Birthday or Hanukkah?

My birthday is on June 7, but rather than wait around for next Saturday, I decided to celebrate for a week, like my Jewish friends do in the winter!

Friday night, I saw Journey and Steve Miller live at Lakewood, and it was awesome.  See this video of “Don’t Stop Believing” I shot on Instgram?  Powerful.  And here’s Steve and his band:

SMB playing

Saturday, I spent all day prepping and smoking 6 of these:

ribs

See the chunk out of the bottom right corner?  Yeah.  Sometimes you can’t wait for the onerous process of pulling meat from bone and have to go all McGruff the Crime Dog on it.

A few hours later, a bunch of friends from work, my neighborhood, my childhood, and the blogosphere came over–with their children–for some good, wholesome drinks and smoked meats in the backyard.  Some folks even brought bourbon bottles.

I even got something from my paralegal.  See how professional our office environment is?

card from T

Sunday night, I went to the latest X-Men movie, because I hardly ever get to see movies at the theater in real life, so Birthday Week allows me such an opportunity.

Tonight (Monday), I’m going to this with a friend:

L3 dinner June 2

Tuesday night, the 3 children and I are having drum lessons, because we saw a set in a neighbor’s basement during an estate sale a couple weekends ago, and look how happy he is?

TO on drums

Wednesday night, the Mrs and I are seeing Morrissey live at Cobb Energy Centre (one of my favorite venues, because of its close proximity to our house and its pleasing acoustics + aesthetics)!

Thursday, I’m accompanying the Mrs to her work-related trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, because Michigan is the only of the 50 United States that I have yet to visit (I’ve only been to the airport in Detroit).  I want to fix that.  I’ll be visiting Esquire Magazine’s 2014 “Bar City of the Year” on my actual birthday Saturday, which is nice, because I like a “to do” list.  I also plan to explore A2 and Detroit with blogging friends Doug, Jim, and Stacy.

And once I get back to Atlanta next week?  It’ll be time to start planning my 2015 birthday extravaganza for 40.

6 Comments

  1. Pretty Bride

    Correction: Once you get back to Atlanta, it’s time to start planning MY birthday extravaganza for 40, which is nine months before yours. THEN we start planning yours.

    Also: excited to be part of your Birthday Week this week!

  2. Karen Chatters

    Listen to that Pretty Bride of yours….

    Thanks for including us in the festivities! You smoke some mean meat, my friend!

  3. For 40 you have to do something really big, like 40 nights of celebrating. Happy Birthday!

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