Ahh birthdays. When you’re younger and more innocent and legitimately excited to get one year older and you don’t have to worry about what the next year means in terms of success or life or whatever, birthdays are awesome. Your parents make or buy the birthday cake and your friends come over for your American Girl themed party bearing gifts that kind of blow but are awesome just because getting presents, any presents, is pretty sweet, right? Things might drop off a little in high school but still, I feel like this sentiment lasts until right around either your 21st or maybe even through your first year out of college.
And then, birthdays suck. You’d think that sending out a few emails and telling people you’re going to a bar for your birthday would be an easy enough task. It’s not. First of all, it’s your birthday. Why should you have to plan it? Shouldn’t your friends be planning it for you? But no, chances are, your friends are as lazy as you are and fuck if they’re going to do any legwork. It’s not out of spite; you wouldn’t do it for them either so no one even suggests it. Second, there’s so much PRESSURE.
You have to find a bar that doesn’t totally suck so that people won’t be saying and laughing, for months afterwards, Hey, remember that bar where Greg had his birthday, how TERRIBLE was THAT? And it can’t be a bar where people can’t get in or move or talk or get a drink, because then everyone will be grumpy and it’s all your fault!
And then, you have to muster up the strength to actually invite people. And where before what took little effort – you tell a few kids in class that you’re having a party and a good crowd will show up – now you have to sift through your inbox figuring out who even lives in the same city as you anymore. In college/high school/kindergarten you had this never-ending supply of people who knew other people who knew other people and thus guaranteed a pretty good showing for the party. Now you’ve graduated and moved out on your own to really MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF and you probably only have like, what, 3 or 4 really good friends and a couple of coworkers with whom you are friendLY (there’s a difference) and let’s not forget those random few people who you met that one time at a party and you sometimes talk to on gchat and they send you evites to things you never go to but maybe, just maybe, they’ll come have a beer at this totally sweet bar where you’re celebrating your birthday.
Oh, and don’t forget scheduling. It has to be held at a good time so that all your friends/pseudo-friends can make it, so you pretty much have to schedule your birthday celebration around the schedules of those 5 or 6 who you want to come.
If you’ve made it this far and you haven’t already resigned yourself to just cracking open a Bud Light and watching 8 straight hours of TV, big ups to you since you’ve really gone above and beyond. Congratulations, you officially make some effort in your life. As for the rest of us, enjoy that Law and Order marathon on USA Network and Happy Birthday.
hahaha...I was just gonna say, before I saw the author, "im gonna let Snake know about this little post, itll really hit home."
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