Almost Perfect Birthday

Sunday was my birthday. I won't say here how many years I have on me... it's shocking to think about it really, especially when I listened to some of the items on Beloit University's Mindset List, a compilation of the cultural view of the freshmen entering college this Fall. Yikes. I'm old! Number 6, "There has always been only one Germany," strikes me because my roommate grew up in East Germany, and actually escaped just before the wall came down. The whole Iron Curtain thing always fascinated me. Susann, my roommate, learned Russian in school. I don't think for her life was horrible, but she definitely grew up knowing they didn't have freedoms and they did not have a lot of choices like we have. Her mother's family lived in West Germany and only occassionally could her mother get a travel visa, and then it was only for her. No family vacations to the West...

I digress. Back to my birthday. I started the day with my coffee, the newspaper, and the CBS Sunday Morning show I love. It was a repeat, but I enjoyed it anyway. Susan Sarandon, one of my favorite actors, was featured.

Next I lounged some more, and then got ready for my massage at Sante Day Spa, conveniently located very nearby. ummmm. The afternoon was full of more lounging, some reading, some channel flipping, and then off to see Little Miss Sunshine for the 5 o clock show. I had seen the movie last weekend, and enjoyed it so much. No, "enjoyed" is too passive a verb. I don't think there is a verb for this in English, maybe not in any other language in the world. This movie made me cry, made me chuckle, and most of all made me laugh so hard that tears streamed down my face and I could barely breath. It is poignant, quirky, and a little sad, but mostly it is funny in a heart-warming kind of way.

After the movie we went to The Beach House, a local restaurant which is located, suprisingly, overlooking the beach. I wanted to catch the last glimpse of sunset, have a drink, and eat some ceviche. This is where it got not-quite perfect... they were out of ceviche. I had been tasting that tangy, spicy lime infused fish all day. The good part was I was with my sister Debby, my roomie and my good friend Ralph. And the waitress redeemed herself by bringing a chocolate mousse with a candle. So all in all, an almmost perfect birthday.