It was my birthday and I had a revelation

I was just going to leave yesterday’s post up for the rest of the summer, and change the date, but, uh, not only would I be doing something stupid, I would be aging way too rapidly.

THANKS ALL OF YOU FOR HELPING MAKE MY BIRTHDAY GREAT!

Thank you all; never had an Internet birthday before, and I recommend it. Wasn’t going to do, but it’s a great experience, and one that I hope to repeat many times.

Last night was so great! Yes, it really was. But before I get to that, I think being born in the midpoint plus a few days of July is incredible. When I was a kid, I had to have my school party in June because, yes, we didn’t have school in July. I would also have my personal birthday party for my ten or so best friends in June. Fave-sis and I went to sleep away camp for six weeks each summer. It always seemed to begin on July 21 or 22nd.

While I logically knew that my parents didn’t arrange this, it felt like they did. Or, more probably, my dad told me that they did, and I believed him. We would have our extended family party on my birthday with whatever friends happened to be home. Then in September we would have a private just the four of us adoption day dinner at my favorite restaurant, Patricia Murphy’s, in September. Patricia Murphy’s had a giant aquarium, and beautiful gardens. They also had women dressed in colonial costume who walked around giving popovers and sticky buns. I only cared about the popovers which I thought were magic.

Though I had been adopted in November, it was too close to my sister’s birthday, and my parents wanted her to have the full birthday experience without my big sisterly interference.

I have to admit that I still believe the entire summer is my birthday, and nobody can ever dissuade me of that feeling. Summer’s always been magical; it’s the time of the year that anything can happen as long as it’s fun and preferably near or on a beach. I will never outgrow the feeling that summer brings great adventures and promises of future happiness. I love seeing summer through the eyes of kids–real and grown up ones.

Yesterday was the first time I didn’t buy every paper or look up my horoscope everywhere I could on the Internet. Think that means I will have an uncharted year. Know it doesn’t work that way but leave me to my delusions please; or maybe my illusions; or my truth. Fave niece made me a card that she was so nervous would be late, it arrived three days early and asked three times if it had arrived on time. That alone would have made my birthday.

Yesterday was the most oppressive day of the year. It was so oppressive that the heat went straight into my nose, but last night, the humidity broke just a bit to make it tolerable. Had been thinking of going to Cafe Luxembourg, Compass or another very trendy neighborhood restaurant. But I was in a weird mood, probably brought about by going out too many times during the day. Didn’t even try to make reservations.

We were going to go to the symphony in the park, but at the last minute, I decided I really wanted to go to a restaurant. The thing is eating at a restaurant just really isn’t special anymore. Find that sad. Me cooking a meal would be very special, and something I will attempt to do sometime in the not too distant future. Used to be a very good cook. Too darn hot to leave the neighborhood! Which left any restaurant not in the Upper West Side out

But ended up at the all occasion, great for regular times, great for parties restaurant Nicko’s, which is about two or three blocks from my house–yes born in the boroughs people call apartments, houses. Very occasionally I slip into borough talk. Boiling hot is another. That doesn’t mean that the water is boiling; in New York, it means that the weather is. My third and final one is rich as a Rockefeller which is always used as a slightly sarcastic question when people (close to you) are spending money that you know they can’t afford:
“So, you think that you’re rich as a Rockefeller?”

Lucia and I are the charter members of the Society to Preserve the Expression Rich as a Rockefeller. Okay as far as we know we’re the only members but we do have an entire generation of teenagers saying it. Rich as a Gates doesn’t sound as good.

Nicko’s has an outdoor cafe. The side walk slightly slops, and there is a huge canopy over it. It wasn’t hot! It was just Lucia, Rafe, and two friends who will not be referred to, as they don’t want to be characters! I don’t find that offensive, however…Same people also say that my stories should be in a book, because they’re soooooooo funny.

Did I say that it was cool? We only ordered starters–ten of them–which turned out to be enough food for twice as many people who were there. Lucia and I each ordered the crab cake appetizer, thinking that they would be the usual tiny crab cakes. They weren’t. They were crab and shrimp with no filler and Divine as was the polenta with mushroom, artichoke hearts with peas, carrots and a heavenly lemon sauce. Everything was incredible, and I have enough left overs to invite people over for a left over party, though I think that would be tacky.

We finished dinner just as the fireworks began in the park. Couldn’t see them. Had we have been in my apartment there would have been a great view of a tiny stream of fireworks from the exact center of my couch, but we weren’t.

As we were standing in the center isle of Broadway; I bit my lips in a certain way, did some movement with my elbows and hands, and had a revelation. I am Elaine; more honestly I’m a combination of every character on Seinfeld.

Suddenly life became clear to me; I epitomize the Upper West Side YUPPIE (haven’t heard that one in awhile, have you?) to many people on the Internet. When I said this to my friends, they all nodded in unison.

Sheet. Love me, hate me, but never think of me as a stock character. Please?

Today is Carlos Santana’s birthday. I have always loved his music, and can’t think of a better person to almost share my birthday. More than most people he shows that second acts are very doable, in this amazing country. Yeah, Cancer’s do have a great love for home and country.

Oh my birthday, part two will be celebrated this weekend with fave sis and fave bro in law, in a very beautiful town on Long Island, Bellport, where Isabella Rosellini lives. Do stretch out my birthday as much as possible. Think everybody should. Birthday’s are special, and a hell of a lot better than the alternative.