"It's my happy-birthday-bergerac, -bononi, - budini!!"

At 12:30am a celebratory glass of Bergerac morphed into multiple glasses of (delicious) red wine in the rear mezz, as we lovingly refer to it, at Devils Alley with all of my fav's from the Alley crew.

"It's my happy birthday! It's my happy birthday bergerac, my happy birthday bonini, my happy birthday budini!!" In all honesty, by the time I got to the budini, things were full swing, impromptu birthday celebration.

I don't know if it was the wine or the fresh air, but after alley drinks, I really wanted to bike across town to my friend Johns roof deck. So off we went, on a very-much-WAY too tall Schwinn to 21st and South.

What a beautiful deck! Drinks were had, and Cate convinced a passerby to sing me happy birthday from the street. Not exactly Marylin or Barry, but sincere and wonderful. After walking two blocks not only was the celebration in full swing, but so were the spins. Somehow threw myself in the shower and crawled into bed.

The sweetie tells me that I didn't get home until 4....suspect?

I really do have the best friends in the world. And I don't just say that because they buy me great wine instead of shots of SoCo and Lime. It just works, without work. For instance, my best friend sent me a beautiful red pie plate and instant crust recipe this weekend. She's never forgotten my birthday, and to boot, she found a pie plate with my high school nickname (Emile, Emile, Smmmiillleeee!). What a perfect present!

I'm so lucky to have such great friends to celebrate the good times, and work through the sketchy times. Considering I'm always a half hour late, consistently forget to send belated birthday cards to friends, go Christmas shopping during "after Christmas sales", and notoriously forget to return voice mails, it's crazy to think that my friends stick around.

I think this calls for a 24th birthday resolution. Rather than a cane and pair of reading glasses to accompany my aging bones, I think I'll opt out for a calendar for my kitchen. Important dates will include birthdays, bills due, flee meds for all the boys in the arc, and of course, time for my partners in crime, Bergerac, Bonini, and Budini.

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes; for unconditional, unfaltering love.