The Birthday Roundup

Part I: February 14

We went with my parents and grandparents to an ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) fundraiser at the Alex Theater in Glendale. We saw some vintage 1940 newsreel and an old loony tunes cartoon leading into The Philadelphia Story. While my grandparents and dad had seen the movie, Steve, my mom and I had not. It was enjoyable, although the many changes in American society that have taken place since 1940 were startlingly apparent. The treatment of the female lead (Katharine Hepburn) by the male characters seemed bizarre to me; a lot can happen in 43 years.


The Alex Theater (I’m the person on the left in the brown jacket and jeans)


The Interior of the Theater (looking up toward the top of the screen)

Afterward, we had a lovely dinner of Panda Inn Chinese take-out. It was delicious.

Part II: February 15

On the drive up to Pasadena to visit with my grandparents, my parents took me to the In-N-Out Company Store to pick out my birthday presents. Sounds odd, but it was completely my idea. I really miss In-N-Out living in Santa Cruz, and I was thrilled to get In-N-Out swag.


My greatest birthday wish was to get some cheesy bread and blue cheese salad from North Woods. My grandparents were kind enough to treat me and Steve for lunch. We spent some time hanging out with my parents and grandparents before driving back to Santa Cruz. Sadly, it’s tax season, so I didn’t get Presidents Day off.

Part III: February 16

On my actual birthday, I woke up with a horrible headache and the day didn’t improve from there. Work was somehow particularly irritating. Every little annoyance that comes with the territory of being a tax preparer cropped up. I came home in a pretty foul mood. Unfazed by my grumpiness (he’s used to it by now), Steve took me out for a surprise dinner at Oswald’s (one of nicest restaurants in Santa Cruz) and then spent the rest of the evening with me doing one of my favorite things: watching The Daily Show and Colbert Report that we had recorded from the prior week.

Epilogue: February 18

Today we received our American Express and CostCo purchase cash-back checks in the mail. They totaled just about $470. Which, conveniently, is the price (including tax) of a HP mini laptop. That point being made, I’m sure you can guess what we got. It’s fantastic, absolutely tiny and best of all, free.