My Birthday

32 years, dudes, and still young!

I still feel young, at any rate. I feel like I'm still a student at Northridge High even though I graduated from Weber State University five years ago. And people tell me they never would have guessed I'm as old as I am; they think I'm still in my mid-20s, whereas in my college days, people assumed I was one of those high school kids taking early courses, and it was kind of fun to see how they reacted when they learned my true age.

Guess I should take this as a compliment. It's always nice to look young, to age well. Goodness knows how many women pay through the nose to look young, while it all comes naturally to me.

In any case, this birthday was a lot more pleasant than my last birthday, since that was the night of Grandpa's viewing. Not that that's his fault, but again, this year was just a bit nicer.

I had to work today because we had a Father's Day special, so we needed all the help we could get on deck. So many people came in for breakfast and lunch; I had to stop myself from shouting, "SIX FEET APART, PEOPLE! WE'RE STILL SOCIAL DISTANCING!"

Had I taken a job like this just a few years ago, I most likely would have cracked from the pressure. Thanks to college, Deseret Industries, and even WinCo Foods, I've developed quite a backbone and I can work well under pressure, even though I still have to bite my tongue from time to time. While I'm still the shy type, I'm not so easily bullied anymore and I can approach more people of my own accord.

My secret to dealing with all those customers without losing your mind is this: one customer at a time. Just focus on the first customer that comes to you, then take care of the next one, and then the next one, and eventually you'll get to them all. It sure helps when they cooperate with you and have a little patience with you, too. Fortunately, nine customers out of ten are perfectly friendly; they tell me, if anything, waiting in line gives them a little more time to make up their minds. And it can make a world of difference just to step away for a minute, to get something to drink, to take a few good breaths, and even whisper to yourself, "Okay, just calm down, be cool, be cool!"

Of course, my coworkers made sure to wish me a happy birthday, and so did a few customers when they found out. One elderly lady sympathized with me for working on my birthday, though I told her most of the action takes place in the evening anyway.

They let me have a free pastry at the end of the day (I chose a Chocolate Dome, a sort of pudding ball on a cake base under a chocolate shell and topped with whipped cream) and they even gave me a little bottle of lotion from Bath and Body Works.

I got my birthday cake from them this year, too. It turns out employees can get a full-sized cake for half the price (I only had to pay a little more than $20), so I ordered a chocolate peppermint cake. There was just enough space in the fridge at home (I half-jokingly told Mom to hold off on shopping for a bit, at least for the milk) and it definitely tasted as good as it looked, though it was still quite rich and decadent. Cake has always filled me up quick.

Mom and the kids took the liberty of purchasing the ice cream before I got home, but they chose well. In my opinion, you can never go wrong with any flavor of ice cream...with maybe the exception of coffee, rum, and black licorice.

For dinner, we ate at home, but I went with Mom and Chris to get take-out from The Habit, which is right next door to Kneader's. I've eaten lunch there a couple of times after work, and they have really scrumptious burgers, chicken sandwiches, and fries, plus this very nice strawberry limeade.

I went with Mom for an extra set of hands as well as to make sure our orders were correct. They're not always right, whether through the restaurant's fault or our own fault, and I made a little joke that this was my job: to pay attention to the fine details, to make sure everything in the order is all set before sending the order on its merry way.

And just like the cake, the dinner tasted every bit as good as it appeared to be.

Of course, Mom and the kids picked out a couple of goodies for me. I'm not fussy about presents and I try to be a gracious receiver.

My niece Lizzie personally chose this darling plush toy, and since I love unicorns, everyone thought of me when they found a unicorn balloon and a unicorn-shaped silicone phone case. I'd say the phone case is my all-time favorite, and I felt like a little kid again with the balloon.

It was a little late for a full-length movie (I had planned to watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame), but I was still in the mood for Spongebob Squarepants, so we watched a few of my all-time favorite episodes: "Arrgh!" "Mermaidman and Barnacle Boy II," and the one I relate to the most, "Squid's Day Off."

And that's about it.

Kind of a low-key celebration, but I like low-key.

I like the simple things, and I'm especially glad that tomorrow is Sunday and that I have the next two days off. As much as I love my job, I say I've earned a break.

Well, here's to the second year of my third decade!