TheBanyanTree: New toy and much joy

[sash]

Well, my family did a great job on the whole 4-0 celebration.  Ned and I
started with breakfast at Krispy Creme (followed by arby's because we
started to get headaches from all the sugar).  I found a new video game
just for me - Wallace and Gromit!  Ned had Aikido Leadership camp, where
he sang happy birthday to me in front of all his friends.  In french, of
course.

We went to see Princess Diaries 2.  Julie Andrews is about 114 but dang if
she isn't still the hottest, classiest...  Well, I was happy.  The bad guy
is played by Gimli, which we didn't even REALIZE until the very end when
he is banging on a door to be let in and Ned finally figured out the voice
- it been bugging me through the whole movie!

Then we went to pick out a birthday cake (7th heaven - chocolate cake with
chocolate fudge filling and a layer of white chocolate mousse with
chocolate chips in it) (yum)

I had asked my dad to fry fish for dinner.  He found fresh trout and
brought the electric skillet that he's had forever.  Rolled them in corn
meal and served 'em up with mashed potatoes (You have to have mashed
potatoes with fresh fish because it soothes the throat should you swallow
on of those little bones) and green bean salad (the kind with hard boiled
eggs and onions and mayo).  It was completely a flash from my childhood
and it was SOOO GOOD!

MY boys (Ed and Ned) actually took my hints and figured it all out and the
whole cage and domicile thing all purchased so I can go on Saturday an buy
my new FERRET!!!!  I'm totally excited.  I need a little furry critter and
I had a ferret in college and love them and, well, I'm just totally
tickled about the whole thing.

THE boys (that would be Mike and my dad) bought me an I-pod.

I didn't even know what an I-pod was, but if I had known such an amazing
thing exsisted I would have wanted one with all my being, so I'm pretty
jazzed about the new toy.

For the uninformed, the I-pod is a hand held device - size and shape of a
palm pilot - that is all about music.  OK, you can do books on tape and
data files and stuff too, but it is really for music.

Gotta bunch of CDs?  Pop them into the computer, use the included
software, and your whole library is in this little bit of a thing.

And I mean your WHOLE library.  40 gig worth!  Then you can use
headphones, plug it into your car stereo, any boom box or PA system, even
wireless headsets.  All your music, all the time.

Can you even believe this thing??

And it's cute, on top of all that.

I just can't WAIT to charge up the little on board battery and start
loading that sucker up with Jethro Tull and Showtunes and rock and roll
and all of Ed's wierd-ass music (Tuvan throat singing and bulgarian
woman's choirs and such)

You can download music and books and such from their website and it's not
terribly expensive AND it's legal and ethical, which is tres cool.  Music
should not be intermixed with guilt.

My sis had already paid for the luxury condo in Westport, but she brought
a dozen yellow roses and all the little geegaws and attachments that you
would want for an Ipod.

We ended the day looking at carving pictures and making plans for next
year's competition circuit.  Mike reserved a suite of rooms at a little
hole in the wall hotel.  Luxury was nice, but if you just need to shower
and sleep then this will be perfect.

It's a nice way to turn 40.  Some looking back with the photos and the
food and some looking forward with the carving competition to come.  A new
toy to play with and the excitement of a whole new family member (the
ferret) to look forward to.

Heck, I'm feeling happy enough I'm even gonna leave that last participle
dangling because, well I'm forty and I can dangle whatever parts I want.

XOXO

sash