I´ve had a birthday party in a bowling alley, in a pizza parlour called Papa Gino´s where I got to make my own pie, a scavenger hunt event with all my friends, a beer bash at The Village Idiot (which has sadly gone the way of CBGB), and an elegant dinner in an old hotel restaurant. But never once in Mexico. That is before yesterday.

I highly recommend having a birthday in Mexico. It´s likely to be sunny and WARM, tequila is readily available, and people say ¨feliz cumpleaños¨, which has at least two more syllables than plain old ¨Happy Birthday¨. In Merida where the atmosphere is always festive, it feels right to turn twenty-eight with a mixture of glee and grace.

On your birthday don´t you just walk around all day thinking how marvelous it is that you are alive? You probably smile a lot, looking either furtive or proud. I did it! I was born! I am managing to stay afloat amid all this hubub! In your head plays one the following song refrains in a mindless happy loop, based on your age and disposition:

a) “You say it´s your birthday, du-na-na-na-na-na-na” (you really rock out on the guitar sounds)
b) “Hey shorty, it´s your birthday, [you´re] gonna party like it´s your birthday” (sorry 50, but hunh?)
c) “Happy birthday to you, you live in the zoo, you look like a monkey…” (you smell like one too)

I enjoy all three. I also like to dance around a bit and repeat this Shirley Temple line, “I´m not a kid, I´m a girl, and it´s my birthday” sounding petulant and pretending I´m wearing a midget sized crenolin. It´s a good day to remember previous years, taking stock and making mental notes: 1994 - got driver´s license, yea!. got mono, boo!

I get to do whatever I want on my birthday within reason and the law (no orbiting the earth, no bank robbery) and Malcolm sometimes has to comply with requests that he would normally SCOFF! or BAWLK! at, e.g., taking horse drawn carriage rides, eating frogs´ legs, betting on the ponies, riding Mr. Toad´s Wild Ride, monkeyshines, etc.

I got thoughtful gifts and lots of loving emails/home movie tributes. We went to dinner at Cafe Lucia, and dined al fresco in the square on steak and fusilli. It was a gorgeous evening, even when it started to rain and the waiter thanked Chac the Rain God and brought over a second umbrella. Malcolm and I walked home arm in arm; it was an enchanted evening.

I am feeling very lucky, blessed and happy. I have a good feeling about this year. I´d like to thank Malcolm, Angela, Lauren, Christine, Dad and Sharon, Aunt Betty, Dan, Maggie, Elise, Amy, Jesus, Mary, Vishnu, Shiva, Zoroaster, Astarte, Tara, Guanyin, Athena, Demeter, Artemis, Isis, Odin, Loki, Kukulkan, Mithra, Pan, Brigit, and my Mom.