Birthday Depression

I was 28 on Thursday, I’ve found throughout adulthood that my birthdays are fairly mediocre affairs that I don’t really look forward to anymore. I remember one year on my mum’s birthday she spent a lot of the day in bed and now that I’m climbing up to the big 3-0 I totally get it; birthday depression. Not only is the day a bit of a let down usually but you are officially one year closer to death. It’s also your annual chance to think about all the things you haven’t yet accomplished.

I think the main source of birthday depression is that through my childhood my parents made such an effort with birthdays and children are easily pleased so any day cannot possibly live up to a childhood birthday. My mum would fill our rooms with balloons and my dad would organise meticulously researched gifts. Also, I had brilliant birthday parties every year that my mum must have spent hours planning. Now the thought of a birthday party can seem a little bit more of a chore that involves lots of clearing up afterwards and as anyone who knows me is familiar with, tidying up is my least favourite activity. I think the second reason for birthday depression is that the older I get, the more English I become and the English love to complain, there’s few things I love more. Apart from cats. Cats are awesome.

So this year, especially as Kim isn’t on the same continent as me and all my family live ages away I decided to take the matter into my own hands to stave off moping and booked my self onto a venepuncture course, wild I know, and made dinner plans with some uni friends. On the plus side I feel slightly more accomplished now I can take blood (take note of the lovely fake rubber arms).

My uni friends and I went to Cosmos in Norwich where it’s a buffet sort of affair.

  

I think I pretty much ate my weight in food, which is saying something. I think the trick is to try a little of everything rather than pick one big meal.

Next time I think I’m just going to get all dessert and skip the main course because I’m an adult and I can do whatever the fuck I want to hasten diabetes.

  

After that we had a little walk around Norwich city because it was the Christmas light switch on.

I love Christmas as much as the next person but I can’t help but think mid November is a tad early for Christmas lights. Perhaps the city wants it’s moneys worth?

So that was nice and I got a lot of various vouchers and bits and bobs to stave off the birthday depression for another year! In other news we’re progressing a few more inches with the visa, I had to fill out a form that was very interested to know if I had committed genocide, wanted to work as a prostitute, was a communist, wanted to practice polygamy  or if I was a terrorist. I think if you answered yes to the last one then the follow up comment would surely be “but not a very good one”.

Last Day Road Tripping

This post is a little late because I’ve been working nights and then all the recent political drama that has ensued (and oh god has there been drama) but here it is… Our last day road tripping we spent in Kennebunkport which is a popular tourist town in Maine.

Luckily we’d remembered to bring our padlock out with us that day as we found just the spot.

We took a trolley tour which was really fun around Kennebunkport.

  

With our buddy Conrad.

The coastal views were pretty.

And we passed by the Bush compound, complete with secret service agents. I don’t really know why they bothered with the secret service agents because the whole area was so exposed I reckon a sniper could make a tidy job of it.

  

Then we had a little wander about the place.

A lot of the more traditional styled buildings were pretty, and we browsed some shops where almost everything was lobster themed.

  

They had a cat and dog themed souvenir shop which pleased me (simple things).

We had some lunch at Kennebunkport and then it was time for the drive home which wasn’t so long. Throughout our road trip we saw a lot of things that made me chuckle such as the ‘guns and coins’ shop, a tank on the back of a truck, number plates like dsnyfan, bread1, zodiac (possibly the serial killer???) but my favourite thing I saw on the road trip on the way back through Massachusetts was this fine couple below. Not only because of their car window, not only because she’s driving whilst on the phone but because (and it may be hard to make out) her boyfriend was huffing down some crack cocaine in the passenger seat. I mean where would the police even start? Memories.

  

Road Trip Day 6

On day 6 of our road trip we went to Acadia National Park in Maine.

 

We drove the loop road around the park (how lazy!) and there were a lot of pretty places to stop and get out.

We did book a whale seeing tour but the coastguard advised all of the boats to stop their trips for the season because of choppy waters.

We booked a nice hotel in Kennebunkport for our last stay on the road trip.

And it was all cutesy and modern.

But very comfy.

But too cold for the pool though, we watched a chipmunk eat his way through a rose hip with free drinks and muffins when we got there.

And Kim kicked my ass at candy land.

For dinner we went into the main part of Kennebunkport, which had no street lights so it was pitch black everywhere, to a Mexican place which had such good food.

 

Our meal was creepily presided over in its entirety by Jesus and his crow buddy.

When we got back I faffed about happily with the white noise machine in the hotel room but I don’t think Kim got much sleep, mainly because I kept changing my mind over which soothing sounds I wanted to sleep to.