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".
   

My Little Brother

Happy 15Th Birthday Little brother

I can remember picking you up at that dingy office and knowing life had changed. I was nervous, I never had a little brother and I had no experience with a 2 year old. But I knew the minute I saw your beautiful brown eyes, that I was in love. It didn't matter that you didn't walk, or talk and were so afraid. It didn't matter that the first 2 years of your life were dominated by a mother who preferred drugs more than her son, it didn't matter that you were so sickly and that your hair was the biggest ugliest Afro I had ever seen in my life. What mattered was that I had a little brother, and you now had a big sister. Through out the last 13 years, you have made up for lost time and become a wonderful young man. In keeping with our birthday tradition here is the list of all the things I still find amazing about you.

• You are so funny. (You have a dry wit that I hope I had something to do with.)
• You are compassionate and smart. I love discussing the woes of the world with you.
  
• You are so damn good looking and you know it, which may not be a good thing but for now am letting it slide.
• You seem to have already made peace with your scary start in life. That is so big, adults sometimes live their whole lives and never make peace with their past.
• You openly share your emotions and thoughts with me. Am proud you feel that close to me to never hold back.
  
• You are smart enough to know that skin color has never meant anything between us. Remember when some kids said I couldn't be your sister because you were black and I wasn't and you said our hearts were the same color and walked away. Amazing insight for a 6 year old.
• You can be a pain in the ass, which I hear is typical of a teenager, so most times I let that slide too.
• You are now way too tall and mature for a 15 year old. And although most people think you are 20, you are just 15. Enjoy it, you'll be 20 soon enough.
  

That's it, am not listing anything else because you already have a big enough ego. Right before my very eyes, you are becoming an amazing man. I am so proud of you. I absolutely love you.

(By the way, NO, I am not siding with you about getting an earring, and NO, I am not siding with you on getting a tattoo but YES, I'll do what I can to convince the folks about letting you get your hair braided)

7 Days In

It is 7 days into the new year. Nothing too extraordinary (still feels like 2006) except that it is the anniversary of the day of my birth, or as it is commonly known my birthday. I have spent the day sick and in bed. (Not sure if it's an actual physical illness or just a mental reaction to getting older) In honor of such a blog worthy day, here are 7 things about me which you may not have known.

1. I once had a "thing" for Raul Julia
2. I hate the color brown.
   
3. I love champagne, not just any champagne but expensive champagne.
   
4. I can be extremely anti- social (OK some of you already knew that)
   
5. I always park my car in the spot reserved for pregnant women, and hope the "pregnant women rights group" confronts me about it.
6. The years between birth and high school were the most tumultuous of my life (plenty of blogger fodder there)
7. I am not aging gracefully, woe is me.