September 19, 2008
Four For Friday - The Birthday Edition
Q1 - Today: Some people go out of their way to tell everyone they know that today (or pick your day) is their birthday, while others avoid it like a contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and wicked bad diarrhea (for example, I once spent an entire with someone and never knew it was his birthday because he never told me). Do you tell people when it's your birthday or do you prefer to keep it to yourself?
Q2 - Keeping Track: How do you keep track of birthdays (BirthdayAlarm.com, a little black book, good memory, your computer calendar, Facebook, etc.)?
Q3 - Celebrating: How do you like to celebrate your own birthday? Do you do anything special for yourself, have a tradition you adhere to, take the day off from work and the rest of the world, etc.?
Q4 - Change: Some of the kids I grew up with felt cheated by the fact that their birthday was in late-June, July, or August... meaning, they never got to celebrate their birthday in school like all of the kids whose birthdays fell on a school day. If you could change your birthday, would you, and if so, what date would you move it to and why?
Posted by Mikal at September 19, 2008 12:01 AM
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Mine answers this week:
http://baileysgranny.blogspot.com/2008/09/four-for-friday.html
Q1 - TODAY: Oh, I tell everyone it's my birthday because I invite them to celebrate with me.
Q2 - KEEPING TRACK - I've tracked birthdays in various ways through the years, including most of those you've mentioned. Today, it's mostly by email/online reminders, but I remember many by heart - and not just family and ex-boyfriends!
Q3 - CELEBRATING - For many years now, I've thrown myself a big birthday party at various venues ranging from my home/apartment, friends' houses, clubs, restaurants, and even a hockey game. This year, my buddy, & country recording artist, Rich McCready and I threw ourselves a joint birthday event entitled "A McBirthday." I usually ask guests to bring non-perishable food item to donate to a local food bank in lieu of personal gifts.
Q4 - If I could change the month, I'd move it to May, which generally has warmer weather than February, at least here in the Midwest.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKAL!
Q1- I don't go out of my way to tell people it's my birthday, but if it comes up, I don't lie about it either. It's just another day.
Q2- I normally remember the birthdays of those I really care about, or hear about them from mutual friends or family before it comes up. But, Facebook helps!
Q3- I usually don't make any huge plans. Sometimes my brother or close friends will plan a get together of some sort like a dinner with cake and ice cream. I always wanted a surprise bday party, but have never gotten one. I for some reason am a little sad by that. (Hint Hint!: My bday is July 1st...now throw me a freakin' surprise party already!)
Q4- My bday is July 1st (as mentioned directly above) and I don't mind it. My daughter's bday is January 1st (New Year's Day)...which is my half bday, and my bday is her half bday. I decided that if she doesn't like her bday so close to Christmas, we can switch and she can celebrate her half birthday as her real birthday. I am so nice!
I have always had friends with their bdays really close to Christmas, and not like it. I love mine in July, because I get presents about every 6 months. Well, I used to...back when birthdays actually meant something.
1- I tend not to mention my birthday, mostly because I generally just don't care. Once I turned sixteen, I got everything I wanted out of my birthdays, so I don't think I've told anyone my birthday without their asking since then.
2- I can remember my immediate family, rely on my wife's memory for her family, my grandma sends a birthday list every time she sends out a family address list, and then facebook for friends. I always ask my wife what her birthday is, just cause I like being reminded how much younger than me she is.
3- I generally go out to eat large quantities of meat and get someone to make me a texas sheet cake, which is basically a large, flat chocolate cake with marshmallows in the chocolate drizzle frosting that requires something like 6 sticks of butter to make. Then I eat leftover cake with milk poured over it for breakfast for the next week.
4- I once took the treats for my birthday to elementary school, didn't tell the teacher I had them and ate them all myself over a week or so.
But on the actual subject, I never wanted a different birthday and based on answer 1, can't think why I would want to change it.
Q1 - TODAY: I tell people. I like to celebrate, and I'm not self-conscious about my age, so I don't mind people knowing.
Q2 - KEEPING TRACK: My memory is pretty good, and I also have an old appointment calendar that I keep as a birthday book.
Q3 - CELEBRATING: I usually go to dinner with friends.
Q4 - CHANGE: My birthday is August 15, and I like it very much; I wouldn't change it. There are no other holidays in August, so it livens up the month a little for me, and the weather is usually nice.
A1) I tend to keep it to myself.
A2) Now I'm using facebook, but I always keep them in my computer calendar, which sends me a reminder from Backpack
A3) Well, I'm a twin, so I have little choice but to celebrate it, because I'm reminded about it even if I don't want to celebrate. Typically, I enjoy a nice dinner out with friends and/or family, but it's always low-key.
A4) I would not change my birthday, even if I could.
Q1: I will generally tell my friends that I'm with. But, I don't feel that I need to announce it to the world.
Q2: I mostly rely on my wife to keep track of family birthday's. Other than that, I just try to remember but I'll see people's birthday on facebook or birthdayalarm as well.
Q3: I generally don't do too much to celebrate. I still go to work, I still do the things I need. My wife and her family really put a lot of emphasis on birthdays so they try to do something big and make me feel special.
Q4: I wouldn't change my birthday. I was actually born on Easter morning. So, my birthday ends up being on Easter every 11 years. Exciting!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKAL!!
Happy birrrrthdaaay ... toooo yoouuuuuuuu!!!
Q1 - Today: In general, I'm a holiday hater, and that includes birthdays. I try to avoid telling anybody when my birthday is, including myself. When the day comes, I'm usually the last one to realize it is my birthday. Many years ago on my 20th birthday, I realized that my driver's license expired, so I went in to renew it. The guy at the Driver's License Division says to me, "Happy birthday!" I thought he was joking, as in, "Here's a gift [your driver's license]. Happy birthday!" It took me a couple days to realize what he was talking about.
Q2 - Keeping Track: I let my wife worry about that stuff.
Q3 - Celebrating: If I happen to remember it's my birthday, I'll try and isolate myself in order to avoid others who also remember it's my birthday. Many people, despite knowing how much I hate it, insist on making a fuss about it, so I try and hide from these people. Other than that, I renew my driver's license every few years.
Q4 - Change: I would change my birthday to, mmm... let's say the same day in 1990.
1. I don't mention it unless someone asks.
2. A ratty piece of paper stuck in a three ring binder is my birthday tracking system when I bother to look at it.
3. I try to take the day off work so that I don't get ambushed by the office Birthday Brigade, but other than that I try to make time to view the Perseid meteor shower, which usually comes around close to my birthday in mid-August.
4. I'm happy with my birthday being when it is, except for those that fall on a Friday the 13th. No good ever comes of those.
1) Yeah, I tell people.
2) Memory
3) Depends, but if I can I try to take the day off work and do something indulgent -- like read in bed all day long. Mostly, I eat out with my family and order dessert (if the kids haven't baked me a cake!).
4) I like when my birthday is, except when it falls on a Catholic fast day (it's usually near Easter, so during Lent can be tricky). I would only change it b/c the first half of the year is crowded with birthays in my family.
1. Interesting... I feel very stupid and selfish if i tell people that its my birthday. But i don't avoid it either. I usually try to subtly mention it in the days before my birthday and then leave it up to my friends/colleagues to remember.
2. I have a great memory for only 2 things, dates, and phone numbers... i don't know why. I have always known when my friends and family's birthdays are and when i gain a new friend, I add it to the list.
3. I have a couple of silly traditions with my friends but nothing major. My bday usually falls right around Thankgsgiving so I often get the day off of work so i can just take it easy...
4. Heck no. I love my birthday where it is... Just far enough away from Christmas that no one can pull that "double present" crap and on a day that often falls on the Wed-Sun that surround Thanksgiving so I get the day off of work... The only day that I might consider moving it to, would be Feb. 29th... that could be interesting.
mine is up!! I like today's theme!!
1-I usually keep it to myself. Anyone who is truely interested in my birthday will know when it is.
2-Dinner and drinks with close friends. The night wouldn't be complete until everyone is calling a cab for the ride home.
3-I have a few friends with b-day's the same week as mine. We try and use that week for a group vacation.
4-I love being a Leo and wouldn't have it any other way.
1) I don't tell people unless they ask. I am not trying to hide it, but I hate tooting my own horn.
2) BirthdayAlarm.com It rocks!
3) My wife usually plans a nice evening of dinner and a show or something. There is generally cake and ice cream involved.
4) I wouldn't change it for the world.
Happy Birthday Mikal - don't worry there is much more to do after 30!
1 - I don't mention it much.
2 - We run our household with one of the oversized calendars in our kitchen. Birthdays and other important dates are put on that calendar.
3 - My kids make me breakfast in bed. Nothing quite the same as burnt toast and half stirred orange juicy...yummy
4 - I like my April Birthday..except at college when it was final exams...and when it decides to have that last snow storm on my b-day, but other than that, I have no complaints.
I sometimes tell people it is my birthday, but I think I only tell people that are close to me.
Facebook and my space are usually the way I know about my friends. However for the family I tell my wife and she tells me to call on their birthday.
I don't really take the whole day off but I will wait for my wife to do something special for me because she always does.
I was always happy with my birthday because it was ion the last day or right after the last day of school. I always thought getting out of school was the best birthday present.
http://snarkchronicles.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/four-for-friday-birthday/
Q1 - I'll slip it in, especially if I'm going to be out of town or something. But I don't drop it hoping people will do something special for it.
Q2 - I don't have a method. I guess memory. I think being a guy, you really only have to remember your Mom's and your girlfriend/wife's. When a male friend of mine has a birthday, you just buy him a beer and that's the end of it.
Q3 - No tradition. It seems to be different every year.
Q4 - April is a good time I think. It's nicely spaced out from Christmas as far as gift reception goes. At least that's what was important as a kid of course.
1. I generally don't tell people when it's my birthday but don't mind if they figure it out. I generally don't talk about it much but will casually mention it in places like my blog, after the fact.
2. Facebook, BirthdayAlarm, my day planner, but even then I'm likely to forget or do nothing when I see one. I'm terrible. I'm trying to get better.
3. I often take the day off work. I used to have a tradition of insisting that I bake my own birthday cake, but that's gone away. I also used to have a tradition of throwing a piece of birthday cake into the yard and/or out the window. Don't ask.
4. My birthday is fine just where it is.
1. Usually tell.
2. Computer Calendar and my wife.
3. No tradition. I like to celebrate by opening presents. Sure, I'm at an age where if I really want something I can usually just go buy it, but I like to see what other people think I like and I love the excitement of opening something when you have no idea what it is. I never got over that excitement. Guess I'm still a kid.
4. I like my day. Every so often it falls on memorial day so I get the day off.
1. I don't usually announce it to strangers or people at work, but all my friends and family remember, so that's what's important to me.
2. I have a pretty good memory, so I know each month who has a birthday coming up. I also keep a regular desk calendar with birthdays penciled in.
3. I like to do something to celebrate whether it's dinner out with friends and family or a gathering at home. Or a surprise birthday...I love my birthday and I usually take the day off if it falls on a weekday. I just feel like it's my special day and don't want to have to be at work.
4. No, I would not change my birth date.
Q1: Keep it to myself. I don't understand why we celebrate birthdays or why we celebrate them the way we do. What's so special about being ejected from the womb? We act as though it was a major accomplishment. If anything, we should give our parents presents on our birthdays.
Q2: I'm not all that good about keeping track of birthdays. I remember my wife's and our two kids' birthdays and celebrate them just to stay out of the doghouse (with said wife) and to avoid giving our kids a complex. Oh, I also remember my parents' birthdays, particularly my mom's - I usually send a card, but I always call home.
Q3: Avoid everyone who knows it's my birthday.
Q4: I'm a Pices. I like being the fish. As for celebrations, refer to Q1-Q3. I don't recall celebrating birthdays in school, but since I've had so many birthdays, I've probably just forgotten.
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