23 It Is Then

As it turns out, I've just turned twenty three years old. A lot has changed over the past year. I have been wedded, graduated from college, moved to Portland, and unexpectedly started my career as an employee at 7 Eleven. What more could I ever ask for?

This year Beth and I celebrated the occasion by having lunch with her half-brother (which would be my half-brother-in-law) John, which somehow turned into an all day and over-night celebration. Freshly released from his visit to the MRI machine John was pleased to treat us to lunch, dinner, and numerous birthday drinks, which for reasons beyond me I just couldn't turn down. It just felt like saying no would be the equivalent of being handed a birthday gift, immediately burning it, and then promptly placing the ashes into my cat Georgie Fruit's litter box.

I must say, the man makes for a great tour guide. As he accompanied us to the Lotus Card Room and Cafe we were treated to some of the seedy history of Portland. The one hundred thousand dollar appraised bar was once part of the city's most unprecedented brothels, which for Portland is probably saying something. Quite fittingly, John insisted I have a drink that involved being set on fire, something along the lines of a flaming Dr. Pepper.

As he continued to buy us drinks it became apparent that the three of us would be together for quite sometime, which was fun, yet, oddly confusing to me for some reason. I was somehow still very sober on the drive home, yet was surprised by John's ability to be a very convincing backseat drunk-driver. Since he's a native Portlander by this point, I began following his directions back to my apartment until I realized we were heading much further west towards his home out of the city. After I turned us around I got us back on track, but not until I turned down his additional directions towards another Portland landmark.

At some point you have to come to the realization that the party should have ended several hours ago, and that point arrived somewhere around three o'clock in the morning when I had to fold out the hide-away bed for John to sleep on. Yes, I did have fun, but I have to admit I kind of wanted the the birthday to end, well, without everyone else passed out and myself checking my email on the computer.

Last night was the fourth of July and I managed at work to discover a hatch that lead to the roof of the 7 Eleven. I got to see the fireworks exploding over Vancouver.

I'm still thinking that this will be a good year.