Another Milestone

So the party continues, it's my birthday. In honor of such an auspicious occasion, am having a few girls over to celebrate. Nothing too extravagant just the usual cigars, rum and of course, plenty of hair adornment. Oh and 7 birthday related things:

1. Am a Capricorn and if I were to believe in horoscopes, I am a true Capricorn. sad but true.
2. My most favorite birthday ever was at L'Auberge, balloons, champagne, tuxedo strawberries, followed by 2nd most favorite: Vegas baby!
3. My most favorite birthday outing as a kid was going to "flame Steaks" in Times Square. My parents always made it a goal to embarrass me by putting lettuce on their noses, yep, those were good times.
4. There has only been one year where I secretly wished for a specific birthday gift. I never told anyone, and hence didn't get what I had wished for, how stupid was that?
5. I don't recall ever having a birthday party or traditional type birthday cake. I'm OK with that, those things never appealed to me.
6. By 8AM today I had received 4 birthday texts, 6 birthday emails, 2 birthday gifts, and the day is still young.
7. The anniversary of the day of my birth, means I made it to another year, another chance to live up to my potential, another year to count my wrinkles, to stare in the mirror and wonder "how come body parts seem to be going south?" , another year to squander away the day without guilt because it is my birthday, another year to feel good about who I am, another year to "Find freedom for the full expression of my personality".
   

Dia de los Reyes

While most of you are getting back into your post holiday routines, here on the island we are still in party mode. Today is 3 kings day. El dia de los Reyes is one of our most important holidays. All the islands children spent last night finding boxes and filling them with hay, so the camels would have something to eat when the 3 kings dropped off a whole plethora of gifts. Los Reyes trump santa here on the island.

Nothing goes back to normal until January 12th, when at long last kids go back to school and people go back to work and the holiday season is officially over. It's a damn long holiday season. We start the party on Thanksgiving and almost 2 months later it ends.

The holiday season is filled with traditions, fabulous food and wonderful music. For some it's a highly spiritual time, there are midnight masses, re-enactments, and candle lit processions. For others (like me) it's the food and drink and music that fills me with awe. I have eaten more roast pork in the last 2 months than I did all year. I drank coquito (our rum laced coconut eggnog) and moonshine, oh baby, you haven't lived until you drink our moonshine, it's smooth, fruity and ever so deadly, gotta love that in your holiday beverages. And the music, incredible Christmas carols that have been sung for generations, some spiritual, others just joyful.

So today while you go about your average day, I'll be checking out my hay filled box for baubles left by the 3 kings, eating roast pork, and drinking moonshine, all the while listening to los troubadours sing farewell to this holiday season. Feliz dia de los Reyes.