The Birthday Weekend

In our home it always seems that birthdays do not last one day, a mere 24 hours, or even a part thereof; they last for an entire weekend.  I believe this happens for several reasons:  (1) We have so many friends that we can't spend time with all of them at once, so we stretch it out to see them all (2) We like to keep giving to the ones we love so they know how special they are (in case they've forgotten) and (3) Why not celebrate happy times as much as possible because the sad times creep in too often.

This past weekend was my 48th birthday weekend:

Friday night September 16th Michael and I invited Joe and Denise, Jill and Lenny and Steve and Lori to meet us at Brooklyn Bowl (http://www.brooklynbowl.com/).  It is THE coolest bowling alley ever, with bars and low lights and blaring rock music, and bands and really good food.  We shared:  Rock and Roll fries with gravy, Cajun spice, provolone and cheddar cheese on top; Fried calamari with lemon and cayenne mayo and chillies; three French bread pizzas-Classic with tomato, mozzarella and basil; Greek with tomato, red onion, Feta, olives and iceberg lettuce; and Theresa with butternut squash, mushrooms and roasted garlic. We also had:  A mixture of dark and white meat fried chicken (for which they are famous) and two types of mac and cheese: Smoked chicken and peas and artichokes and black olives.  All the food was really good, but (and you are not going to believe that I am saying this, but, all a bit too salty).  I know, salt is one of my food groups, but if I thought is was salty, it was way too salty for most.  In any case, as I continually digress, we had a great time and it was a great birthday celebration for me!

Saturday, September 17th (which is my actual birthday) Michael and I ordered breakfast from Tower Diner.  I had Eggs Florentine (think Benedict with spinach instead of ham) and Michael had an egg white omelet with onions, peppers and ham. Yum!  Then I went back to sleep (because napping is my very favorite thing to do).  Later in the afternoon we stopped at Cheese of the World on Austin Street to pick up 1/2 a pound of Parmiggiano Reggiano and 1/2 a pound of Ciao Angelo (THE best aged Gouda) to bring to Glenn and Eileen's.  They hosted a  birthday dinner for me and Leslie (her b-day is the 16th).  Good food, good friends! We had:  Cheese (no kidding) and pizza from Emilio's (my favorite) for appetizers.  Then Glenn grilled fish just for me that he had caught previously in the day and everyone else had lamb marinated in garlic and lemon.  Roasted potatoes, vegetables and salad rounded out the meal.  Everyone sang Happy Birthday and we blew out the candles!

Sunday, September 18th, I did a load of white laundry (do not think for one moment that Birthday weekends absolve me from cleaning), then took a nap (really, you say).  Later that evening, Michael and I went to El Quijote on 23rd Street for the obligatory:  Garlic soup, salad, lobster and arroz con pollo.  This time we added cafe con leche, espresso on ice and flan.  We even got a parking space RIGHT IN FRONT.  Holy Shit! Great dinner!

But wait, there's more:  Wednesday night, September 21st, Barbara and Jennie are taking me out to dinner for my birthday. So the weekend has meandered into the week.  Who is luckier than I?