October 14th was my 37th birthday. It’s a strange feeling to realize you’re most likely halfway done with life. Like, I’m most-likely on the downward roll now. And that is such a bizarre realization to have (and, like all profound realizations, this one also came to me in the shower).
That is not to say I spent the day mourning my youth. Far from it! Being middle-aged (I think?) has been a great time for me: I have so much in my life to be thankful for and so many wonderful things, I’ll gladly take the trade-off of weird cracks and aches over my volatile and impoverished twenties.
It’s also funny to me the concept of birthdays now, which you might be feeling, too. The era of excitement over Barbie dream houses and massive cake flowers is long gone. For me, while it is a special day, it’s also just another day.
But I still had an excellent day, COVID-19 or no! Here’s how it went down:
My 37th Birthday
What I did:
Got up and walked the dog, then worked a little bit in the morning. Headed around town to get my free birthday shit (thank you, Starbucks, Target, and Dunkin!) Around noon, Steve and I finished up work and got into bed to watch TV. We finished The Haunting of Bly Manor (disappointing) and caught up with our normal shows.
We then went to the liquor store to pick up some champagne. I have these absolutely incredible etched champagne coupes that I finally got to use. They’re so fancy, they make me feel like I need to be wearing elbow-length theatre gloves to use them, An Affair to Remember style.
For dinner we jumped on GrubHub and ordered from one of my favorite restaurants, Shui Asian Fusion. We both had Volcano Beef (yummy!) and an appetizer of chicken satay with peanut sauce.
What I got:
The best part about birthdays in this day and age is that I can just have an Amazon wishlist. And save everyone the awkwardness of trying to figure out what I want and if I’ll like something. My gifts from my family were a mishmash of practical and fun. Which is probably the most adult thing I can say.
Practical:
Brother sewing machine – I didn’t have a sewing machine, and I haven’t used one since middle school. However, due to COVID, I realized that having the ability to make our own masks would come in handy. (Never mind trying to fix underwires that poke out of bras.) I picked this one for the reviews and the ridiculous amount of preset stitches loaded onto it. I haven’t used it, and probably won’t, but I’m now glad we have one for when we need it.
Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker – I am way excited about all of the cappuccinos I’ll be making.
Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid – Also something we haven’t used yet, but I’m incredibly excited for some bomb ass wings.
Pizza stone – I wanted a stone since all we had for making pizzas were baking sheets, consequently pre-made round pizzas were a pain in the butt to cook and cut properly.
Skillet – Flipping pancakes has been a bitch before this.
RFID blocking Wallet – I wanted a smaller, more compact wallet that I could fit in my pocket since I’ve stopped carrying purses around as much. I love that it’s also got RFID-blocking capabilities.
Water bottle + purse strap – We’ve tried different types of water bottles for our long walks with Jimmy and none of them have been good (he especially hates this one) so when I saw the built-in metal water bowl, I was intrigued. I requested the purse strap so I could carry it across my body and keep my hands free.
Ergonomic mouse + new wrist guards – Hi, I’m 37.
Fun:
Canon Ivy photo printer – I wanted this after I saw someone else using something similar for their Bullet Journal. So brilliant, and I love that it doesn’t require ink! I use it to label my plants:
Kimono – just thought this would be cute with jeans, and it is!
Rocketbook reusable notebook – I’m a perpetual jotter when I’m working and feel bad about the number of post-its I can go through, so I wanted something that was more modular than a whiteboard, but still able to be re-usable. I came across this and thought it was just brilliant.
Cast Iron Plant – been eyeing this up for a while now, and she got delivered in pretty bad shape but seems to be bouncing back (called “Cast iron” for a reason!)
Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peel – this is my big skincare splurge that I invest in regularly as I love the way it makes my skin feel.
Jade roller – I’ve been eyeing these up for a while and never pulled the trigger, so I’m excited to give it a go!
15lb weighted blanket – I’m not sure if this should go in the “practical” or “fun” category as their main schtick is for relieving anxiety, but I’ve been intrigued by these for a while. I really like the feeling of the weight against me while on the couch, but as far as if it’s helped my anxiety, I can’t yet say.
One more thing:
I also decided to chop my hair and dye it red:
My hair has been short and red for many years in my life. And the Saturday night before my birthday, I had an epiphany where I realized that, while the long purple hair is gorgeous, it doesn’t quite feel like “me.” I actually went to Supercuts the next day (the only place around open on a Sunday and I needed instant gratification) to have them cut 10″ off and dye it “Bordeaux.” The cut turned out fine, though I wish I would’ve gone to a salon that would style it, too.
My short hair has a tendency to curl the ends under. So it’s fairly easy for me to turn into a pageboy quickly, even with all of the layers cut into my hair. I picked up this texturizing spray to hopefully keep that at bay. But if you have suggestions for messing up a bob, leave a comment and let me know!