Beware the Ides of March!
Yours truly is now a Woman of a Certain Age.
I was reminiscing this morning about where I was ten years ago. I was a sophomore in college and we’d all gone to Boston with Eileen for Spring Break. It was a great week. About a dozen of us all met up to see Rent for the first time. I wanted to get a tattoo to mark my 20th, and as they were illegal in Massachusetts at the time (is that still the case?), we had to go to Connecticut. It was a big secret, because Eileen had gotten one a few months before and her Mom didn’t know about it, so we had to keep mine very hush-hush. I remember distinctly hanging over the back of a chair while the guy slowly inked the Korean characters on my lower back. Liz was filming the whole thing with her video camera (whatever happened to that tape?) and munching a Big Mac while circling around us. Later we went to Boston College to party with some of Reen’s friends, and I got ridiculously drunk playing Asshole. I was horrendously sick afterwards… and of course we then had to take the train back to Indiana, and I was sick for the entire 24-hour trip. Good times.
Am I really so far removed from that girl? I don’t tend to imbibe to that excess anymore. I care less about fitting in with the crowd. I feel more confident in speaking up for myself. I don’t have swooning crushes on girly-boys who wouldn’t give me the time of day (except for Daniel Radcliffe). I feel pretty comfortable with my body. I still say “random” and “whatever” a lot. So maybe I’ve grown up a little.
And now, drumroll please, Snookums has promised me a very special birthday present. Some of you have been waiting for this day for years. And here it is…
The Snook
March 15, 2007 — 9:25 am
Happy Birthday Missus!
Kris
March 15, 2007 — 9:25 am
Hahaha… I wondered what URL you’d give. 🙂
The Other Andrew
March 15, 2007 — 9:31 am
Happy birthday Kris!!
eileen
March 15, 2007 — 9:45 am
Don’t tell me that’s the Snook’s very first comment! *squeals with joy*
I laughed wicked hard thinking about that trip to Boston. Remember how my grandmother was on the news because her hairdresser murdered his wife, then cut my grandmother’s hair (she was blissfully unaware of the homicide at the time), then tried to flee to Canada? Oh, tattoos are legal now.
Have a wonderful birthday, RT! And don’t grow up too much:)
Rose Red
March 15, 2007 — 9:52 am
Hey, Happy Birthday Kris. Hope you have a great day. The thirties do rock. And I am SO getting that Buffy comic. Might pick up some Wonder Woman while I’m there!
Kris
March 15, 2007 — 10:10 am
Oh! And I just remembered another part of the trip, RT. Remember how Liz got, like, food poisoning or something, and had to keep stopping to puke? And she actually told the driver on the T to wait while she jumped off and barfed in a trash can IN FULL VIEW of everybody onboard, and then blissfully climbed back on afterwards?
Kris
March 15, 2007 — 10:11 am
In retrospect, that was a very puke-filled trip.
Bex
March 15, 2007 — 10:37 am
Are you wearing make up cos you’re a grown up now???? hehehehe…
Happy Birthday Matey~!
(I would have said it before but they whacked me on front counter today sorry!)
Kris
March 15, 2007 — 10:39 am
Ha! I totally am! Nice catch. 🙂
Max
March 15, 2007 — 10:56 am
Happy Birthday, Kris! The thirties are…well, I think they’re kinda awesome. And the Snook’s present was perfect! Nerdy and filled with love!
missfee
March 15, 2007 — 11:02 am
Happy Birthday Kris
keep on rocking the 30’s are so much better than your 20’s it just keeps getting better – what was the present?
miftik
March 15, 2007 — 11:11 am
Happy Birthday!!!
Kris
March 15, 2007 — 11:13 am
The comment was the present. It was his first ever. 🙂
tracey
March 15, 2007 — 12:02 pm
Happy Birthday 😀
Nora
March 15, 2007 — 1:48 pm
Happy birthday!! Welcome to the club. The weirdest thing for me is not being in my 20s anymore, but being in my 30s. I am so not old enough to be in my 30s. You’re handling it much more gracefully than I did.
Jenny
March 15, 2007 — 2:20 pm
Happy birthday!! I’ll be hitting the 29 precipice & looking over at you in June. Happily, I’ll see you before then.
missfee
March 15, 2007 — 2:53 pm
loved the www link – first comment ever!?!?!?!
really!!!
is he a lurker?
Kris
March 15, 2007 — 3:02 pm
Over the past few years he’s gone from actively avoiding the site to being a fairly regular lurker. I think it’s because his co-workers started reading the site and he wanted to know what they were finding out.
Little Bec
March 15, 2007 — 4:18 pm
Hey Kris!
I remember my first day of work at TC where you showed me around someone asked if we were sisters… I’m sure you could still pass as a 17 year old’s big sis. Happy Birthday, I’ll have to drop in soon and see you again. Listening to dorky teenage music in your honour…
Little Bec
crumpet
March 15, 2007 — 8:14 pm
Happy Birthday! 😀
Sara
March 15, 2007 — 10:37 pm
Happy Birthday!
Kris
March 15, 2007 — 10:56 pm
Thank you so much, everybody, for your kind words. It’s worth turning 30 to find out what a great circle of friends I have!
Marci
March 15, 2007 — 11:37 pm
Happy (belated) Birthday!
Sal
March 16, 2007 — 8:11 am
Happy Birthday!
WeeB
March 16, 2007 — 1:59 pm
Hope you had a good birthday! Best Wishes from a Scotsman.
Mom
March 17, 2007 — 5:38 am
I just love how I find out things that my children did when they were younger…. Anyway, can’t wait to see you guys again. 16 DAYS!!!! (Has Rodd shaved yet?)
Kim
March 17, 2007 — 7:02 am
Happy Birthday! I’m a friend of Eileen’s, and a long time reader, but first time poster. I knew I had to finally post when you mentioned the BC party 10 years ago… do you remember sleeping on the bathroom floor in my dorm apartment? To this day, Eileen still feels bad making fun of you the next morning, because as it turned out, you were indeed really sick and not just super drunk! BTW, I love reading your blog. Maybe I’ll post more now that I’ve finally posted 🙂
Kris
March 18, 2007 — 11:25 pm
Hi Kim! Yours is definitely a name I heard a lot over the years. Was that your bathroom? I mostly just remember the cool, cool tiles. 🙂
Jann
March 20, 2007 — 2:11 am
Eek. Missed it again. Happy Birthday Kris!
The thirties are definitely the best years yet.
Foxy hairdo by the way…
Kim
March 22, 2007 — 11:10 am
Ah yes, the cool, cool tiles 🙂 Yep, that was my bathroom. I’ve heard a lot about you over the years too. If you’re ever back in the States, you’re always welcome to sleep on my bathroom floor!