What I did on my birthday (for AJ)

At about 12:05 am on my birthday, I got up from my desk and went over to where Sean was sitting and said, "Kiss me, I'm 27!" (That then became the title of a post.)

I stayed up for about 45 more minutes, burning some stuff to DVD, and then went to bed.

I don't really remember when I got up. Sean was off work, and I didn't have anything to do really, so we both slept in. I think I got up around noon or so. After piddling around on the computer for awhile, I decided to go biking.

As I was getting ready to leave, Ben called to wish me Happy Birthday. I was so happy he called. We talked while I gathered up my things, carried the bike down the stairs, put the bike rack onto the car, put the bike on the rack, and tied the bike down securely. Then I was ready to go, and I sat in the car as we finished up our conversation. He said that he and Manda are going to have a reception for friends and family, and they don't know when but that it may be near the end of June. I said that as long as we had enough notice, Sean and I could both come. We hung up, and I headed off to bike in a cheerful mood.

It had been raining on and off all day, so I was hoping that I would hit a window of dryness while I was out riding. Because it was bound to be muddy, I went to the Greeneway instead of the Canal.

I pushed myself really hard. Normally I stop frequently to take pictures, but since it was rainy and I wanted to finish as soon as possible (lest I be caught in a downpour), I didn't take any pictures at all. I rode from the golf course down the new stretch of trail, to the intersection with the old Greeneway, up past the street where we used to come in from Mari and Kelly's old apartment, and past the Activities Center. Then I started to feel funny, and I was out of breath, so I stopped to rest for a moment. I ended up having to crouch to balance myself; apparently I was dehydrated. It wasn't hot at all; it was in the 60s, so I hadn't thought I could dehydrate that quickly. A few chugs from my water bottle, and a few more moments of rest, and I felt better.

I then got back on the bike and kept going. I forced myself to go as fast as I could. And, of course, I rode no-handed as much as possible. I do that all the time now. I can easily steer around people and gentle curves without using my hands. I've been thinking of finding some way of hooking small freeweights to my handlebars so I can use them while I'm biking. (Or, you know, getting wrist weights...)

I didn't stop again until the water fountain just before the bridge over Martintown Road, and at that point I stopped to get more water. But I didn't dawdle, and soon enough I was charging forward again, passing streets, going over another bridge...and then finally I was at the last water fountain before the end of the trail. I stopped, got some more water, and then rode up to the parking lot and turned around.

The way back was much faster, because it is more downhill. But I kept pedaling the entire time. I wasn't going to stop my workout for anything...especially since it started raining, and I needed to get back to my car in a hurry. Fortunately it was just sprinkling, so I didn't get too wet.

I didn't stop at all on my way back. The new stretch of trail that runs past the river has some severe inclines on it, and those slowed me up, but I powered through them as best I could.

The result was that I biked for an hour at over 12 mph. And I felt great.

Due to a huge puddle in the middle of the new trail, I was splattered with mud. I went to Wal-Mart looking quite the mess, and bought skim milk, whole wheat bread, and laundry detergent. Then I picked up some McDonald's for lunch/dinner (by then it was around 4:30) and went to R. Gabriel's for a smoothie. Since it was my birthday, they gave it to me for free :)

I got home, drove around to the carwash area to hose off my bike, parked, lugged the food and groceries upstairs, lugged my bike upstairs and carried it gingerly onto the deck to dry, changed clothes, and immediately started the laundry (including the muddy clothes I had been wearing). Then I sat down with my Cobb Salad and smoothie and watched some Kyou Kara Maou.

I basically did laundry and watched Kyou Kara Maou for the rest of the evening. It was neat to see how some of the characters who become influential later were introduced--Adelbert, notably. It was also interesting how Conrad (I guess that's the official spelling now) answered Yuuri's shy question, "Will you cry for me if I die?" (He said, "When that happens, we'll meet in another place." Now that I know more, I have a better idea of what he meant by that, and I find it bittersweet and complex.)

Towards the end of my day I logged onto AIM and IRC, chatting with various people about various things. I've started to think a lot about the AMRN lately; I've posted a few editorials there in past days about things I think are wrong with it. Of course, it's easy for an outsider to pass judgment. I've been thinking that I would like to become actively involved with the community again. And so I have offered to help Sam with site documentation. (This, in turn, has prompted me to once again search for ways to organize my varied projects. I have the Battlecry website, my own website, and now AMRN documentation on my plate. There are other things I'd like to get done, too, and apparently I'm going to have more contract work soon. I need a way to organize my tasks so that I can effectively complete them.)

After awhile, I decided to hit the sack, both because I was sleepy and because I had a doctor's appointment this morning. (Women's yearly exam. No problems.)

And that was my birthday. Not a whole lot of fanfare, but I enjoyed it.