Happy Half Birthday to ME!

Today is my half birthday! I know some of you are scratching your heads and thinking, "What the--???" but I've been measuring my aging process in increments for as long as I can remember. It's not that odd--we measure babies' ages in months and ask any elementary school kid how old he is and he's likely to reply, "Eight and a half!"

But I realize I am well past the years of counting ones age in fractions. Once, I was at the doctor's office and she asked my age. "32 and a half," I replied. She looked up from my chart and subtly rolled her eyes and wrote down "32." Hey--I was just trying for accuracy!

Given that my (full) birthday falls about 3 weeks after Christmas--and is generally forgotten in the orgy of holiday partying and gift-giving, a little remembrance in the summer months seems appropriate. Although convincing others of the validity of a half birthday celebration remains an uphill battle. I did get a Half Birthday card from a friend once. See, even Hallmark recognizes the half birthday! Of course, they also have cards expressing sympathy for your latest divorce or the death of your pet turtle, but it's a start.

I remember when I was interning during my college years. One of my office mates--an older guy named "Bob"--would chat me up during slow portions of the day. One day he asked me how old I was--19? 20? With all the indignation of someone too young to feel complimented when someone thinks they are YOUNGER than they actually are (boy, did I get past that quick!), I quickly corrected him. "I am 21," I said. "In fact, I'll be 21 and a half this weekend!"

So my half birthday came and went. Monday morning Bob asks me how my weekend was. "Fine," says I. "I turned 21 and a half this weekend." "Well, Happy Birthday!" said Bob. "Thanks!" I replied.

Later that day, another co-worker told me the boss wanted to see me. As I walked to the front of the office, I saw all my co-workers--as well as people from other departments--gathered around a big cake. Fred, my boss, was grinning broadly. "Bob told us it was your birthday this weekend!" Color me mortified! "I didn't say it was my BIRTHDAY--I said it was my HALF birthday!" I suspect that Bob didn't really misunderstand me. He was a rather big guy and I'm sure it was a devious plot on his part to get cake. But I had to deal with people coming up and seeing the cake and asking,"Whose birthday is it?" "Stella's." "Oh, when was your birthday?" "Uh, January..."

I still celebrate my half birthday--although I tend to keep it to myself. But to all those like me and Bob who will find any excuse to celebrate, have a piece of cake on me!

P.S. Cake pic courtesy of Pink Cake Box. A blog for cakes! How cool is THAT?!!!