48. Birthdays are a bother.

I’m terrible at remembering birthdays. Always have been.
Fortunately, we now have facebook to make all our lives easier.
Not only can I remember a friend’s birthday by glancing at my homepage, but I can also stay updated on their relationship status and poke them at will.
Ah, facebook, how did we ever live without you.

Still, the worst part about birthdays are, without exception, presents. I know a lot of you will disagree, but I cannot, for the life of me, give someone a decent gift.
Don’t get me wrong, I try really, really hard to give someone a thoughtful gift they can appreciate. Usually, though, I can’t think of anything that seems fitting and more often than not I end up handing the birthday boy (or girl, as the case may be) a $20 note in a hallmark card.

Two of my closest friends were born four days apart, so buying gifts for them is exceedingly difficult. Their birthdays are coming up very soon. One of these friends has been one of my best buds since 5th grade, and if I remember correctly, over all the years, the gifts I’ve given her are: Food, money, a teddy bear and half a dozen Krispy Kremes, so this year I’d like to give her something nice.

I’m not overly fond of receiving birthday gifts either, believe it or not. I sincerely appreciate the thought behind most gifts, which makes me feel obligated to use/display them, even if I don’t particularly want to.

Don’t get me wrong, though, I love the idea of a birthday. It’s great in theory.
It’s the one day of the year where all the people you love come together, have fun, give you gifts and celebrate you for doing nothing more than being born.

I really shouldn’t complain.