Double Birthdays
Happy Birthday, Steve!Happy Birthday, Heidi!
Luckily, I’m only in demand enough to be invited to two parties at the same time. I had told Heidi that I’d go to her birthday party first, so I decided to go to that. Her party was scheduled to happen in a Moroccan restaurant in San Francisco. I left work at 6:15, figuring that would be enough time.
Ralston moved at 3 miles an hour. The 280 wasn’t moving much faster, especially in the vicinity of the 380 merge. Traffic into the city was evil. I arrived fifteen minutes behind schedule, at 7:45.
When I arrived, there was Heidi, her housemate, and her friend. Soon, a pair of Asian girls arrived, one behind the other. They’re all Burning Man people. It was very neat to meet them.
Dinner was very very strange, not because I’m not used to exotic foods, but because they seemed to have no clue what a vegetarian is and because, for some subconscious reason, Moroccon restaurants make me excruciatingly uncomfortable—not only because of the price (Moroccan restaurants are very expensive), but because of the decor, the belly dancers, and the floor cushion things. I was quite sore and very tired when I left.
Dinner with Heidi and her friends made me realize that she has changed a lot since I first met her. She’s a strong, funky, liberated, and groovy person, someone who is secure with herself, has a great career, and is still laid-back enough to be silly and goofy. I’m really proud of her.
I, too, have changed a lot since I’ve come to California. I’m more conservative, introverted, and anti-social. I realize that I would never go to Burning Man or Renaissance Faire or any of those things that Heidi and her friends could never live without, which is completely cool. I’m turning into an old man and I’m trying very hard not to turn old friends into annoyed strangers.