Today I am 21. And though I am not the proud owner of the above cupcake tower (sigh), I did receive two gigantic substitutes from Crumbs in Beverly Hills. I ate half of each (Reese and caramel apple). The result is this: nausea and sitting here awake at 12:56 AM watching old episodes of Will & Grace on KTLA 5 with nothing better to do to ease my sugar-induced hypochondria than type this mess that effectively is a letter to myself. Ramble much?

What better a day to begin yet another (hopefully longer-lasting) blog. I hate that word...blog. It sounds so...self-important-Capitol-Hill-ish. Bottom line: I don't expect anyone to read this, let alone proclaim its brilliance. These days, I am too exhausted to care what anyone thinks, so I will continue to use these things as I have in the past: as a chronological reposity of my far-too-random musings that have no coherence whatsoever.

This year's birthday haul:
(1) Starbucks card
(6) Books, which reduces my wish-lst to a mere 73.
(1) bouquet of flowers from an authentic LA shop (authentic b/c the lovely Cape Cod-esque bouquet arrived in a 40-year-old Datsun driven by a non-English speaking Antonio Banderas look-a-like).
(3) Boston Globe clippings of the Celtics victory (obviously via Dad-mail)
(undisclosed amount) Cash
(2) J.Crew headbands
(1) pair of J.Crew wellies
(1) J.Crew dress
(1) lunch with protege, a certain actress whose humility is inspiring, scheduled for next Wednesday. Obviously the best of all the gifts. Maybe ever. It could only be better if the lunch were with someone whose first name was Jake and last name rhymed with Killin' Mall.
(innumerable) wonderful friends whose birthday wishes made me feel less like I were residing in a state in which I knew a total of (3) people, all of whom I have met in the past three weeks, and more like I was celebrating transcendence into legality with them back on the almighty East Coast.

It's now 1:10 AM. Infomercials are on. I seriously need to go to bed.

Merci, merci, to God for this ordinary, yet extraordinary, day. I mostly think that God must be one fabulous chic. The world, even when seemingly dull or gray, is pretty amazing. And we all are pretty lucky to experience it at all. Every day. Not just on the ones where you turn 21.

Bon nuit.