Birthdays are the best. Even though we can't deny that we are officially older, birthdays are often a day on which we can expect to be spoiled. And that's fun regardless of your age. When I arrived at work my cube was decorated and there were chocolate covered espresso beans and gummy worms waiting for me. After I returned from getting coffee with Erin and Andrea, there was a cake at my desk. I knew it was going to be a good day.

Sally visited and brought with her a homemade gift certificate for bubble tea, complete with bubbles cut out of construction paper. Ingenious. For lunch, Andrea and Erin and I got our grub on at Todai. I tried to photograph the birthday sushi but realized that I had failed to replace the memory card in the camera. No matter.

After work Julie picked me up and we went for a bubble tea at Chatterbox, a friendly place not too far from our house. While waiting at the counter for the drinks to be made, the lady asked if I liked the flowers sitting there. I hadn't noticed them at all which is pretty strange. I usually notice everything, especially great smelling flowers. I remarked how pretty they were and she suggested that I smell them too. OK. Yep, they smelled great. "Smells like someone's birthday," she indicated with a coy look. I looked at her, then looked at Julie. Julie looked like she was in on something with the bubble tea lady. Huh? Wait a minute, what's going on here? Why do you two look so guilty of something? Sure enough, the flowers were for me. I had been lured to the bubble tea place in order to receive my birthday flowers!

Once home and relaxing on the deck, I opened my presents: A Lucinda WIlliams CD - World Without Tears, three great books right up my alley - Falling Off The Map: Some Lonely Places of the World by Pico Iyer; Turkish Reflections: Biography of a Place by Mary Lee Settle; and 1968: The Year That Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky, one of my favorite authors. He is also the author of Salt: A World History, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, and The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation. I loved all of them. So I am very excited about reading all of these books. Between these and the last batch I picked up from Half Price Books, I am set for the next few months. Oh, I can't forget the other present from Julie, the Sharpie Mini markers. I should explain that I have an unnatural affection for Sharpie Markers. I don't sniff them, relax. But I love the fine points that come in all the great colors. I don't use them all that much but I love having them. So when the mini versions came out I had to really control myself. But Julie knew it was one of the few things I wanted just because so she got them. I'm going to hang them from my backpack or something. But I will use them!

I received separate serenades from Sally and Donna at work, my mom and Stephanie, and Nana and Papa Guy. I received voice mail from my dad, twice. An email from Diane and one from Val who is currently somewhere in the Ionian Sea. I spoke with Mary and with Iva. And I am told that I have packages coming from Mary, my mom and Steph, and Diane. The celebration continues!