Talk Like a Pirate Day today, of course, but there are no “Yarrrs” or speeches about torrents or proxy IP addresses. Today is my lovely wife’s birthday, and it just seems wrong to share such a day with a fake slogan. I can talk like a pirate any day.
I just choose not to do so.
I wrapped one a last present, and then pleaded my ignorance about how it got there. She opened her fourth and fifth cards that have been spread out about the house since last week. And then I installed the new present. It only took four tries!
It is a special light fixture, which may not sound like your idea of a present, but she asked for it specifically. And it glows in the dark. You can imagine our entertainment.
The first installation attempt I tried following the instructions. On the second and third tries I operated on the assumption that the instructions were wrong. The sticker said Made in China and, while the English was straight from a solid 101 class, the first screw stripped with less than half-a-turn.
When this happens you immediately move beyond a need for the installation instructions.
On the fourth try, though, I decided to give them one more good faith effort and, what do you know.
And now one of our rooms is lit even when it isn’t.
We carefully saved the box and are preserving the old fixture because, as she said “That one is going with us if we ever move.”
Told you she liked it.
We had the traditional Japanese birthday dinner, surrounded by our new best friends, a 13-year-old in a poodle skirt who was just learning the joys and intricacies of ginger and wasabi and that she can’t trust her father for anything, ever, and a family of five, who eat there each week, who just bought a new car, who’s oldest plays fall baseball and who’s youngest is an unholy terror.
Also, the Japanese place in town does a Halloween costume contest ever year. Our chef has won the prize by going as Buddha and almost burned himself alive as Nacho Libre. Capes are flammable, and get this guy away from me.
The Japanese steakhouse is very instructive.
We also had a delicious slice of Oreo ice cream cake from the local place walk-up shop and tsettled in for a nice DVD date night.
She announced to the room in general that it was a great birthday.
