Pushin' 40

Playing in the background: Ray Lynch, sounds like "Too Wounded" from The Sky of Mind

Meters swum today: 1700. Miles to date, 79.

So my birthday was yesterday. I've been telling people I'm 40 but I'm really 39. I was hoping if I could convince people at my office I'm 40, they'd think they missed their opportunity to make a big fuss and bring in black balloons and stuff. Unfortunately the manager ratted me out. So now I'm 39 and black balloons do loom. Oh well.

Anyway, I had a nice birthday. My OA sponsor met me for dinner at Afrah!, the Middle Eastern restaurant I'm totally in love with. She gave me this cute li'l pink swim cap. I tried it out today and it did a pretty good job of keeping me warm. Getting cold is a problem for me in the ol' pool. I've tried to go two miles twice, and it's always the cold that finishes me, not my lack of stamina. Joan got me new mala beads made of cedar and I'm wearin' em today. They smell nice! And a pair of cute li'l wind chime earrings. They make a nice tinkling sound. So far I like them, but I can see they could potentially drive me crazy. Remind me not to wear these to court, if I ever get to go. I can hear the judge now: "Please silence all cell phones and earrings..."

Tomorrow a bunch of us are going to see the new M. Night movie, The Happening, at the Studio Movie Grill here in town. Joan is a sport. She doesn't like scary movies but she's still going. I'll try not to write a snarky review. Speaking of which, I was gonna start wearing a rubber band with my wrist mala and snap myself if I caught myself being snarky. One of the advice hags, I think Dear Abby, recommends that to break a bad habit. Was even gonna call it the "Snark Snapper" but I think I'd do better to just note when I could have said something snarky and didn't. So far I've only got about three.

So anyway, that's my birthday. It was nice. And nice is good. Nice is great, actually. Next year at this time I'll do a post called "Haulin' 40 Behind Me On A Trailer."