Birthday Cake

I am going to celebrate my friend Jamal's birthday with him and friends this weekend.  I think it was because I have garnered a lot of gastronomical karma (I love making food and feeding loved ones) that he happened to pick the venue as one of my favorite steak places in New York.  Yum - can't wait!

The last time I saw Jamal was when a group of us went out to Jersey for paint-balling.  He remarked as we were filling out various forms at the check-in counter, "Why is it every time I see BB [our mutual friend who organized the outing], I'm required to sign a waiver?"  We all cracked up because it's true: The time before paint-balling that I saw Jamal was when we all went tubing down the Delaware River, where, you guessed it, we had to sign away our lives before they would let us in the water.

I repeated Jamal's observation to BB as I was signing yet another waiver last weekend when she and I were going shooting at the Westside Pistol & Rifle Range, and we had a good chuckle.  

(Surprisingly, I was extremely good at handling the Ruger 10/22 - I hit the bull's eye with every single shot (I bought 50 bullets) at both 25 feet and 50 feet.  I was amazed because one, I have terrible eyesight and two, it was my first time and I was apprehensive about real guns and real bullets.  My mom informs me, however, that my aptitude is genetic - she was on the women's shooting league in college!)

I made Jamal a card with pieces of washi tape cut out to form layers of a tiered birthday cake.  Washi tape is, essentially, gorgeous masking tape originating from Japan, typically made from natural fibers such as bamboo or hemp.  I drew in the candles and the cake stand by hand.  I really like the super cute, almost cartoon-y effect.

I'm pleased with myself for getting this card photographed so quickly - I had put away my new lighting system because I was redecorating the apartment.  I used to have gigantic pieces of furniture in the bedroom; the ex-fiance's mother picked them out, and they were hideous.  I don't know why it took me so long, but I finally donated it ALL, keeping only the bed, which I chose and love.  Now, I have lovely new furniture and furnishings in my bedroom that reflect my taste.  

I still have to order some more artwork and install the harps I picked up from Home Depot on my new lamps, but I can tell that I'm going to be very happy with how the whole room turns out!  It feels like a fresh new beginning.

Oh, and in many ways even more significantly, I'm also ready to get rid of The Wedding Dress, much as I love it.  It reminds me of Ernest Hemingway's famous short story:  "Baby Shoes.  For sale.  Never worn."  Substitute the words "wedding dress" for  "baby shoes", and there you have it.  My very own shortest short story.

Instead of selling it, though, I've decided to do a good deed and donate it to Brides Against Breast Cancer. My wonderful, supportive friends have requested that I throw a party to celebrate the milestone.  When I am truly getting married, I'm sure that I will find another dress that I love just as much.

Christmas is almost here, and I'm looking forward to all the fun things I'll be doing in the next few weeks!