man, apple knows how to make the sleek awesome apps and gadgets, but they often times only go half way! argh, it aggravates me to no end. the new ipod photo looks amazing, but (you knew it was coming) you cannot connect it directly to your digital camera for offloading your pictures -- they already have to be on your computer. I've ranted about it before (search, if you want) and I'll probably rant about it again, but that's what I want/need.

Aw, crud. 28mm.org is calling it quits! I really enjoyed the premise of the site and the photographers featured in each issue. Hopefully I'll find something similar or it will be handed off to somebody else to run. Check out the photos by Sean McCormick and Peter Hovering.

So Wednesday was my 35th birthday. Some people call that "old" but I still feel many years younger and I often get mistaken for a late-20's or 30-year old. Which is OK by me. Not that I agonize about age, I don't, but it is fun to get the incredulous reaction from people when revealing my true age. Anyway, it was the best birthday ever...

Now, I like things simple and I rarely have made a big deal about turning a year older. I mean, come on, it isn't like you magically turn older only on a single day, you know? But this is the year of 35. So I had a suspicion that Meghan had something planned. Something slightly more than just dinner at Kincaid's (which was fabulous, of course, but more on that later).
Meghan came up with this whole plan and had been hinting to me that she "got me the perfect present" for a few weeks. She even laid the groundwork for a ploy about a client meeting on the morning of my birthday (which I fully bought). I really had no other suspicions but maybe secretly hoped for something extra. And Meghan has a hard time keeping exciting things secret (sometimes), so I figured that I could figure it out eventually. That didn't happen.
I awoke to Meghan making me breakfast (fried eggs and toast and juice) and the ploy about going to a client meeting. She had a present on the table and inside were two very nice Gene Meyer shirts. Excellent. But I had a nagging doubt that this was why she called me from work a few weeks ago so excited about what my birthday present was going to be this year. I thought perhaps there was maybe one other thing that would show up later in the day but, honestly, some shirts were just fine by me.
At work it is tradition that you get some sweets and some balloons on your birthday while coworkers try to embarrass you with song. I forgot about this being my day until I heard a shushed commotion behind me. Aw, crap. I was gonna get the song. So I sat in my chair and tried not to get embarrassed and be gracious and all and about halfway through I turned fully to my left and there was Meghan with a big bunch of balloons! Unexpected to say the least. She was really enjoying the whole thing, though. Much to the delight of my coworkers she brought in a couple of fresh made Byerly's pies and ice cream. Mmmm, second breakfast!
After work we met up at home where I found Meghan in the kitchen (apron and all) making me some awesome oatmeal raisin cookies! YUM! I had to sample one. Or two. We then got dressed up for dinner at Kincaid's. Yum again. They make the most delicious salmon. I've heard the steaks and chops are good too. The service is always most excellent and we enjoyed our meals. Then the waiter comes out with a creme brulee with a candle in it and another present! Ok, I'm fully surprised now. Meghan had brought down the present earlier in the day so I wouldn't know about it. She pulled it off 100%. Inside, a brand spanking new iPod. Laser engraved, even. She's the bestest, in case you didn't know. We toasted with Sambucas before heading home.
But on the way home we suddenly found ourselves in the electronics store buying a new digital camera in preparation for our upcoming wedding (less than a month!). Huh. Go figure how that happened.
I think you can see why it was such an excellent day -- toys, food and the most amazing woman in the whole world at my side. I'm a lucky (older) guy.

Wired 12.10: We've Created a Monster! - How three programming geeks turned the Sci Fi Channel into the best little horror house in the movie business. Man, sounds like a fun job. Anybody else?