I'm Old

I turned 41 on Monday. Forty-one. I survived the first year of my 40s.

So what did I do?

I took a four-day weekend, because the weekend was going to be all about me.

Friday: I had a spa day thanks to my mom. I had a 90-minute massage, a manicure and pedicure. The massage? Heavenly. Ohmygoditwasamazing. I almost fell asleep. And I don't mean doze off, I mean I almost went from awake and relaxed to deep, deep drooling sleep. I had some downtime between my massage and mani/pedi, so I took my copy of Bossypants, relaxed, and read. When did I actually fall asleep? While getting my manicure.

Saturday: I got my hair cut and colored. Just another way to pamper myself. Then I made Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili to take to a vegan potluck. The recipe says to make it on the stove, but I made it in my slowcooker... but I forgot the slowcooker tends to enhance flavors and spice. So three tablespoons of chili and a jalapeño? Holy shit it was spicy. I've made it before but I didn't have enough shili powder so I just threw in what I had (which was about one tablespoon).

Sunday: Sunday was awesome. A friend and I drove to Seattle for the day to go vegan shoe and chocolate shopping at Chocolate Shoebox: Seattle's only vegan shoe and chocolate store. And I bought a pair of shoes that are not my normal style (they have sparkly bits), but I love them. And the chocolate? I bought chocolate-covered coconut milk caramel sprinkled with sea salt. We made a trip to Lush and the vegan cookie place in the Public Market. It was an amazingly beautiful day. I mean just incredible.

Mt. Rainier over Qwest Field

Between the shoe store and the Public Market, we went to Plum for lunch. Plum is a vegan bistro in Capital Hill and it was some of the best food I have ever had in my life. After I was done I told my friend I wanted to lick my plate and then order another one. We were in Seattle to see David Sedaris at Benaroya Hall that night. We seriously considered going back to Plum for dinner, it was just that good.

Plum Sangria

Chili-encrusted seitan with mole sauce served over cucumber and plantains with rice and black beans. So good I can still taste it.

As I said, we were there to see David Sedaris. I saw him at ALA about six years ago, but I could only stay for half of his reading, so I was very excited. He did not disappoint. He read one essay about learning another language, specifically German and then veered off into being in Germany and Germans... Being of solid German stock, speaking less than a tad of German, and having been to (West) Germany, I laughed so hard I cried.

David Sedaris from the nose-bleed seats

Monday: I ran some errands, did laundry, sat on the couch, took a nap at 7:00pm, talked to my brother, and then crashed. I was supposed to see the Corin Tucker Band (Corin Tucker, as in 1/3 of Sleater Kinney). I missed Wild Flag (the rest of Sleater Kinney), but, being old, it's hard to go to shows on school nights. Phosphorescent was on a Monday night. I'm glad I went, but I got home at 1:30am. Work was a challenge the next day. I had a ticket for the Corin Tucker band, but when it came down to it, I couldn't find the energy to get out of my PJs. Or off my couch. I half regret not going, but not really.

On a side note: As Sedaris was answering questions at the end of the night, I got out my phone to take a picture and there was a notification on my phone that Osama bin Laden had been killed. This lead to a frantic checking of MSNBC, CNN, and the NY Times mobile sites. My friends and I huddled around my phone, reading the news, looking dumbstruck at each other, and then reading more. Part of me wanted to yell to the crowd listening to Sedaris: That motherfucker is dead. Holy shit, dead! We talked about it on the drive home... Yes, part of my wanted to pump my fists in the air and yell "Fuck you, you motherfucking son of a bitch." It was like an immediate visceral reaction. But at my core, I was just numb. It's been ten years. It feels so long ago. Part of me feels like I should have some teeny bit of compassion because another person was killed and blah blah blah, but I don't. Not one bit. I have zero sympathy for him, for his family, for anyone connected to him. Zilch. I never thought I would be happy that another person was dead, but I kind of am. Now, I am not comfortable with the freaky celebrations. That was just weird and wrong. But, honestly, I do kind of hope when the Navy SEALS confronted bin Laden they said, "Surrender, Motherfucker."