Halloween Birthdays are a blessing—not a curse

 

Today was a nice day; my sister Shawn & her husband Jim had me down to their house for my birthday (which is actually this Wednesday on the 31st), complete with a Halloween Scarecrow cake, Batman decor & a tasty home cooked dinner.

Of course, I feel very fortunate to have Shawn as my sister.  (Not only is she a good person, but she's a good friend.)   Her husband Jim & my niece Sophia make me feel just as loved--my world would be a much lonelier place without them.

 

 

 

Sophie & I badger my sister Shawn to stop working and come downstairs for some cabbage rolls & birthday cake  

For some reason, it always made me feel a bit 'special', sharing my birthday with such a strange holiday like Halloween.  (I've always had an interest in ghosts, monsters & supernatural phenomena; would that have been different if I'd been born on Christmas or Arbor Day?) 

 

It's now time for a STRANGE BUT TRUE Story…

In my second semester at Waynesburg College, I met a girl in Sociology (Elizabeth) & we began dating; the night before my birthday she called & said she had some exciting news, but wanted to tell me in person.  It was pretty late but I snuck to her dorm, anxious to get the scoop.

She sat me down & said "Doug you don't have to live with this anymore."  What was she talking about?  "Well, as you know my dad is an attorney" she continued.  "I told him about you being forced to share your birthdate with Satan, and he informed me that when it's a traumatic case like this, you can have it legally changed!"    Traumatic!?

When I responded "How do you know Satan was born on October 31?"  she answered "Common sense should tell you that."   The only thing common sense told me was that Elizabeth & I weren’t a match made in Heaven.  Things didn’t work out for us—and I got to keep my birthday.  

I'm just glad I didn't grow up in THAT family; my parents saw it for what it was--a fun holiday for kids.  And for as long as I can remember, my mom always made sure I got a Halloween-themed cake too.  (Like here, on my fifth birthday—a witch cake!)

 So thanks again Shawn--not just for the day, but for making me feel like a kid again!

Sophia’s Three—It’s Party Time

Whew, what a Saturday!  Today my sister Shawn & her husband Jim had a big birthday bash for my niece Sophia, who turned 3 yesterday.  

Sophia insisted on pizza & my sister also prepared pasta & potato salads, along with turkey, ham & italian subs--soda, giant Disney cake, ice cream--the whole shebang.

I can't believe:

• Sophia is 3 (it seems like Shawn was pregnant with her 3 MONTHS ago)
• The number of friends this social butterfly has
• The NUMBER OF PRESENTS this kid got--including a battery-powered all terrain vehicle from Shawn & Jim!

Sophia looks on as her neighbor Levi gets a slice

Who are all these people?

 Drew (my other niece, left) makes a new friend with Disney Girl (Jordan, Sophie’s friend Jenna’s older sister)    

            Shawn's good friend & neighbors Jackie, Jim, their son Levi & friend Livvie

When Sophie was opening her presents (in a roomful of people), she kept yelling "Uncle Doug, look at this!"  I have no idea why I was being singled out, but I loved it

 

My sister Donda & me, and waitaminute why does she look so much taller??

 Well, not a lot more to say here; my sister Shawn & Jim had a lot of people there (around 20, if not more) and there's many more pictures--but they're of Shawn & Jim's friends (or some pretty lousy shots--I'm not great with a camera); so I'll send them on to her & just hope everyone (especially that 3 year old hambone) enjoyed the day as much as I did.

I must be an alien—it would explain so much

 

Well, right before I left the office tonight, I got a call from an old friend (from my former job) inviting me to a Happy Hour. I thanked him for the offer, but declined.   I didn't even think about it, just gave an automatic response. 

Why did I do that?  A hundred or so people packed into a small bar, migraine noise levels, toxic breathing space...who wouldn't enjoy that?  Maybe I'm not really human.  What other explanation could there be?   It's not like I consider myself a 'social outcast', in fact I can blend in very well with people--WHEN I WANT TO.   And therein lies the problem.  What does a person do when they don't feel comfortable being involved in the things that most other adults do?   (Bars, sporting events, church…)

Yeah, you're right-- I'm a pretty boring guy!  I don't understand it myself--and it's not like I haven't tried all these things.  Sometime back, I signed up with an online dating service & was surprised at how many women asked a variation of the same question:  "What's your favorite club?  Do you like darts or pool?   You like a live deejay or band?  Do you prefer mixed drinks or beer or wine?"   I usually got stony silence or disbelief when I replied "Er...I haven't been to a bar in years--sorry, that's just not me.  But if you really want to go..."   (Too late!)

And here in Pittsburgh, not being a sports fan is a SURE SIGN YOU'RE NOT HUMAN--or at least not a Pittsburgher.  I think the women in this town are bigger Steelers fans than the men!  Don't get me wrong; I think it's great that people enjoy supporting local teams & sitting in an open arena during a blizzard or thunderstorm, screaming their heads off--good for them!   I'd rather be at home though, reading a book or watching old sci-fi movies on TCM.

Some of my all-time favorite movies; I just can’t get enough of watching aliens taking over Earth

My human friends understand this thing about me and bars though, and will often say "Doug, there's so many single women in church!  They have all kinds of social groups too, you should try it."  And I have, but that religion thing always gets in the way... I'm not saying I'm an athiest--but listening to people proclaim their faith in various saints, virgins, angels and Messiahs does nothing for me.  I'd sooner be wary of ghosts.

Well, instead of suspecting myself as being alien--maybe I should focus on the things I DO like doing.  Okay, so maybe I don't like those items I listed above...but I love going to the movies.  I'd go at LEAST once a week if I had someone to go with me.  I enjoy going out to eat, shopping in bookstores, (I used to love) amusement parks, the zoo, & I'm a big fan of Natural History museums.  (But again, if I'm WITH someone.)  I also love musical theater, some of my best 'evening memories' are going to see Phantom of the Opera, Mama Mia, Miss Saigon.  I'm just more of a 'one on one' type of person, I suppose.

(And maybe I shouldn't admit this as it confirms my 'couch potato' status, but my idea of a perfect Saturday evening is spending it at home, with a couple DVDs & a pizza or home cooked meal.   I think I prefer the term "homebody" over that couch thing though...)

All of this...just to say I don't like Happy Hours.