happy b-day, pop

Happy birthday to my father! He said it's his first sober birthday in a while. I was honestly surprised. He must get quietly tipsy because I must have been standing right there and never noticed. I did indulge in a drink in his honor... which I just realize I didn't finish and need to go downstairs and consume or throw out. I spent a cozy day inside as work was closed. And on days where work is closed, I get paid even if I don't telework. Since it's work's busy season, I worked for about 4 hours at the kitchen table and then stopped. Good feeling that.

In other news, I now have free HBO for 4 months. The cable company's plot is to get me super addicted and then cut me off cold turkey after 6/30/14. I know it - and yet I listened to the first Hobbit while working today. Then it came on again so I listened up to the part where I'd started (I can't resist Elijah Wood as Frodo). And then I watched the end of a Billy Crystal family movie which was calculated to make you cry with joy at all the family bonding, which I did. And then I watched Epic, which was cute if predictable - there were some good jokes and I can never underestimate Aziz Ansari's power to channel the funny. He cracks me up on Parks and Rec, and here he was a slug - ew but funny. Then I said enough was enough and made myself lunch for the next 3 days. Nothing like lentils and rice.

Oh, and at some point in there I cleaned off my car and moved the snow away from the front of the car so it'll be able to get out tomorrow. That road is going to be solid ice b/c it was covered in slush when I went out. Not looking forward to that tomorrow morning. A nice man helped me - I didn't really need any help, but if you're going to clean off my car a little while I just stand there and watch, then I'll just stand there and watch. I had on a hat that completely covered my hair, which makes me racially ambiguous. I've been taken as Black, Indian, Dominican, half Black/half white, and too-mixed-to-tell. But I sound completely Americanized; moving around as a child removed any regional accent I might have picked up. Try and guess, strangers. Try and guess.