Hopefully I'm getting the sucky parts out of the way today

Tuesday is my birthday. The big 3-7. *gulp*

Today, I was talking to Chachi in his office about his weekend. Apparently he went to a very fancy-schmancy wedding down in Florida this weekend and happened to sit next to a (follow me here) stepbrother-in-law to one of our coworkers at the reception. Chachi's comment: "Yeah, he like went to the same fraternity as I did, but he is like really old."

How old, you ask?

Thirty-five. 3-5. I almost smacked him into next week. Punk.

Then, in a strange conversation today with Cat Door M, I teasingly asked him what he was getting me for my birthday. "What, you didn't tell me it was your birthday!" he yelled. I reminded him of the fact that he came to my self-given birthday party last year...and then he claimed that he thought it was a Christmas party instead. So why, I asked, did you bring me a present if it was a Christmas party?

Ahem. Not like I was serious, but geez...at least don't make up some lame ass excuse, dude.

Now, for the crowning blow. First of all, Joey had a horrid meeting at my office today concerning an old project, and after it was over he appeared in my doorway to inform me that he was overwhelmed at work and not sure how he was going to find time to pick up anything for my birthday.

Few people know this, but last year after my birthday party he and I had a huge, horrible fight that left me mad at him for months. He apologized over and over again, and I was seriously hoping that this year he'd step it up a little bit and try and make up for how he blew it last year. Well, not so much after his appearance in my office.

So tonight, he went after work to get my present and then showed up at tae kwan do to meet me and the Monkey Man and when we got home, I was already in a horrid mood over my day and the fact that apparently Monkey Man has lost all ability to pay attention or follow directions since he turned five. Must be a male thing. Anyhow, Joey immediately started asking me over and over if I wanted to open my present.

Yes, he was excited. And I was too, to an extent. We had spent an hour on Saturday with me trying on different things and getting everything written down so he could get me exactly what I liked. But really, I was not in the mood to do much of anything. But instead of listening to my gut, I acquiesced and opened the gift.

It was beautiful.

It was expensive.

It was totally not anything I would have picked out for myself even if I had won the biggest lottery jackpot in the history of the universe.

It was written all over my face.

As it turns out, he got me one of the things I'd picked out but it has to be sized and won't be ready for several weeks. So he decided to get something else too - and keep in mind, this is a combination Birthday/Christmas/10th Wedding Anniversary present. We don't exchange gifts like this but once like every...oh, ten years.

The gift will be going back to the store. For one thing, it's way too much money to be something that I'm not absolutely wild about, nor would I wear it very often. And that's wasteful. Not to mention the fact, he could've bought me something far, far less expensive and I would've been happy as a clam.

Lucky for me, he didn't take it personally and encouraged me to take it back and get something I really love. But it didn't stop me from feeling like a Class A Bitch for the way I acted. I couldn't even muster any enthusiasm whatsoever when I opened the box.

I never should've opened it tonight.

I am lucky I have a husband who isn't going to pout and sulk because I didn't like what he got.

And I hope that tomorrow will be a better day, even though I told Mer tonight on the phone that I am praying that tomorrow won't be 1/10th as bad as today was.

Tomorrow, more update on Monkey Man's birthday party. No arrests were made, so hopefully you can sleep tonight knowing that.