Things I Did On My 44th Birthday

• Woke up at 7:00 AM to the sound of Therese, Gilgamesh, and Kalypso singing Happy Birthday. Gil was holding a king cake with one candle in it. I was too tired to get up, so Gil blew it out and I went back to bed for another half hour.
• I was wished Happy Birthday on the phone by my mom, sister, and about 1,000 people, many whom I don't know, on facebook.
• Went to City Hall to vote early for the upcoming election. The actual election day is February 6th, but there are 9 Mardi Gras parades that day, and it's the day before the Superbowl. Vote early and vote often.
• I bought a very fancy pink dress at the Goodwill for the upcoming Buddy D Saints Superbowl celebratory bike ride next Sunday (pics will follow). I also got a pink wig, pink purse, and a pink mustache.
• At the department meeting Howie got me a king cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday. Earlier on my 35th birthday I was in the same room for my job interview. I told everyone today that I was much skinnier back then and I had a better attitude. My colleagues sighed and said my attitude was the same.
• Sadly the New Orleans Saints ticket office never called to let me know I had won the ticket raffle and was one of 2,000 people who could buy two tickets for the Superbowl. But today, every time my phone rang, I got excited thinking I had a chance. But all's well. I believe the party in New Orleans will be even better than being in Miami.
• I worked on my Krewe du Vieux outfit. The theme is "fired up" and my costume is sort of a skeleton zombie guy with flaming hair. It involves real bones and a talking staff.
• Intrigued about espionage in New Orleans. Heard that four guys tried to tap Senator Mary Landrieu's phone, and one of the guys was James O'Keefe, the guy who dressed up as a pimp to bust ACORN. Another, Robert Flanagan, is the son of U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan of Shreveport. This is going to be juicy and fun.
• Cooked a ham ornamented with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries.
• Helped Gilgamesh with spelling words and multiplication.
• Rewatched the Saints vs Vikings on the NFL network.
• Opened presents. Kalypso got me an NFC Champions hat and Gil the matching shirt.
• Went to bed thinking this was a pretty good birthday.