The Tale of a Birthday

Because, really, you can't make this shit up.

• Just out of Catching Fire, a group of friends and I went to a diner across the street right around midnight. I got root beer and chocolate pancakes and all was well.
• Got to walk a block in a gorgeous night in midtown. It was totally cool that the closest train wasn't running up to my apartment tonight. It was lovely out! And the other train was a block closer to my apartment anyway!
• Within a stop or two, someone came on and brought a stink to that subway. Which was running local. 
• Then I somehow either was oblivious to my stop, or the subway skipped my stop and suddenly I was in the Bronx. I had to wait ten minutes for a train that was Manhattan-bound. Saw at least three rats and got something in my eye that made it seem like I was crying while playing Candy Crush.
• Got home. Maneuvered around house guest sleeping on floor. Found pile of still dirty dishes in the sink. Then I did start crying. Got horrid sense that nobody else was going to do them, but everyone else would disappear for the rest of the weekend.
• Found my room felt like a sauna, even with the door open. Meaning I'd be overheated going to bed. In November.
• Had it confirmed that USPS had tried to deliver a package I've been desperately waiting on for almost two weeks. Twice. But no sign of slip I would need to go pick it up at post office. And as I knew I'd be out for several hours the next day, I couldn't request a redelivery. 
• Watched Reign because fuck it.
• Fell into a spiral of self loathing and questioning the importance of my existence in the shower. Then had the curtain rod collapse on me. Postponed further self loathing to reposition the shower rod and finish washing up so I could get the fuck out of there.
• Stole my brush out of the bathroom because I was 99% sure somebody else was using it without having asked.
• Watch Glee at 5 am because really, what the fuck else could go wrong at this point.
• Fell into super restless sleep because my room was so overheated. It included lots of waking up with too little sleeps and feeling like death.
• Still managed to have a missed call.
• Confirmed that I had to go to the post office without a package slip.
• Opened a present from my parents. It was a spinning TARDIS.
  
• Tried to look through Facebook messages. Was denied this. By Facebook.
• Walked to post office. Got the phone call from my grandparents while walking, and therefore had to half-shout to be heard over traffic.
• Went to the post office. Was informed they would have tried redelivery today, but went to go look for it for me. Five minutes later, she comes back and informs me it's too far back, write down my number and she'll call me when the package resurfaces. So I can come to the post office AGAIN. BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVES GOING TO THE POST OFFICE, RIGHT? 
• With a few minutes and best friend texting, I calmed down and did my makeup. Even though I didn't have my new products to play with. 
  
•  Left for lunch with a friend, still in a mood. As the Subway Gods often do, the train I needed showed up within a few minutes and I was able to get a seat. Same happened with my transfer.
• She didn't know it was my birthday, but while in line to grab Shake Shack, I mentioned it in relation to my feelings about when Christmas celebrating can start (there ARE ALREADY SALVATION ARMY PEOPLE OUT). She offered to buy me fries. Being starving and knowing I'd need to orders of fries, I asked to to get me a creamsicle float instead.
  
• Got a table next to a heater and spent two hours eating and talking.
• Went to Argo Tea where I got a large chocolate mint for myself and a table for the two of us (which is nearly impossible in this particular spot). Sat and talked for two hours over tea, each of us buying more tea before leaving. Got phone call from dad and brother while in Argo to wish me a happy birthday.
• Walked towards Union Square and find the Christmas market is up, so we wandered through it, not browsing, but still taking in some of what was there.
• Realized I have a voice mail, and figure it's from the post office. Apparently, my package still hadn't been located, so she promised to check again in the morning and call me again. Spirits lifted about not going back to the post office AND the way this woman goes out of her way to keep me posted.
• Get to Strand and make a game plan of starting in the basement and working our way up to the second floor. Spend three hours there, browsing and chatting. She has to make trips all over the store to return some of her arm-fulls of books. I only put back two. Got a phone call from my mom with family details and Thanksgiving details and happy birthdays and she told me to enjoy cake and that my brother picked out a card for me that she hoped would arrive today. I almost cried when she told me he didn't like that I was away from her for the first time on my birthday, but...I was in the middle of some non-fiction shelves about Germany. Also while browsing, had a guy tell an employee he was going to load his arms with as many books as he could carry. The employee wished him a happy birthday and they separated. Friend and I laughed and she said "That's so weird! It's his birthday too!" Guy was apparently not that far away, and came back and said "Happy birthday." Sadly, I think I forgot to tell him the same.
  
• Leave Strand and texting my roommate, she instructs me to eat cake which I didn't have, so therefore I had to go find some. As its now almost 9, I ask friend if she wants to go to Times Square, our best option.
• After walking 6 most of Times Square, ultimately turn back to go to Chevy's to eat real food. Chevy's was always my favorite Mexican place and it was something my mom and I did after seeing movies before it closed. Ate tacos, ensuring I wouldn't have to make food or do dishes that night. Then ordered a brownie sundae that I mostly conquered.
• Got on the subway home which was running fine, despite signs at my friend and my station saying they wouldn't be. Quickly got seats and settled in, continuing to chat.
• Found two cards, a tidied up, empty living room with a light on, and a mostly-empty sink when I got home. Rejoiced slightly about the lack of dishes, alone time, and no stumbling in the dark. Opened the cards and found a sweet one from my parents with a generous check in it. Then there was this one, including a note that he had picked it out himself.
  
  
  
  My brother is 9 (9.5 as of my birthday) and has never been good at saying how he feels. When he calls me and is ready to hang up, or when I'm leaving to go back to the city, I have to force an "I love you" out of him. But when I am at my parents, he likes trying to find ways to spend time with me, without saying exactly that, but asking if we can watch a movie or some videos together. Since learning to use a phone this semester, I've been getting at least one phone call from him between visits to my parents', usually to tell me things like the cats are getting along better or he figured out how to open his locker on the second day of school or he got his violin and wants to play for me over the phone. He doesn't talk about his feelings because that's not something we do in our family. So to get this card from him, knowing he picked it out and filled in things and all is what set me over the edge. And I cried again. Because for him to do this is a huge deal.
  
  
  Things I Got as Gifts:
  •  A TARDIS sweatshirt and spinning TARDIS from parents, plus money and phone calls (they don't call their kids unless someone's dead, my mom's pregnant, or it's a birthday)
  • Money from grandparents
  • $25 gift card to Starbucks from aunt
  • The card from my brother
  • College gossip from my roommate
  • A creamsicle float from my friend
  • Books, favorite foods, and tea from myself
  • A crapload of clean dishes from our house guest
  • A Doctor Who/Hunger Games parody video to my Facebook wall from my sister
  • Happy birthdays from a lot of friends.
  
  
  I had lost all faith in today being anything close to good before even going to bed last night, but it ended up being one of the greatest birthdays I've ever had. That's not saying much (I always get excited about birthdays and usually they're not that great), but still. It was very much MY day. And the little things that happened and small gestures from random people and my brother's card just kind of made it perfect.
  
  
  Now that this chronicle is done and all birthday wishes responded to (besides one aunt who said she hope things are going well here, so I feel obligated to ask about how things are for her? maybe?), I'm going to watch Scandal, then take a bath with a romance novel.
  
  
  --Julie