Why is it some people understand that birthdays are a big deal and others can’t see the point past the age of 10? I fall squarely in the first camp. When I was a kid my mom made a really big deal abour each of our birthdays (and there were…holy crap…six of us!)..cards, gifts, parties, choosing your meals for the day. If I decreed (which I frequently did) that we were having cheeseburgers for my birthday dinner, everyone had to eat cheeseburgers, not just the birthday girl. I still make sure it’s all about me when my birthday rolls around, which it did last week.

There’s always birthday music involved…this year it was a Helio Sequence show, last year it was Arcade Fire, the year before The Fray…well, you get the idea. I expect to hear from friends and family on my big day. Calls, e-mails, e-cards and snail mail cards all ensured that friends and family connected with me on my big day. I was even treated to a mix tape and there is no more impressive gift than that! Birthdays also require going out for a really nice dinner, followed by an impressive piece of chocolate cake. Done.

Having my birthday fall on the opening Friday of a 3-day weekend was a nice bonus. Not that it truly mattered…I’ve always been able to stretch out my birthday celebration for days anyway. Isn’t that what the birthday girl is supposed to do?