Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Birthday
This weekend, Katie's nephew celebrated his birthday. The Big Four. 
On Saturday. Although he actually turned a year older on the first, which was Tuesday. The party was lakeside, and I was there as one of the aunties. The melty one tucked away in the corner.
So, Katie's nephew? He's my nephew, too. In fact, it is because of this genealogical oddity, the sharing of the nephew, that we enthusiastically insist the two of us must be related and, indeed, have spent more time than two unrelated people probably ever should trying to work out the particulars of our relatedness. But that's a story for another day.
Early on it was rumored that the nephew would be celebrating his birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's.. where a kid can be a kid. And where a kid can gorge on pizza and laugh himself silly while dying a slow, unsuspecting death in the giant ball pit. Oh, and there's the singing, dancing anthropomorphic rat that puts in a special appearance at your table. Every kid should have a Chuck E. Cheese party! The birthday girl or boy will love you for it (unless they get creeped out by anthropomorphic rats and giant ball pits), and the adults will appreciate the air conditioning. Our birthday rendezvous with the rodent was not meant to be. At some point before the party the venue was switched to the lake, where it would be 107 degrees and I would be sure to not bring a swim suit because swim suits and I? We just don't get along.
And why is it adults (most adults. okay, the slacker ones) lose the ability to function in hot weather? Kids have this amazing ability to go about all their usual super important kid business in triple-digit heat like it was any other day.
The sun just. does. not. phase them. I, on the other hand, start to get all wilty and can barely find the energy to breathe while sitting motionless in the shade.
When did summer get so friggin' hot? The day I asked myself that was the day I realized my freakish powers were dwindling and that I was on my way to becoming one of those adults. The kind that doesn't step outside from July through September. Except for birthdays.
On Saturday. Although he actually turned a year older on the first, which was Tuesday. The party was lakeside, and I was there as one of the aunties. The melty one tucked away in the corner.
So, Katie's nephew? He's my nephew, too. In fact, it is because of this genealogical oddity, the sharing of the nephew, that we enthusiastically insist the two of us must be related and, indeed, have spent more time than two unrelated people probably ever should trying to work out the particulars of our relatedness. But that's a story for another day.
Early on it was rumored that the nephew would be celebrating his birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's.. where a kid can be a kid. And where a kid can gorge on pizza and laugh himself silly while dying a slow, unsuspecting death in the giant ball pit. Oh, and there's the singing, dancing anthropomorphic rat that puts in a special appearance at your table. Every kid should have a Chuck E. Cheese party! The birthday girl or boy will love you for it (unless they get creeped out by anthropomorphic rats and giant ball pits), and the adults will appreciate the air conditioning. Our birthday rendezvous with the rodent was not meant to be. At some point before the party the venue was switched to the lake, where it would be 107 degrees and I would be sure to not bring a swim suit because swim suits and I? We just don't get along.
And why is it adults (most adults. okay, the slacker ones) lose the ability to function in hot weather? Kids have this amazing ability to go about all their usual super important kid business in triple-digit heat like it was any other day.
The sun just. does. not. phase them. I, on the other hand, start to get all wilty and can barely find the energy to breathe while sitting motionless in the shade. When did summer get so friggin' hot? The day I asked myself that was the day I realized my freakish powers were dwindling and that I was on my way to becoming one of those adults. The kind that doesn't step outside from July through September. Except for birthdays.
# posted by Nanda @ 7:41 PM 
