In Norway there’s a tradition that the weather on your birthday is like a report card on how good you’ve been over the past year. Today the weather is a mixture of everything: strong winds, sun for a few minutes, a little drizzle, some grey clouds, sudden blue sky and sun again. I’m taking that as a sign that I’ve been really interesting over the past year.

Tonight some friends are coming round to help me drink up champagne left over from my defence party last year. Maybe I’ll mix some drinks too – look, The Webtender lets you tell it what’s in your bar, and it tells you what you can make! If I can get strawberries I might make some virgin strawberry daiquiris, too. The drivers and kids would appreciate that, I know. Oh, and little umbrellas for the drinks: my eight-year-old will adore that.

After a few cool years of pretending birthdays are for kids, I’ve definitely decided that I like getting attention on my birthday. I love cards in the mail, emails from friends I hardly ever see and the phone call from my sister with promises that the pressie’ll turn up, uh, soon. I’m thrilled that on barely any notice, many of my friends are happy to pop round and help me drink champagne!

24 thoughts on “thirty-three

  1. Magnus Enger

    Happy birthday to you!

  2. Susanne

    Happy birthday!

  3. steve

    Happy birthday.

  4. Sindre

    Gratulerer med dagen, den er din.
    Alle gamle, alle unge har en dag som er sin

  5. Scott

    Have a great day, love. I hope you have a great one, and that you’ll save some birthday party energy for a week, and then celebrate all over again.

  6. Matt

    Llongyfarchiadau, Penblwydd hapus i ti! (If they had this tradition in Wales, the whole country would be feeling even more glum and penitent).

  7. Super

    Happy Birthday.

  8. bicyclemark

    Joyeux Anniversaire!

  9. dr. b.

    That must mean that you’ve had a rich and varied life over the last year! Happy birthday!

  10. Clancy

    How interesting about the weather! My birthday is a week from Sunday, and the weather is expected to be sunny, partly cloudy, with a high of 19 degrees Celsius. I’ve been good, then? Not really. 😉

    Happy birthday, Jill!

  11. Gina

    Happy birthday Jill 🙂

  12. weez

    Groovy! Good wishes. Seems like 33 should be a lucky year. Since three is a magic number (I learned when I was a kid), then two of them must bode well.

  13. Lars

    Hjarteleg til lukka med dagen, Jill!
    Om du synest eit ?•r er for lenge mellom kvar bursdag, kan du jo feira rund dag — eit tredjedels hundre?•r — i januar ein gong. Det har eg tenkt ?• gjera.

  14. Jill

    Thanks everyone!

    Oh, yes, great idea, Lars – I’ll celebrate my 33.333th birthday in January 🙂

    Which reminds me, happy (late) birthday Lars!

    🙂

  15. vika

    Happy happy, Jill! *throws confetti*

    Can’t take you out for a drink, so — here!

  16. KF

    Hey — happy birthday, Jill! If I’d known your birthday was coming up so quickly, I’d have bought you a drink while I actually had the opportunity!

  17. torill

    Gratulerer! Og n?• ligger datoen din inne p?• mobilen min, s?• n?• kan jeg gratulere F?òR du blogger det! *S*

  18. hanna

    Happy birthday, Jill! 🙂

  19. diane

    Many happy returns to you!

  20. Jason

    Happy Birthday!

  21. Netwoman

    Happy Birthday Jill! So good to meet you F2F at AoIR!!

  22. Bru

    Happy Birthday Jill!!!

  23. Gianna

    happy b’day Jill!

  24. Lilia

    Of course I’m later, but thought I’d join the crowd 🙂

    Happy birthday!

    What weather are you expecting in a year?
    🙂

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