2002-08-07 - 5:52 a.m. birthday the b-day celebrating got an early start yesterday...a friend from work spung a surprise on me. I have gone on record as someone who hates surprises, since most I've had have been *bad* ones. However, she may have cured me of that prejudice. I knew we were gong to lunch, but, since it was a real last minute plan, I had no idea where she could possibly be taking me...and she wasn't telling. We left work and walked towards the water, then turned down a street towards South Park, ambling past Boulevard, my favorite restaurant in SF. As we past its bronze spinning door, she said "fooled you!", grabbed me by the arm, and led me inside! Our two hour lunch was spent reflecting over the past year, and enjoying an incredibly tasty meal of a summer salad (tiny green beans, fava beans, baby corn, hearts of palm, beets, and zuchinni among other organic goodies), lamb served over an outstanding cous cous interpretation and garnished with watercress and crunchy onion rings, and a homemade ice cream bar (a borwnie topped with chocolate ice cream and coveed in a ganache. My companion had a beet and heirloom tomato salad with figs, the most perfect and beautiful risotto of corn and mushrooms, and shared my dessert. Truly amazing food, and excellent conversation. Sharing food with my friends is how I always prefer to celebrate my birthdays. This was a heavenly kick start... I have been reflecting over the activities and milestones of the past year, and must say it has been one of the most amazing, fun, and personal growth filled years of my entire life. I filled my days with lots of volunteering and in turn saw lots of great movies, listened to much great music, renewed my passion for photography, tasted exceptional wine, visited many new cities (London, NYC and Seattle), and both made many new friends whom I feel blessed to have in my life and deepened my friendships with the friends most near and dear to me. I filled these pages with tales about all these things. Best of all, I spent time with myself figuring out what I need to be happy, then set out to enjoy the path I'm on in life... Last year's birthday song was William Reid's lament...this year's is more Sugarcubes influenced. My day will be spent listening to CDs (Seldom's "Romance", The Vines' "Highly Evolved"), drinking too much coffee, and waiting to run off to dinner...Happy Birthday to me! any comments? (5 so far) previous - next recently on almostgoldsf... in defense of an email box I came to do battle with SPAM - 2008-05-17 hello 2006 - 2005-12-31 Happy Thanksgiving - 2005-11-14 bon voyage - 2005-11-05 October already? - 2005-10-09