Some of you may have noticed various posts wishing me a Happy Birthday a couple of days back, and my caustic comments to it. My Birthday is something I try to keep quiet, but we all know how it goesÂ… Telephone, television, Tell-a-blogger. One person finds something out and then it spreads across the internet like an STD at a Caribbean orgy.

I donÂ’t celebrate my birthday. If someone gives me a gift, I tend to politely decline it and advise I donÂ’t celebrate my birthday. Crude comments and gestures were made to people that did wish me a happy birthday, especially friends that should know better. For years IÂ’ve hated my birthday, for the days leading up to it my stomach churns with dark bile of despair knowing that someone is going to try to do something. Then when the day comes, it generally is one of the worst days of the year. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. ItÂ’s like a bad day from hell, every year. I can count on it and it will happen.

People have told me it was my attitude, that I create this day of hell. Thinking maybe they where correct, I tried changing my attitude to see what happens. That failed miserably, that was one of the worse BirthdayÂ’s IÂ’ve had in years.

Before any of you old folks out there start trying to make this a denial of age thing, itÂ’s not. The last time I celebrated my birthday was when I was 21, and only because I wanted to go out and get drunkÂ… legally. Even before then I didnÂ’t celebrate my 20th B-day.

I used to look forward to my birthday, the fun and special treatment for the day. Then one year, when I turned 18, everyone forgot. EVERYONE, not one “Happy Birthday”, not a card, gift or anything. It took two weeks before anyone ever realized what happened, and that was my mother. Through all the excuses and apologies, she said it wouldn’t happen again. Flash forward one year, I’m a freshman in college. I’m turning 19; my birthday comes and goes with the same lack of recognition. I was sure people would remember this year, because they forgot the year before. Nope. This time however, it only took about a week before someone remembered; this time it was my sister.

On both days I had various things happen that were just miserable. The kind of things that in the grand scheme of life arenÂ’t horrible, but are enough to ruin a day. Some of my favorite examples are: Plumbing explosion, being assigned menial tasks at work, car breaking down in the middle of nowhere w/no phone, etc.

Since then I decided that I was not going to recognize or celebrate my birthday. It makes life easy on my wife because she doesnÂ’t have to worry about shopping or buying me anything. She doesnÂ’t have to plan anything or do something special. We just go about our day as if itÂ’s any other day.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go finish sending some “Frag off” e-mails.

Posted by: Contagion at 12:59 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
Post contains 533 words, total size 3 kb.

1 Two years ago, everyone forgot my birthday, everyone! I never let them live it down. Oh, and just because I am a pain in the ass -- Happy Belated Birthday Dear!

Posted by: oddybobo at October 03, 2005 12:48 PM (6Gm0j)

2 thpppbt! Have a beer and watch Sixteen Candles.

And happy birthday while I'm at it, because I too am an incurable pain in the ass.

Posted by: caltechgirl at October 03, 2005 01:27 PM (WfvM0)

3 Dude! We must have related karmas. See? http://getonthe.blogspot.com/2005/08/bus-fumes_11.html

Posted by: Omnibus Driver at October 03, 2005 01:49 PM (6VG2d)

4 There is a special place in hell for incurable pains in the arses! Trust me, it's the spot right next to me! ;P

Posted by: Contagion at October 03, 2005 02:54 PM (Q5WxB)

5 oh, that's what that smell is.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at October 03, 2005 05:00 PM (WfvM0)

6 Can I relate. Since my wonderfully caring friends passed on I don't celebrate. My family has never remembered. And when they did the gifts I got were so crappy and horrible I had wished they'd forgotten. So I celebrate by not celebrating. Instead, a few weeks ahead of it I treat myself to a nice new toy. One that will make me smile no matter what happens on that day. This year it was my 5Gb MP3 player.

I love that thing! What did I get from anyone else... nothin! The same thing happens at christmas. So I stopped buying other thoughtless people gifts and instead I splurge on me. Last year, my Xmas present to me was my Treo 650. This Santa never disappoints me. Not like when I was a kid. One christmas instead of a toy I got a sky blue leather briefcase/book bag for school. I'm making up for lost time now!

Posted by: michele at October 04, 2005 12:15 AM (ht2RK)

7 BTW, I'm not wishing you anything other than a good week and a happy Tuesday!

Posted by: michele at October 04, 2005 12:16 AM (ht2RK)

8 I wished you a happy birthday specifically trolling for caustic comments

Posted by: Graumagus at October 04, 2005 11:04 AM (45ZQV)

9 Happy Birthday you whining pussy.

Posted by: ArmyWifeToddlerMom at October 04, 2005 02:40 PM (Eoswr)

10 What AWTM said. Geeze, my dad use to call a week before hand and REMIND me his birthday was coming up. I was 9 months late sending my MOM her birthday gift. I love birthdays, but I just can't ever remember them. Something about that month/day thing just doesn't stick in my brain.

With that... it's late getting to you... but since my singing sucks so bad my mom asks me not to sing... here it goes:

Happy Birthday to Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. Happy Birthday to Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. Happy Birthday Grumpy Old Mannnnnnnnnnn. Happy Birthday to Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. blhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Posted by: VW Bug at October 04, 2005 03:17 PM (mD8Rg)

11 Where's my "Frag off" e-mail?

http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/123766.php

Posted by: Harvey at October 05, 2005 09:01 PM (ubhj8)

12 Hmpf - guess I didn't piss you off enough for a 'frag-off' email ;-)

However - I'd like you to talk with my brother. Y'see, my Mom passed away in Oct. of 98, and my Dad followed in Oct. of 2000. So my sister and I have decided that October is to be ignored. Dear brother's birthday is in 2 weeks, and he needs to learn to quit celebrating, cause we don't plan on sending him anything ... since we're ignoring Oct., you see ....

Posted by: Barb at October 11, 2005 01:31 AM (g9qHI)

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