From Thirty Four, With Love

On Saturday, May 4th, 2013, I turned "Thirty-Four." Which totally wasn't scary. I mean it can be. Age is tricky that way. But, this year wasn't scary for some reason. I can't explain it, but I was all very zen and low key about turning another year.

"Thirty-Four" seems pretty chill so far. I kicked off my year a bit earlier than ever.

Even though I was born in May, I decided to call April my "birthday month" -  or if any coworkers asked why I was getting so many shoes delivered to the office, I would answer simply that it was all pre-birthday presents. (In my defense, I believe it was only 2 pairs of shoes. And a pair of sandals. And a belt. And some new underwear. And some drugstore.com stuff. Hey, we all need shampoo, am I right here?)

As I said last year, you have to treat yourself.

http://iamsogayblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/so-i-turned-33-alone-and-i-survived-and.html

Last year, I splurged on The Book of Mormon. And while I didn't get a picture of myself with a celeb as cute as Andrew Rannells (am I right, ladies and gents?) like last year, I did have a pretty great day/weekend/month regardless. 

This year, I decided to just start having fun. I was going to celebrate myself. I was going to smile. A lot. 
I like to think I nailed it. 

Besides the shopping, I treated myself to Broadway, which increasingly over the past year I have regarded as ice cream that I must allow myself to eat from time to time. It's a treat that one MUST totally take part in. Imagine life with no toppings? Personally, I've always liked the toppings the most. 

I saw Lucky Guy with Tom Hanks (written by my heroine, Nora Ephron). I was in the second to last row of the cheapest of cheap seats, but I felt like I was at a real scene. Something to be seen, you know? 

I saw Nathan Lane in The Nance. How could I write a blog called I Am So Gay and not seen Nathan Lane in a show about a gay vaudeville actor? Sacrilege, right? Well, I saw it and it was awesome. I wonder what it was to see The Producers . . .

I saw Vanessa Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and - best of all - Cicely Tyson in The Trip To Bountiful, a show where the audience  (I KID YOU NOT) spontaneously bursts into song with Ms. Tyson. I cried at one point. I missed my Grandmother, maybe. I missed a time gone by. I admired the spunk of the character. I went on the journey with her. 

I saw The Big Knife with Bobby Cannavale (HOT guy from Will and Grace. He was Will's boyfriend. Just Google it already!)

And when I saw my most recent show, I totally imagined I was Liz Lemon while watching Alec Baldwin in Orphans from Orchestra, Row G. It was Jack! LIVE! Awesome!

The thing about my month or so of splurging was taking part into things that have been in NYC for a long time and I never really took part in. And that just seemed like a shame. In the end, my seats might not have always been as Grrrrreat as G, but I dove into the adventure. The thrill of getting a ticket and seeing a Broadway show. To go to Broadway . . . well, there is just nothing like it. Even in the cheap seats, life can be a thrill. (Remember that!) 

Now, you might be thinking to yourself: "OK, Greg Broadway and shoes. Really?" 

Well, I did even more. I celebrated time. I celebrated time with others. And  I liked the quality time and laughs with special people the most. 

I am very fortunate. I know A LOT of great special people. And they are all over the place. Some I couldn't see for my birthday/weekend/month. But the handful of truly good people I did see, made "Thirty-Four" tick right along. 

I'd say with most of all of my friends, we giggle when we get together. And when we haven't seen each other in months, or even a year, we can still pick up like no time has gone by. That's truth. That's beauty. 

Well, last Wednesday, I had Pre-Birthday Dinner #1. I smile just thinking about that dinner. Friends cooked in my kitchen. I got really good hugs that night and drank too much wine. Smiles. 

I had Pre-Birthday Dinner #2 on Friday, and this time it was a surprise dinner. Four of my oldest DC friends popped out of nowhere while Drake, Delilah and I were having drinks on the Potomac River. I was in my beloved Georgetown at a restaurant I had loved when I lived there. Could it get better? Life is ice cream with the toppings. That night, I had ALL the toppings. 

On my actual birthday, I slept in, but still early enough to hear my parents call me at 8:23 am (when I was actually born) so they could sing to me. Cheesy and awesome. Who else gets that every year? I eat it up. 

Drake, Delilah and I went outlet shopping and then onto wineries. The combination of sunshine, 40% off everything at the J. Crew Factory Store, and delicious cheese and wine is a level of fun known only to the gods. Just try to argue with me on this! 

It was a long day. And it was a great day. I wasn't able to beat The Charles Sasser Challenge of 5 wineries in one day. We did four on May 4th, so I think I'm still impressive and very cool (numerically speaking, at the very least).

Relaxing, travelling, shopping, nature, wine, eating, laughing, smiling, sunshine, friends. 

Ice Cream with the toppings. 

On a final note, I want to say to you, Mr "Thirty-Four," a few of my hopes: 

I hope I cherish you. 
I hope I own this year. 
I hope I make the moments count. 

I hope for health. Mine and others. Because life is so very, very short.

I hope if I see something I want, I do it or buy it (within reason) because I never want to regret it. 

I hope a boy is really awesome to me this year and vice versa. 

I hope I run. I hope I laugh. I hope. 

I hope I come out ahead on my way to "Thirty-Five."

I hope I eat lots and lots of toppings. :)