Birthday boy

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a good day. We got nearly a foot of snow the day before, so I spent the morning waxing my skis, prepping them for the season after letting them go for a couple years. I got "happy birthday" calls from my Mom and Dad, sisters, mother in law Barb, and Jouhara, Emily's study-abroad host sister from Morocco, who really likes practicing her English. Emily and I walked to Jefferson Market and Cakery for a birthday dessert. I had a slice of peppermint-chocolate cake. The frosting was too rich for my taste, as usual, but the cake itself was moist and delicious, and I washed it down with a cold glass of milk. Emily prepared a delicious Italian meatball and kale soup for dinner, and we fortunately happened to have a loaf of Zingerman's tasty "brewhouse" bread in the freezer. There's nothing better than dipping a heavily buttered slice of warm, rustic bread in a steaming-hot bowl of homemade soup. After dinner we walked downtown, meeting friends Ben K and Meghan M for coffee at Starbucks and a film at the Michigan Theater on State Street. We saw "Slumdog Millionaire," a splendid Indian film about an orphaned boy from the slums of Mumbai overcoming his brutal childhood. Overall a really nice birthday.