Well, the sun's set on my birthday, and the clock has turned over into a new morning. I am officially 29 years old, and some odd hours.

I didn't do much, in keeping with how it's been the past few years. My family threw together a last minute sort-of barbeque at my grandmother's house on Sunday - to which I was invited only last minute, and with no regard to the fact that I had to work that night at 5, when the time to be there was first 4, then 3, and finally 2. I got to eat some chicken - which wasn't bad - got a couple of gifts - which also weren't bad, (the $50 gift card to Barnes and Nobles being the best, and gone entirely the next day) as well as a couple of checks, which paid for my next tank of gas in the car, ($2.65 a gallon, yikes) and a trip to the movies. I also got a plain but nice enough wooden incense holder - my Aunt Karen had forgotten to give it to me on my last birthday, when she'd given me the incense.

But that was Sunday, and as much as that kind of event tends to be bittersweet in my teeth, my actual birthday was much more satisfying, in its own way. I slept in, got a call from my best friend rather unexpectedly, and was able to talk to her most of the late morning and afternoon. While I'm not so happy with the reason - she'd had a horrible stomach attack and couldn't go to work - it filled up the time that had been looking to be so much like a normal day, all I had planned was to go online and indulge in a birthday ritual of playing Kaz on her nameday in the #Broken_Dagger for a few hours. And all Kaz -does- on her nameday is drink ale, and reflect on the year that's passed. Which for her, is pretty uneventful, at least in the roleplay world, since I haven't been able to actually get online to do so for more than a few days of the year. Miss that. Must get back to it soon.

Talking with Al is quite enjoyable, however, and I would much have preferred that in any event, so that's what we did. At least until I headed out in the afternoon to go see Fantastic Four at the theater. Yes, by myself. Brad had no interest and my Mom isn't into that sort of movie anyhow. Regardless, she was at work. When I got out, I met them at Red Lobster for dinner. Yum! *licks chops* Good food. Going out somewhere with just my mom and Brad is quite pleasant, really, unlike the larger family gatherings, where I always feel like I'm under glass.

Sometimes I worry about that. I don't normally have a very caustic sense of humor, or at least, I don't think I do, but something about being with family... I don't like what I hear myself saying, at times. Even if people laugh. That's when I actually speak, of course. A lot of the time, I don't say anything. And yes, I'll admit, sometimes my silence is more not saying something, than just having nothing to say. Which is another thing I find vaguely disturbing. When the hell did I get so snippy? Might have to start drawing Kaz with even more prominent fangs, as it would seem I'm getting long in the tooth and crochety with it.

The movie was acceptable - I laughed in some parts, shook my head in others, but I've never been a really die-hard Fantastic Four fan. I know the basics of the story, but not the details by any means, and so, whatever they changed, I usually found acceptable and indeed, a good adaptation. A couple of things made me wrinkle my nose, but that's mostly because they were obligated to leave it open for a sequel. All in all, I enjoyed it. It's been a while since I could go to a movie.

Al surprised me by calling Red Lobster - all the way from Oklahoma - just so she could direct them to give me a birthday sundae. I got the sundae, but evidently they really made a hassle of it for her. So thank you, Al, for getting irked all for my sake. The sundae was delicious.

Came home, had some cake that my mom had baked - also delicious - and chatted more with Al. That was my day.

All in all, not too bad.

I've also started the process of putting together a panel I hope to host at Further Confusion 2006. Emailed the events people my wish to do so, some comic artists/writers for permission to list their sites, some regular artists, and have begun putting together a list of books and short stories that feature minotaurs. Yup, the subject will be minotaurs. As if you all expected anything else. *chuckles ruefully* I must be crazy. I wish I knew who else to ask to be on the panel - but the ones I thought about asking are either not going, or I know even if they were, they're going to be too busy doing other stuff. I need to brainstorm things other than a list of sources for this thing. I'm thinking maybe drawing quick sketches of all the different types of minotaur I've seen - from the one with just a bull's head all the way up to one more like a centaur than a minotaur in the classical sense. Maybe have a bit of a discussion period - though that would depend on there being -people- there. And people who either were minotaurs or had them as a secondary character/persona. Mmmf. Must think.