2001-05-01 | 12:07 a.m.

corduroy licorice had an on-going beef with his dad. they had gone in together on a multi-pack of frozen steaks and would barbecue biweekly.

***

woozy with affection.

that'd be me.

my birthday is officially over and i've got a wonderful lingering afterglow thanks to some very, very special friends.

check this out...i came into work to find my desk peppered with cards and gift bags, plus a cool hand-colored "happy birthday" banner that tv zero had made for me and taped to my wall to announce to all who entered that the birthday girl was ready to be heaped with attention. i opened my gifts and cards and was touched by each one, from the handmade felt purse one girl had sewn for me, to the mix CD from tv zero, to a cool "correspondence kit" in the spirit of griffin and sabine from torrez, to fun mary jane sneakers from ascension, to a $5 bill tucked in card. for some reason, the cash cracked me up. then came a vase full of spring flowers from a quartet of very dear girlfriends. getting flowers delivered is always a cool surprise.

after work, tv zero gathered an inner-circle group to take me out for philly cheese steak sandwiches. it was a nice, small group, just like i'd hoped. he was so thoughtful to spread the word around the office and get the dinner organized. especially considering his inhumane workload. that boy is just too cool for school. bless you, tv zero!

so we were driving back from dinner, bumping and thumping and laughing in one friend's gigantor SUV, when we pulled past the window of my favorite boba tea place and realized the cute counter guy was in the house.

though my fellow bobaholic coworker has a boyfriend, she also has an innocent crush on the counter guy. she told me that she'd ask him to give me a birthday hug. we were hoping he'd be working when we dropped by, but there was a chance he wouldn't. so get this, we slowly pull past the place and she and i peer through the car window and see him behind the counter. this hope fulfilled prompted both of us to scream in hysterical unison like teeny-bopper n'sync fans. i had such a fun college flashback with that silly scream. unfortunately, our carmates experienced aural pain due to our delight. ha! so yes, i not only got my favorite drink on the house, i got a hug from counter guy. score!

today a few people asked how old i was and acted genuinely surprised when i told them. i love that. i'd pay cash to see those eyebrows go up and to hear the "what? no way!" love that. love that.

at times i felt dizzy from all the good feelings i had flowing around me. a few people commented on my embarassment of birthday riches. it felt really, really good to be spoiled like that.

i am soooooooooooooooooo freakin' lucky to have such wonderful friends. if i ever complain about anything again, slap me upside the head, won't ya?

***

wink of the day:

ascension invited me to the jets to brazil concert last friday. boy, it was a great show. she was a bit turned off by their newer poppy stuff. their old stuff does have a more gut-wrenching truth to it, but their new pop is still heads-and-shoulders above most mundane radio dreck. she and i had a great time. the el rey theater is beautiful. i couldn't stop staring at the gorgeous chandeliers. at one magical point, the sparkling red stagelights were filtering through the crystal shards, my malibu-and-pineapple buzz was just right, the music was soaringly beautiful and i was standing next to my very cool friend who was happily singing along to one of her favorite songs. good stuff, that. very good stuff.

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