My Birthday

By now it is obvious from the previous post that Tuesday was my birthday. So, I've decided to pass along a few photos from the birthday celebration that Elise arranged in my honor at the Cheesecake Factory in Marina del Rey (They should thank me for the free advertising on our widely-read blog with a free dinner).

In this first picture, Elise and I pose for the camera. You'll remember Elise from my previous post about hiking in Malibu. Needless to say, Elise is more at home at the Cheesecake Factory than in the Malibu wilderness (where it actually snowed recently). Of course, that isn't to say she is high maintenance. Because she's not; she washes that BMW convertible herself.

This is one of the few pictures in the series where my eyes are actually all the way open, so I like it. To the right is John, who works for the L.A. Fire Department. He is the funniest guy in L.A. besides myself.
And, now you have Brendon, Andrew, and Lisa. Brendon drove all the way up from Orange County, dodging his partners on the way out of the office and cars on the 405. Andrew is in the middle. He is a really great musician/attorney, who gave a show last night at the Derby in Hollywood, a venue that was featured in the movie Swingers (or so I'm told, I've never actually seen it). And, on the end, is the beautiful and kind Lisa, who was the first person I ever saw Johnny Depp's version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with.
Now, Bryan and Elise (again). Brian works for Boeing and keeps us all eating right and exercising.

And, last but not least, are Colleen and Brandon. Colleen is a therapist, but she didn't charge me her regular rate for coming to the party; she came in the context of a friend. Brandon, who is one of the first people I met in L.A., rounds out the crew.

Of course, there was the obligatory and embarrassing singing by the waiters and waitresses. They sang Happy Birthday to Jack instead of Jeff, so I was able to protect my anonymity.
Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of Kirsten, who came too. But, that doesn't mean she isn't important; her presence was appreciated. All in all, it was a great day. Now, if I can just survive until next year...