2001-11-04 - 9:01 p.m.

Now playing: Some "Best of British Pop 1971" disc that my coworkers gave me...it is...unique.

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Anyway, Tuesday at work, people kept asking me if I had any special birthday plans, what would I be doing after work, etc. My reply was "I'm having dinner with my mother at On The Border [a Tex-Mex chain restaurant near my apartment] and that's about it."

So, my mom comes over after work, I open the cards she's given me, I open a few more cards I'd gotten in the mail, and then it's time to go to the restaurant. We go, and sit far from the door, with me with my back to the door. Margaritas and an appetizer are ordered and received, and we chit-chat for about 15 minutes. Mom is having difficulty deciding what she wants for an entree, but that's normal. She then gets up to go to the washroom, and returns a few minutes later, still undecided as to what she's going to order. She then starts asking me these weird-ass questions, like what do my coworkers think about current events, etc. She never asks me that kind of thing. So, I'm in process of answering when I hear the happy strains of "Happy Birthday" behind me. Oh great, I think, Mom told the waitresses and they're singing to me. I then hear my aunt's voice, and while I'm getting up to look, I decide that it's not only waitresses. I turn around to find a group of about 20 people - friends, family, coworkers - behind me all singing at me. It was great. We moved to a different portion of the restaurant, I introduced everyone to everyone else, and we had a great dinner and just a grand ol' time. My coworkers got to meet family members about whom I talk about endlessly; family members got to meet coworkers about whom I talk endlessly, and my friends got to meet both.

I was really surprised and honored that so many people were there.

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Today Mom and I went to Trader Joe's. That's the most I've done today. Sat like a lump when I got home, and now I'm ready for bed.