartment off of 19th and Franklin, we spent many thick summer nights sitting on the front steps drinking beer and eating SebbyJ’s ice cream. That was a wonderful life.

Our actual lunch will be a world buffet: strolling the narrows of the Midtown Global Market, we will snack and sample as many different countries as we can. Jake is partial to calamari from La Sirena Gorda (Mommy, I’m eating Squidward!) while I know I’ll start with a gordita from Los Ocampo and end with some fries from Andy’s Garage.

Before we head Westward again, I have to stop at Patina to pick out my yearly treat: locally made jewelry and a sassy bag.

Then it’s homeward bound for the 7th grader’s basketball game and a good round of Mom-Chat "Do you think the referendum will pass? Are you doing all-day kindergarten next year? Where are the kids going for Sadie Hawkin’s this year?" All part and parcel.

Saving the fancy restaurant dinner for this weekend, today will be capped off with a dinner cooked by my personal favorite, non-celebrity Chef Hubby. My requested meal is simple, but decadent. What I want to eat tonight (for this traditionally sub-zero event) is a creamy, unctuous pasta, namely orecchiette with a thick parmigiano-reggiano sauce topped with just a smattering of rosemary-laced bread crumb. It’s the ultimate mac n’ cheese.

This perfect day will be finished with all my nuggets crammed around me on the couch while we eat ice cream from the carton and watch American Idol. Not bad for three-dozen plus one.