BIRTHDAY ?? 2010

I HAD SUCH A GREAT BIRTHDAY!!!

The week-end started with Charlene's arrival and a trip to the Sam's Club Community Block party where there were all kind of food vendors handing out FREE food!!  Then a decorating party at the Red Cross to get the Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) ready to be in the Ft. Lauderdale Irishfest parade.  That was SO much fun!!! People cheered and clapped on the sidelines and yelled "Thank you Red Cross".  We gave out green carnations to the spectators and had entirely TOO much fun. THAT IS NOT A CARDBOARD CUTOUT.  THE GOVERNOR HEARD IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY AND INSISTED THAT HE GOT A PICTURE OF ME AND HIM (YEAH - RIGHT) Then, it was on to Wilton Manors (a gay part of Ft. Lauderdale) to "Out of the Closet", a gay thrift shop.  I got another tuxedo shirt (for my usher gig) and a khaki pair of shorts for my Sony Ericsson Tennis tournament gig.  They put them in a pink bag, of course. A gay thrift shop is the perfect place to find a tuxedo shirt. Next, to my beach hangout, Ocean Alley, where I introduced Charlene to my favorite bartenders, my roommate and a few friends.  We had a beer and headed over to Giorgio's for a quick appetizer pizza. Mmmm fresh mozzarella, basil and homemade tomato sauce. Yummy! HOME TO REFRESH We did our makeup, hair, and donned fancy duds and set out to downtown Hollywood.  Charlene wore 3" heels and I wore boots with 3" heels.  Downtown was a bust, with very few people on the streets - everyone was in the restaurants, so I said "let's hit a casino".  I had a couple of free drink tokens so we trudged all the way through the Seminole casino to the bar.  After getting our drinks, we sat at a slot machine and promptly lost $10.  Time to hit the road... On to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino that's only a few blocks from me.  No parking.  There was an overflow lot that was full, so we parked at a little strip center across from the parking garage and walked across 441.  We thought we could circumvent the garage by walking in the landscaping on the side.  NOT.  Then we got lost in the parking garage and couldn't find the entrance to the casino.  FINALLY, with hurting feet, we followed some people and followed them in.  We were in the outside area where all the clubs are but there weren't many people there.  It was 10:00 pm but the clubs weren't even OPEN yet.  So...we hit a bar, took a few pictures and it looked like the clubs were starting to open.  We asked one of the hosts/bouncers/attendants how much it cost to get in.  TWENTY BUCKS EACH.  They charge you $20 to go in and spend more money.  It's not like there was live entertainment - it was only a DJ who never talked.  He just played music.  Anyway, we sweet talked the guy at the rope to let us in for free because it was my birthday. We sat down on a sofa (there were no chairs) with our drink and were promptly told that if the table was "sold" that we'd have to move.  When we asked how you "buy" a table and she said that you buy a bottle.  We look at each other and say (intuitively) "we can do that" so we ask how much a bottle is....$300.00.  OK, so we can't do that. I don't know how it happened but we spent four hours in that club - on our feet.  We drank, danced, drank and danced.  I switched to water but was definately NOT in control of my faculties.  We must have left the club around 3 am and found a jewelry store where everything was $10.  Charlene bought me cufflinks to wear with my newest tuxedo shirt ( that I have to wear as an usher ) for my birthday.  Then it was time for more pictures... We managed to somehow get to a shuttle bus to drop us near where the car was parked and, sore feet in all, managed to get home in one piece.  I'm not sure we even took our clothes off but fell into bed sometime around 4 am. When we woke up, sometime around noon, we decided that a HUGE breakfast was in order, so we showered and dressed and headed to the Flashback Diner for a breakfast of country fried steak and eggs, fruit and biscuits with country gravy.  Lots of milk and coffee later, we felt relatively normal. It was a GREAT birthday and I am so happy that I was able to spend it with Charlene.  We always have so much fun - it's a shame we can't get together more often. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.