7x7

[owlmoose]

Today is my 49th birthday, which I celebrated in rather low-key fashion. Our friends SE and SF came for the day, bearing snacky foods for lunch and a orange-pistachio cake for dinner. After lunch, we took a walk around Bernal Hill -- a park with some of the best views in the city -- then went for ice cream in Dogpatch before coming back to our place for chatting, TV, Italian takeout, and dessert. Very lovely.

One of the last things I did before everything shut down in March 2020 was my birthday celebration, which I scheduled for two weeks beforehand because some of my close friends were going to be out of town for the day itself. We had brunch, followed by pedicures and tiki drinks, and then I capped it off with our regular Sunday TV night. (I had originally been waffling about doing it two weeks after my birthday instead, when my friends would be back; every time I think about it, I thank the fates that I decided to do it beforehand!) I consider that day to be the last big milestone of The Before Times, the last time I gathered with friends to celebrate without thinking about the pandemic or planning to take it into account in any way. (FogCon 2020 was the following weekend, but that didn't feel normal in any way -- it was before mask-wearing was widespread here, but we didn't hug or shake hands and we washed our hands constantly and one of the honored guests attended virtually and it felt like the threat was real and looming over the entire event.... which, of course, it was, but we got extremely lucky. If the event had been even a week later, I'm sure it would have been cancelled.) As it happens, last weekend retraced the steps of that day in February 2020 almost exactly: brunch in the same restaurant with most of the same people, pedicures, TV night; the only thing missing was the drinks. But it all felt different. I wonder if gatherings will ever feel the same again.

Last year I got a group together to play Among Us, and while that was also very fun, there's just something nice about spending a birthday with friends in person. I'm already thinking about what I might want to do for next year's big birthday that ends in a zero. Part of me wants to pull something big together; part of me feels like making big plans a year out is pure folly right now. I'll think about it. No specific ideas yet, but of course I want to mark it. Something will come to me, I'm sure.

Comments

[umadoshi]

I'm glad you had a lovely birthday! I hope this coming year is good to you.

[oracne]

Happy Birthday!

[lokifan]

I TOTALLY FEEL YOU - my 30th birthday was 21st February 2020, and I don't think we discussed the pandemic at all. Whereas by the 7th of March, I did fun stuff with friends but we were constantly hand-washing, and that was the last. I feel lucky too. A lot of the people who were at my birthday, I hadn't seen in months.

Happy birthday!

[forests_of_fire]

Happy (belated) birthday!

[lassarina]

Happy birthday! I'm so glad you were able to celebrate in a way you've enjoyed before!

I know exactly what our Last Thing Before Times was; we went to dinner at a winery with the friends we hang out with for show-watching/dinner on the regular (our pandemic pod, I guess); we keep talking about bookending with another trip to the same restaurant, but it's just....weird, and difficult.

[grammarwoman]

A belated happy birthday! My 49th is coming up at the end of March, and other than taking the day off and hopefully getting some carryout yumminess, I have no big plans.

[zahraa]

I'm glad you were able to have a fun birthday celebration! And I remember that FoGCon so well. E and I had our last con party, not knowing whether it would be the last one, ever. But I was still mostly in denial at that point, thinking it would blow over like the swine flu. Today is the anniversary of the day, two years ago, when I went climbing with my climbing partner, and he told me that, no, this was for real.