My Aunt the Carnivorous Moose: Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 329

Surprise... surprise... surprise (imagine Gomer Pyle uttering his trademark phrase)

I was monumentally surprised today but more of that later...

The day started with my gorgeous guy beside me, and sleep begging me to stay with it, and not wake up and jump onboard a train (yes I look odd getting on to the train that way but I like to disturb the zombie-staggering vibe of the average commute) but I resisted sleep's entreaties, got showered and dressed as quickly as I could so I could... open my presents before I left for work! Like I was going to leave them for later that day! NOT. A. CHANCE.

I almost though didn't want to open them. My gorgeous guy is so gifted when it comes to many things but one of them is his ability to wrap a present so sticky tape is visible, all the paper lines are perfectly lined up, and the bows are exquisitely formed. In short, his wrapping is a work of art, and it feels like a travesty to pull them apart, even though I, like all good extroverts, wants at the beautiful gifts inside and wants at them now but I hesitated for as long as I could to take in the beauty of his creations, and appreciate the love and care that went into them.

The gifts were wonderful - Florence & the Machine's new album in a deluxe double pack, tickets to see Mary Poppins Thursday 1 December, Ellen Degenere's new book, Seriously... I'm Kidding (in hardcover...oh the joy!), Apple TV and my latest Christmas reindeer, Comet (who joins his stable mate, Donner from last year) - and the look of joy on my partner's face that I was so happy with the gifts was priceless. It was a wonderful time, snatched from the jaws of a rapacious week day morning.

Yes it was raining when I got on the train, but I cared not. I was walking on air from the special moment I had just shared with my guy, the excitement of it being my birthday (I am a birthday-a-holic) and the fact that in late November it was cool enough for me to wear my jacket! It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Starting work proved to be a challenge as I was inundated with texts, Facebook greetings, tweets, and phone calls (from my lovely ex-colleague, Sandra T)... it's great to be thought of, and for people to express how much you matter to them, and birthdays are, of course, a great focal point for them to do just that and I lap it up...

FACEBOOK GREETINGS

But work I did, even contributing to a planning meeting for one of the websites, at least until my wonderful boss took my colleagues & I to yum cha with bubbly, and a couple of hours we had sort of digested a delicious lunch, cake. It was such a lovely thing for her to do and made the day that much more special.

But the best part of the day was yet to come! Yes really! You'd think you couldn't possibly top all those gifts, that outpouring of love, the loveliness of my boss and colleagues, but you'd be wrong. Sorry but you would be...

My gorgeous guy had told me that he had booked tickets to a 'special event' on the day of my birthday - which is why we went to dinner together on Birthday Eve - which had intrigued me no end since I couldn't think of anyone who was in town. When I worried that I wouldn't be home from work on time, my guy assured me the event was happening near where I live, and so I assumed we must be going to a concert at the Enmore Theatre. But being the good boy that I am, I didn't check the Enmore's website - if I had I would have seen that Salt 'n' Pepa were playing that night and I would have been horrified at my guy's choice - but I was still worried about timing for this unnamed show since I would only be home by 7pm and the concert was supposedly at 8pm.

We left my place at 7.15pm, with me fretting about timing still (did we have time for drinks at a bar first really?) so my guy admitted at this point that the concert was Star Wars Burlesque (which I had seen reviewed and thought looked funny!) at The Vanguard on King Street, and that he'd selected the 9pm show only option, rather than 8 pm dinner & show. Thus assured that timing would be fine (which I should have just relaxed about in the first place!), we walked up to King Street, during which I got calls from my Mum & Dad, and my brother Steve wishing me Happy Birthday, which meant I was totally focused on that and not much else. All this meant that when we reached Bloodwood, the bar he'd chosen, and one we'd never tried, I walked straight in scanning for a table to sit at, and didn't look at anyone around me.

I really should have! Because sitting right at the entrance was my best friend, Warren (Waz) and to my utter disbelief and amazement, my dear special almost-30-years of-friendship friend, Kerry, all the way from BrizVegas! You could have knocked me over with a feather at that point! I must have looked like a guppy for a good 20 minutes as I tried to process that she was here and in from of me, there was no concert, and that she had, for the past 6 months, conspired with my gorgeous guy, Waz and my house mate to be present at my birthday celebrations without me knowing a thing! It explained much, not least my guy's reluctance to commit to anything over the weekend, and my house mate's insistence that he vacuum Thursday night! I was SO EXCITED! It was the loveliest most wonderful surprise of my entire life and I have had some wonderful surprises. She is such a dear special friend, and having her at the celebrations with my darling man beside me, and best friend there too, was the absolute best most special gift of the birthday weekend!

I was shaking with excitement and bouncing around right up till we reached Linda's where we had a delicious dinner, I unwrapped my gifts - a jar of Lithuanian borscht (I had joked that Lithuanian National Day was one of my Top 5 days of the year along with my birthday, my guy's birthday, Christmas and Eurovision on a phone call a week or so earlier) and a cultural guide to Azerbaijan (home of next year's Eurovision contest) - and I had the most lovely birthday dinner. It was a magical, beautiful night and I feel so loved, blessed and special. Life is so good, and these are the three special most responsible for it being that way.

What an awesome birthday night!