2003-11-24 - 9:22 a.m.

yesterday there was a total solar eclipse. it was only visible from the southern hemisphere. the PATH station at the world trade center site was reopened yesterday. yesterday was also my thirty-third birthday.

i really enjoy celebrating my birthday. in past years i've planned large dinners at fancy restaraunts. this year, i sorted through a few different plans, including a karaoke party, but i had a little pre-birthday freakout. that's never happened to me before. i started to feel very self-conscious about things like: my advancing age, the fidelity of various friends, my ability to successfully plan a party. so i punted all my elaborate plans and asked everyone to meet me at a local bar.

p took me to dinner at one of our favorite restaraunts, where we dined on rosemary grilled chicken livers and warm chocolate souffle, among other delicacies. we then wandered over to spuyten duyvil for port, ginger beer, cheese, and chocolate. all night some of my favorite people filed in and out of the bar, buying me drinks and giving me sweet gifts. everything smelled fantastic. we closed the bar, and i fell into bed, my skin stained with italian wine, belgian chocolate, and the smell of sweet oranges.